Is Penn State a good company to work for?

Penn State has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5, based on over 5,442 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months. 77% of employees would recommend working at Penn State to a friend and 56% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Penn State have been left by employees working as Student Grader , Undergraduate Teaching Assistant and Lab Assistant .

Does Penn State pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Penn State employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.6 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Penn State. This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Penn State?

77% of Penn State employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Penn State 4.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.9 for culture and values and 3.7 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Penn State?

Graduate Research Assistant (392) , Research Assistant (323) , Teaching Assistant (95) , Graduate Student (74) , Graduate Teaching Assistant (71) , Graduate Assistant (68) , Intern (53) , Postdoctoral Scholar (48) , Assistant Professor (46) , Student Worker (44) , Undergraduate Research Assistant (44) , Postdoctoral Fellow (43) , PhD Student (39) , Learning Assistant (38) , Postdoctoral Researcher (35)

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

"Great benefits and protected by the union is a plus" ((in 300 reviews)); "The people are great and friendly" ((in 265 reviews)); "The hours are flexible and you can choose when you want to come into lab as long as you get your work done." ((in 179 reviews)); "Good work environment and lots of learning." ((in 97 reviews)); "Nice and friendly staff." ((in 95 reviews))

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

"Very low pay and no chance for a raise unless you change jobs within the university." ((in 330 reviews)); "2， salary is low" ((in 168 reviews)); "poor management and sometimes toxic" ((in 74 reviews)); "The organization is not diverse or especially aware of its lack of diversity." ((in 26 reviews)); "Senior leadership won't invest in fixing root causes." ((in 24 reviews))

What are employees saying about Penn State layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed Penn State locations?

State College , University Park , Erie , Penn State University , Hershey , Harrisburg , Abington , Philadelphia , Altoona , Malvern , Middletown , Penn , Pittsburgh , Reading , York , Media , Monaca , Scranton , Allentown , New York , Lancaster , Washington , Center Valley , McKeesport , University Park , Los Angeles , Schuylkill Haven , University Park , Reston , Lehigh Valley

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Penn State

Penn State reviews

4.2

77% would recommend to a friend

(1,129 total reviews)

Eric J. Barron

72% approve of CEO

56% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Diversity & inclusion

4.0

Work/Life balance

3.9

Culture & values

3.7

Career opportunities

3.6

Senior management

3.6

Compensation and benefits

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

1K reviews

Reviews about "Compensation"

Return to all reviews

1.0

Dec 23, 2025

Advisors Regularly Drop Their Students

Phd candidate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Relaxed environment and good people.

Cons

Too relaxed. You can spend years there without making any progress. Advisors who do not have the capacity to take on students do so anyway and either end up dropping them because they don't have the time or just let them spin their wheels forever. Also, you don't find a research topic nor actually start doing research until year 2.

5.0

Dec 19, 2025

Great place to work!

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

>Opportunities for professional development >Lots of different committees you can join to become more involved on campus >Benefits were really good while I was there

Cons

>Red tape in processing times for approvals (e.g., budgeting, hosting events)- which is common in higher education as I've worked at other universities since. It is more of an annoyance than anything :)

1.0

Dec 11, 2025

PhD RA

Graduate research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

1) Good insurance coverage. 2) Competitive salary for PhD students.

Cons

1) The pay grade stays the same throughout the PhD years. 2) There is very weak support for graduate student well-being. 3) There is a significant power imbalance in favor of the manager (PI).

Viewing 31 - 33 of 1,129 Reviews

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