Is Harvard University a good company to work for?

Harvard University has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5, based on over 4,621 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 83% of employees would recommend working at Harvard University to a friend and 69% 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 3% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Harvard University?

83% of Harvard University employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Harvard University 4.0 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 (271) , 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 93 reviews)); "The hours are flexible and fairly easy" ((in 87 reviews)); "Great opportunity to advance career." ((in 62 reviews))

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

"Pay is low for the cost of living but worth it if you make the most of it." ((in 207 reviews)); "Salaries are low but I believe this to be the case in higher ed more generally." ((in 154 reviews)); "Toxic culture (depending on lab/department)" ((in 46 reviews)); "Toxic managers and workplaces were tolerated if the work got done." ((in 22 reviews)); "Low compensation (although most higher ed is)" ((in 21 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

Harvard University reviews

4.2

83% would recommend to a friend

(4,072 total reviews)

Alan Garber

80% approve of CEO

69% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Harvard University has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 4,072 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).

Reviews by job title

4K reviews

3.0

Mar 20, 2012

Great people, poor organization

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Opportunity to impact students who will (for better or for worse) end up making a bit impact on the world. So there's lots of leverage here.

Cons

Harvard changes very, very, very slowly. There are many elephants in the room, but leadership seems very hesitant to make waves or take bold stands.

3.0

Mar 15, 2012

Teaching is not a priority

Graduate student

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The name opens doors going forward

Cons

Teaching is clearly not a priority, both in class itself and even guidance from advisors often leaves a lot to be desired.

4.0

Mar 14, 2012

Great balance, positive atmosphere but not great for advancement or development

Senior software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The benefits, hours, and general work environment are great. There are a lot of available resources (libraries, gyms, discounts, etc.) and Harvard Square is a great area. Management is supportive and seems genuinely interested in moving the IT organization forward. It is a great place for people with families, a friendly atmosphere and the stress levels are relatively low.

Cons

Things change at a glacial pace which can be a problem when working with technology. The pay is below industry standard and this has been getting worse in recent years. The perks and benefits used to partially make up for it but this is no longer true in my opinion. It can be very hard to move up at Harvard because there is very little turnover or growth. When opportunities do open up they seem to frequently hire from the outside. There are a wide range of IT activities going on but it's very hard to get involved or even learn about them because groups are very silo'd. There does seem to be an expressed desire to change some of these things from upper management but this has also been expressed in the past and I'm not optimistic that this will happen quickly.

Viewing 3898 - 3900 of 4,072 Reviews

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Jobs at Harvard University

Administrative Coordinator

Faculty Administrative Assistant

Boston, MA

View job