Is Harvard University a good company to work for?

Harvard University has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5, based on over 4,608 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 86% of employees would recommend working at Harvard University to a friend and 71% 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?

86% of Harvard University employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Harvard University 4.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.0 for culture and values and 4.0 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Harvard University?

Research Assistant (271) , Postdoctoral Fellow (229) , PhD Student (99) , Graduate Student (93) , Research Associate (85) , Teaching Fellow (67) , Teaching Assistant (63) , Graduate Research Assistant (59) , PhD Graduate Student (50) , Staff Assistant (50) , Program Coordinator (43) , Research Fellow (42) , 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 302 reviews)); "great colleagues to work and discuss with" ((in 147 reviews)); "The hours are flexible and fairly easy" ((in 94 reviews)); "Flexibility and good work/life balance" ((in 90 reviews)); "There are many opportunities to collaborate in related fields and attend talks or seminars in entirely different fields that are of interest." ((in 57 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 216 reviews)); "Salaries are low but I believe this to be the case in higher ed more generally." ((in 151 reviews)); "Toxic managers and workplaces were tolerated if the work got done." ((in 26 reviews)); "Senior management and their leadership" ((in 19 reviews)); "Low compensation (although most higher ed is)" ((in 17 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 Harvard University locations have received the highest employee ratings?

Allston , New York , Boston , Cambridge , Harvard

Harvard University reviews

4.2

86% would recommend to a friend

(4,062 total reviews)

Alan Garber

82% approve of CEO

71% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Work/Life balance

4.0

Culture & values

4.0

Career opportunities

3.8

Compensation and benefits

3.6

Senior management

Harvard University has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 4,062 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

1.0

Jun 20, 2008

Working at Harvard is not what you think it is...

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Status and recognition from outsiders

Cons

A significant proportion of the resources are expended in keeping Harvard's image pristine. There is very little freedom of expression, and fostering creativity among staff is very low. A culture of fear reigns behind the Potemkin Village facade of Harvard's image.

4.0

Jun 16, 2008

Harvard: come here for the benefits, stay for the benefits.

Software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The generous and liberal benefits. Good health care (with many extras added to the plans). Generous time off that you even get to take (sometimes). Heavily subsidized T-pass. Free bus between campuses (great if you live in Boston, work in Cambridge or vice versa). Theoretical 35 hour work week for non-exempt employees. Some folks actually have it, others not even close. Some very smart folks to work with. Some really exciting projects and challenges. The name means a lot on your CV or resume.

Cons

The benefits have a cost and that cost is salary. Harvard is generally just not that competitive (to similar positions in the area). They are trying to make up some ground through bonuses / reviews, but the disparity remains very, very large at times. If you need to drive to either campus (Cambridge or Boston), parking is expensive and there is usually a waiting list for a permit. Don't expect a spot as soon as you sign on, unless you're a big wig. They don't seem to have the same trouble the rest of us do ...

4.0

Jun 12, 2008

Good benefits, OK salaries.

applications developer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Harvard has great benefits with four weeks vacation for exempt employees, 3 weeks for non-exempt, 3 personal days, and 12 sick days per year. If you have a good manager they are flexible about work time (for instance starting late and ending late, or starting early and ending early). They also can be flexible about working from home. I asked to telecommute two days a week and to my shock they said yes. This is not necessarily common at every department at Harvard but at least the senior management is open to trying new things, as long as they aren't too new, like telecommuting 4 days a week, which was not approved.

Cons

Harvard is very decentralized so there's very little sharing between groups and departments. While some middle managers are very open to trying new things, like some telecommuting, some are not open to this at all. Since there is no University wide mandate to allow telecommuting, there is no reason for managers to approve it if they are philosophically opposed to it, which has happened. While some managers are very flexible in terms of taking time off, sometimes on short notice, and being understanding when you try to balance work and life, some are not flexible or understanding in the slightest.

Viewing 4060 - 4062 of 4,062 Reviews

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Jobs at Harvard University