Is Harvard University a good company to work for?

Harvard University has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5, based on over 4,614 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 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?

84% 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, 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 (230) , PhD Student (100) , 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 (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 297 reviews)); "great colleagues to work and discuss with" ((in 156 reviews)); "Flexibility and good work/life balance" ((in 90 reviews)); "The hours are flexible and fairly easy" ((in 90 reviews)); "Good work environment" ((in 74 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 228 reviews)); "Salaries are low but I believe this to be the case in higher ed more generally." ((in 147 reviews)); "Toxic managers and workplaces were tolerated if the work got done." ((in 27 reviews)); "Senior management and their leadership" ((in 20 reviews)); "Low compensation (although most higher ed is)" ((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

Harvard University reviews

4.2

84% would recommend to a friend

(4,067 total reviews)

Alan Garber

83% approve of CEO

69% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Work/Life balance

4.0

Career opportunities

3.9

Culture & values

3.8

Compensation and benefits

3.6

Senior management

Harvard University has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 4,067 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

3.0

Mar 4, 2026

Great until it isn't

Engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Incredible work life balance - Benefits are debatable, but are above average in most cases where they are used

Cons

- Senior leadership are all just former project managers or scrum leads. If you have a engineering background, be prepared, and also, good luck. - Every year or two a previously failed initiative will get recycled and rebranded. Nothing truly tangible will come of this, it is by design. - A lot of people there are what I would call "Lifers." Beware to have ideas taken and credit never received. - The atmosphere is very much a high school clique. There is most definitely an inner circle, and if you do not manage to make it there be prepared to have your career essentially halted.

3.0

Dec 11, 2024

Very large employer, lots of opportunities

Executive director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Excellent benefits package, very strong pay for professional roles at least and relative to other top universities in the higher ed sector, people / staff who are very supportive and focused on the mission of serving students, (sometimes difficult) faculty, and researchers. Great place if you are junior or mid-career and looking for stability - i.e., at a single "place" because it is so large, that if you are a strong performer you can move to many different departments, centers, labs, etc. and find neat roles there.

Cons

All that said, Harvard is definitively NOT the best-run organization in the world though it may be one of the world's leading academic institutions. High, high, high politically-charged environment - need to be able to work effectively with many different sets of stakeholders, including faculty (who are often treated as 'free agents' in academia). The higher up you are, the less grace. Harvard has armies of people to keep itself out of the news and that impacts culture greatly. Overall, at the center / central administration, and leadership levels, fear of screwing up rules the day because the implications are very far-reaching (they are Harvard). So lots of risk aversion deep in the DNA of Harvard. Also just keep in mind that this is academia -- as one dean told me when I was there -- "universities are for people who society cannot otherwise employ" and the old adage of "those who cannot do, teach"... You just have to be able to pull off whatever it is you're charged with achieving in a way that brings in faculty... cannot upset faculty...

2.0

Feb 18, 2024

Harvard isn't worth it.

Admin assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

If you work enough hours, you have access to the tuition reimbursement benefits.

Cons

Basically everything else about working at Harvard sucks, even part-time.

Viewing 70 - 72 of 4,067 Reviews

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Jobs at Harvard University