Is NIH a good company to work for?

NIH has an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5, based on over 2,842 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 3% over the last 12 months. 80% of employees would recommend working at NIH to a friend and 60% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about NIH have been left by employees working as Postdoctoral Researcher , Intern and Summer Intern .

Does NIH pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, NIH employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.0 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at NIH. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at NIH?

80% of NIH employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated NIH 4.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.2 for culture and values and 3.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at NIH?

Postdoctoral Fellow (298) , Research Fellow (124) , Postbaccalaureate IRTA (103) , Staff Scientist (63) , Postdoctoral Research Fellow (40) , Intern (38) , Research Assistant (38) , Summer Intern (29) , Post-Baccalaureate Fellow (27) , Scientist (25) , Research Scientist (23) , Biologist (22) , Program Analyst (21) , Post Doctoral Fellow (20) , Visiting Fellow (20)

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

"The people are great and having a role in biomedical research is rewarding" ((in 139 reviews)); "great benefits and core facility" ((in 130 reviews)); "good work/life balance and super friendly teammates" ((in 78 reviews)); "Great lab and colleagues." ((in 57 reviews)); "Great opportunity to be mentored and grow as a scientist" ((in 49 reviews))

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

"Low salaries and lack of benefit." ((in 78 reviews)); "can become repetitive, sometime poor management, same activity repeated," ((in 32 reviews)); ""Bad" Departments has poor leadership, micromanage and terrible behaviors unbecoming of what a manager should be." ((in 13 reviews)); "too much bureaucracy and regulations" ((in 13 reviews)); "Certain managers (and this is a systematic problem government wide) that focus on promotion based on "time in grade" rather than job performance." ((in 10 reviews))

What are employees saying about NIH layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed NIH locations?

Bethesda , Rockville , Washington , Baltimore , Frederick , Durham , Gaithersburg , Silver Spring , Research Triangle Park , New York , North Bethesda , Phoenix , Raleigh , Boston , Herndon , Maryland Heights , Houston , Columbia , Bowie , Cambridge , Shady Grove , Little Falls , New Brunswick , Wayne , Princeton , Chicago , Kewanee , Annandale , Clifton , Reston

NIH reviews

4.1

80% would recommend to a friend

(2,341 total reviews)

Francis S. Collins

82% approve of CEO

60% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (2,341 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

NIH has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 2,341 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The NIH employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

4.0

May 18, 2011

Intellectually stimulating, social environment that looks wonderful on your resume

Postbaccalaureate irta

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Mentorship is central to this job; the guidance gained is invaluable & supervisors will be top in their field. Extensive patient contact. Hands-on experience. Gain technical skills in a variety of areas. Individual initiative is embraced and supported; start your own projects and you will present your research at conferences and publish.

Cons

You won't get an interview unless you identify and write to specific PIs. Direct contact with PI can be limited depending on your lab. As a government facility, there can be a lot of red tape.

5.0

May 16, 2011

Hard but good

Post doctoral irta

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

lots of research funds unlimited educational resources great career services

Cons

can get swallowed up in the mass of of post-docs very little individual support for mentoring

4.0

May 12, 2011

World-class research, great opportunities for networking and collaborations.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great seminar series, career development opportunities, opportunities for collaborations among other researchers, easy access to equipment, reagents, etc, great place to do clinical/translational research

Cons

Sometimes bureaucracy can be an issue, support system can vary depending on mentor/PI, equipment access can vary depending on particular lab/institute

Viewing 2290 - 2292 of 2,341 Reviews

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Intellectually stimulating, social environment that looks wonderful on your resume

Hard but good

World-class research, great opportunities for networking and collaborations.

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