Is Caltech (California) a good company to work for?

Caltech (California) has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5, based on over 1,093 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has increased by 2% over the last 12 months. 74% of employees would recommend working at Caltech (California) to a friend and 70% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Caltech (California) have been left by employees working as Teaching Assistant , PhD Student and Researcher .

Does Caltech (California) pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Caltech (California) employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.8 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Caltech (California). This rating has improved by 4% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Caltech (California)?

74% of Caltech (California) employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Caltech (California) 3.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.0 for culture and values and 4.1 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Caltech (California)?

Graduate Student (70) , Postdoctoral Fellow (63) , Graduate Research Assistant (56) , Postdoctoral Scholar (44) , PhD Student (42) , PhD Graduate Student (40) , Research Assistant (35) , Postdoctoral Researcher (27) , Researcher (21) , Research Scientist (17) , Teaching Assistant (16) , Administrative Assistant (15) , Research Technician (15) , Postdoctoral Research Associate (13) , Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow (13)

What are the pros of working at Caltech (California) according to real employee reviews?

"People are smart and nice." ((in 108 reviews)); "Campus is beautiful and location can't be beat." ((in 63 reviews)); "Good benefits are often given to employees here" ((in 42 reviews)); "Location is great and your colleagues hail from all over the world." ((in 35 reviews)); "Flexible hours and most of the projects are interesting" ((in 17 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Caltech (California) according to real employee reviews?

"Low salary and lots of work" ((in 34 reviews)); "bad work life balance at" ((in 19 reviews)); "Siloed departments and lack of cohesive management" ((in 13 reviews)); "Limited diversity." ((in 7 reviews)); "Bad culture internally (in terms of staff; things may be different in terms of research / academics)." ((in 7 reviews))

What are employees saying about Caltech (California) layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Caltech (California) layoffs and their outlook for job security at Caltech (California) in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Caltech (California) locations?

Pasadena , Los Angeles , Baton Rouge , Livingston , Chesterfield , Charlotte , Livingston , Big Pine , Claremont , Glendale , Glendora , Montrose , South Pasadena , Moreno Valley , Rancho Cordova , Palomar Mountain , San Diego , Berkeley , Redwood City , Sausalito , San Jose , San Luis Obispo , Richland , Boston , Pasadena

Caltech (California) reviews

4.2

74% would recommend to a friend

(979 total reviews)

Dr. Thomas F. Rosenbaum

77% approve of CEO

70% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Caltech (California) has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 979 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Caltech (California) employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

979 reviews

3.0

Feb 15, 2010

Sink or Swim

Graduate research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The opportunities at Caltech are incredible. It's a steaming mass of smart people with creativity oozing out of every crevice. If you're prepared to take advantage of it it's a great place to launch an academic career.

Cons

It's hard to find a professor there who's also a good mentor. Most of them are more focused on research, which makes sense given the place's reputation. If you need guidance there might be better options.

4.0

Jan 7, 2010

Depends on your advisor, but in general, a good place to be a grad student

Graduate student

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

very supportive administrative staff some of the best researchers in the world lovely campus fantastic research facilities small, close-knit environment

Cons

very small, so not as many social or extracurricular opportunities very intense environment! (though, of course, everything depends on your advisor) LA is a boring city if you don't like the Hollywood atmosphere

4.0

Nov 4, 2009

A challenging but rewarding place to work at

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Caltech is a top level research institute which equipped with great research facilities. People here are nice and very competent at their work. You can learn a lot by working at Caltech. Plus, Pasadena is a great city to live in.

Cons

Working at Caltech as a research people could be very challenging. You need to be self-motivated and able to plan things very well. Also, you need to be able to balance your work with your personal life, which is sometimes as challenging as work itself

Viewing 937 - 939 of 979 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

University of Michigan

3.9★Compensation & Benefits

University of Washington

3.5★Compensation & Benefits

NYU (New York University)

3.9★Compensation & Benefits

Stanford University

3.6★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at Caltech (California)

Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistant