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

Caltech (California) has an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5, based on over 1,093 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has increased by 1% over the last 12 months. 72% of employees would recommend working at Caltech (California) to a friend and 67% 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 3.7 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Caltech (California). This rating has improved by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Caltech (California)?

72% of Caltech (California) employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Caltech (California) 3.7 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.9 for culture and values and 4.0 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 114 reviews)); "Campus is beautiful and location can't be beat." ((in 61 reviews)); "Good benefits are often given to employees here" ((in 43 reviews)); "Location is great and your colleagues hail from all over the world." ((in 32 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 39 reviews)); "bad work life balance at" ((in 20 reviews)); "Siloed departments and lack of cohesive management" ((in 14 reviews)); "Limited diversity." ((in 7 reviews)); "Hard classes" ((in 6 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

4.1

72% would recommend to a friend

(979 total reviews)

Dr. Thomas F. Rosenbaum

74% approve of CEO

67% 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 4.1 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

4.0

Sep 1, 2010

Computer Scientist at Caltech

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Staff at Caltech have a large degree of freedom to create and work on innovative projects. Collaboration among the various disciplines is also a great plus.

Cons

The faculty can be difficult to deal with because they tend to be very abstract in their though processes and often communicate poorly.

4.0

Aug 26, 2010

Great place for PhD

Graduate research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Caltech is a very small school which makes it very easy to switch fields of research and to communicate with people out of your own department. There are smart people around everywhere.

Cons

Choosing a bad advisor might result in no life /work balance. Also, the place does not feel like a college campus. It is a good place to do research, but not for taking classes.

4.0

Jun 10, 2010

Sucky pay

Postdoctoral researcher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The job is good, lots of smart people, aura of working for "caltech" pasadena is a quiet calm city, LA is nearby

Cons

People have big egos. The campus is depressing. Grad heavy makes it less lively. People generally keep to themselves and their research

Viewing 964 - 966 of 979 Reviews

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Jobs at Caltech (California)

Dishwasher - Caltech Dining Services

Dishwasher - Caltech Dining Services

Dishwasher - Caltech Dining Services