Is Harvard University a good company to work for?

Harvard University has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5, based on over 4,622 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 84% of employees would recommend working at Harvard University to a friend and 67% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Harvard University have been left by employees working as Undergraduate Course Assistant , Course Assistant and Intern .

Does Harvard University pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Harvard University employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.8 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Harvard University. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Harvard University?

84% of Harvard University employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Harvard University 3.9 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 Harvard University?

Research Assistant (272) , Postdoctoral Fellow (231) , PhD Student (100) , Graduate Student (93) , Research Associate (86) , Teaching Fellow (67) , Teaching Assistant (63) , Graduate Research Assistant (60) , PhD Graduate Student (50) , Staff Assistant (50) , Program Coordinator (43) , Research Fellow (43) , Researcher (41) , Director (35) , Intern (34)

What are the pros of working at Harvard University according to real employee reviews?

"Nice to work with and the people are great." ((in 292 reviews)); "great colleagues to work and discuss with" ((in 155 reviews)); "Flexibility and good work/life balance" ((in 94 reviews)); "The hours are flexible and fairly easy" ((in 89 reviews)); "There are many opportunities to collaborate in related fields and attend talks or seminars in entirely different fields that are of interest." ((in 63 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Harvard University according to real employee reviews?

"Low pay but high for education" ((in 215 reviews)); "Salaries are low but I believe this to be the case in higher ed more generally." ((in 152 reviews)); "Toxic culture (depending on lab/department)" ((in 48 reviews)); "Toxic managers and workplaces were tolerated if the work got done." ((in 26 reviews)); "Senior management and their leadership" ((in 20 reviews))

What are employees saying about Harvard University layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed Harvard University locations?

Cambridge , Boston , New York , Harvard , Allston , Washington , Harvard , San Antonio , Los Angeles , San Francisco , Cambridge , Somerville , Houston , Denver , Miami , Brockton , Brookline , Jamaica Plain , Malden , Atlanta , Jersey City , Ohio , Boston , Brooklyn , Madison , Orono , Lander , Austin , Frisco , Lubbock

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Harvard University

Harvard University reviews

4.2

84% would recommend to a friend

(4,073 total reviews)

Alan Garber

81% approve of CEO

67% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.2

Diversity & inclusion

4.0

Career opportunities

3.9

Culture & values

3.9

Work/Life balance

3.8

Compensation and benefits

3.6

Senior management

Harvard University has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 4,073 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Harvard University employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

4K reviews

5.0

Jan 17, 2013

Great organization work for, very understanding

Teaching assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Very flexible Good pay Great people to work with Most of the work is enjoyable Accommodates academic limitations and needs

Cons

Can be a lot of work It will cut back on your work and study time Sometimes the hours are janky

4.0

Jan 17, 2013

Great place to work

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great work/life balance, flexible schedule

Cons

budget deficit makes future uncertain

1.0

Jan 14, 2013

Greed, incompetence, and socially dysfunctional describe the management at Media Technology Service

Harvard media technology services, audio and visual technician

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

A lot of down time! If you like being able to do what ever you want while getting paid then this is the job for you! 80% of the time you are there you get to do what ever you want on your email. Free rental a lot of audio and video equipment. BEWARE this is all completely over weighed by the cons.

Cons

Not only is the management the most socially awkward and mean spirited people i have ever had the misfortune of working with, but these people love to treat their part time employees like mindless workers instead of human beings. I am not the only employee with this experience. While working here I was lied to about hours. I had multiple emails confirming my hours and schedules, but when the semester rolled around the management decided to give 75% of my hours to unpaid interns. Keep in mind I have a graduates degree! Also, take into consideration that I am not the only person this was done to. I found out later on, that the only reason they gave my hours to unpaid interns was so that the management could receive bonuses for rolling back expenses. This made my life very stressful for about a month while I found another job to fill these hours, considering I was relying on these hours. I was also treated very unfairly for multiple jobs that were never explained to me. Something that in a normal work environment would be treated as a learning experience. DO NOT WORK HERE.

Viewing 3835 - 3837 of 4,073 Reviews

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Jobs at Harvard University

Administrative Coordinator

Security Control Center Operator

Cambridge, MA

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Great organization work for, very understanding

Great place to work

Greed, incompetence, and socially dysfunctional describe the management at Media Technology Service

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