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

4.0

Jan 10, 2012

Very flexible, but requires self-motivation.

Grad student

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

As a grad student, my working time is very flexible which I like. My adviser also allows me to develop my own research interested, which is cooler than most places. Finally my adviser is willing to spend personal time with me to talk about research, and is extremely smart and well as technically competent, which to my knowledge, is not always true everywhere.

Cons

The flexibility that comes with working as a grad students also means that you need to be very self-motivated. You need to choose your own classes to attend, and papers to read. This sometimes might make you feel aimless. Also, sometimes being a Teaching Fellow takes a lot of time, depending on which professor is teaching the class.

4.0

Jan 9, 2012

Great learning opportunities but not much room to move up

Senior software developer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

benefits, training opportunities, competent and nice coworkers, cutting edge technology, great resources and interesting projects, ability to move laterally within the university.

Cons

not a lot of opportunity to move up into management since there is not a lot of turnover, and there is a pretty solid hierarchy in place some red tape. salaries might not be as competitive as in the outside world- but the benefits are good.

3.0

Dec 21, 2011

good people, big problems with inconsistency

Administrator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

My colleagues and supervisors have been wonderful, professional, congenial. I love my (physical) office. No shortage of verbal recognition for hard work.

Cons

The pay across schools is terribly inconsistent. I know for a fact that I make 20% less per year than someone I shared an office with doing the exact same work at another school. We are constantly reinventing the wheel because of the "tub/own bottom" mentality here. A lot of time is wasted trying to figure out standard procedures that may already have been standardized for years in offices down the street. My particular department suffers from old fashioned and inflexible attitudes toward work-life balance. Our schedules are monitored very closely and the concept of flex-time is almost completely foreign. Being over 35 with 5 years of experience in my field I would expect more trust and autonomy. Morale gets low in our department for this reason.

Viewing 3916 - 3918 of 4,072 Reviews

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Jobs at Harvard University