Carnegie Dartlet reviews

1.9

9% would recommend to a friend

(99 total reviews)

Gary Colen

13% approve of CEO

20% positive business outlook

Carnegie Dartlet has an employee rating of 1.9 out of 5 stars, based on 99 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a poor working experience there. The Carnegie Dartlet employee rating is 49% below average for employers within the Media & Communication industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

99 reviews
1.0
Apr 25, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Unlimited PTO, flexible hours, mostly good lower management

Cons

If you’re looking for a company that embodies dysfunction at every level, look no further. This place is a case study in how NOT to run a business. Leadership has no clear vision, constantly acquires new companies without integrating them properly, and then wonders why everything is in shambles. The result? Mass confusion, redundancies, and of course—waves of layoffs to "correct" their own mistakes. Despite proudly boasting a "People First" motto, employees are treated as disposable. Transparency is non-existent; major decisions that impact entire teams are made behind closed doors, with workers left to find out through leaked Slack messages or ominous calendar invites. If you’re in the creative division, prepare to be worked into the ground with impossible deadlines, ever-changing directives, and no recognition. It’s a full-blown sweatshop mentality, where leadership sees you as nothing more than an output machine. And here’s the kicker: if you get laid off (which is highly likely), your benefits expire at midnight the same day. No grace period. No transition support. Just a cold, hard cutoff. For a company that shoves its “People First” mantra down your throat at every town hall, this policy is a jaw-dropping contradiction—and a cruel one at that. The company doesn’t just mismanage its existing structure—it keeps acquiring more businesses like some kind of corporate hoarder, despite being unable to handle what it already has. Instead of building a solid foundation, leadership throws money at new acquisitions, further deepening the chaos. Unless you enjoy instability, empty promises, and watching talented colleagues get axed while executives collect bonuses, steer clear. There are far better places that will actually value your time, skills, and well-being.

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Carnegie Dartlet Response
1y
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. Your perspective—especially on issues like communication, workload, and leadership—matters deeply, and while it’s difficult to hear, it’s important. We acknowledge that growth, particularly through acquisitions, can lead to organizational challenges. That said, your concerns about integration, transparency, and workload management are not taken lightly. We are actively working to improve cross-team alignment, ensure smoother transitions, and reduce ambiguity across the company. It's clear we have more work to do, and reviews like yours help guide where we focus our efforts. Carnegie is committed to living up to our "People First" values—not just in principle, but in practice. Please know that our leadership team is listening, and we are determined to do better.
1.0
Jun 29, 2026

Not the same company anymore

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Carnegie offers a broad portfolio of solutions, providing employees with exposure to a wide range of projects and challenges, far more than many other organizations in the higher education consulting space. The company is also proactive about evolving alongside the changing higher education landscape, adapting its strategies and offerings to remain relevant and forward-thinking. One of Carnegie's greatest strengths is its people. In my experience, it's uncommon to work alongside so many colleagues who genuinely care about the quality of their work and the impact it has on clients. The organization is built on hardworking, supportive, and thoughtful individuals who are invested in each other's success. That culture has made a lasting impression on me and has been one of the most rewarding aspects of working at Carnegie.

Cons

The workload at Carnegie is extremely unsustainable. Over the past several years, my responsibilities have grown significantly every 6 months like clockwork, to the point where working evenings and weekends has become the norm just to stay afloat. The expectation is that high performers will continue taking on more work, but there is little corresponding increase in compensation, support, or opportunities for advancement. One of the biggest frustrations has been the disconnect between expectations and recognition. Despite consistently receiving positive feedback and being trusted with increasingly complex work, meaningful raises and promotions have been difficult to impossible to obtain. It took three years to get a 3% raise and title change (Carnegies idea of a promotion) AND I had to fight for internally for months. The unfortunate part is that I think my team did appreciate the work and wanted me to be recognized, however it is an unspoken truth that the reason people don't receive compensation is because the execs of the company don't want to spend the money and don't provide any budget for promotions (unless you are a Senior Director or higher...they seem to get a promotion at least once every year). Carnegie will find the cheapest way possible to produce the greatest outcome. Compensation is also below market for many roles. Based on my experience and research into comparable positions, I believe I could earn substantially more elsewhere while carrying a more manageable workload. That gap has become increasingly difficult to justify given the expectations placed on employees. Since Carnegie was acquired by a private equity firm, I've experienced a noticeable increase in workload and pressure. Resource constraints often leave teams understaffed, and even after communicating that I had reached capacity, additional work was still assigned because there were few or no alternatives. Over time, this has contributed to burnout and declining morale across every department. I used to LOVE this place and would often brag to others outside of work on how lucky I was to be a part of such a great company. It's shocking how that couldn't be farther from the truth now. For anyone considering working at Carnegie, I strongly advice you to read the reviews.

1.0
Apr 15, 2026

Culture? What culture? It’s a thing of the past.

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Used to be good. Used to have good people. They’re gone. I miss the days of Joe Moore and narrower focus on helping institutions through digital marketing. Now we are just a soulless behemoth, the kind we used to do well competing against.

Cons

Now we have “cool” SVPs who go by their childhood nicknames and private equity driving down the quality of work for customers while also driving down the number and salaries of good employees. You’d better be in the exec club if you want any work life balance. You’ll be worked to the bone and feel like you could be canned for taking vacation. But at least it’s unlimited!!

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Carnegie Dartlet Response
1mo
Thank you for your honesty and for your time with the company. We take this feedback to heart, particularly coming from someone who has been here long enough to see the company go through significant transitions. We recognize that our recent growth and structural changes have heavily impacted our day-to-day culture, and we regret that this shift has negatively affected your experience and view of the company. It is deeply concerning to hear that you feel overworked and unsupported in taking time off. A workplace cannot thrive if its employees are burned out, and an unlimited PTO policy is only as good as the workload management that supports it. You are absolutely right that our rating reflects the voice of our employees, and we are not taking that lightly. We know we have work to do to rebuild trust and improve the daily employee experience. Please reach out to hr@carnegiehighered.com to discuss further.
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