Is Penn State a good company to work for?

Penn State has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5, based on over 5,440 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 314 reviews)); "The people are great and friendly" ((in 259 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 193 reviews)); "Good work environment" ((in 100 reviews)); "Nice and friendly staff." ((in 100 reviews))

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

"Very boring and structured as well as low paying." ((in 324 reviews)); "2， salary is low" ((in 176 reviews)); "poor management and sometimes toxic" ((in 73 reviews)); "Lack of diversity (do not let the awards fool you)" ((in 26 reviews)); "Senior leadership won't invest in fixing root causes." ((in 21 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

(4,994 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

Penn State has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 4,994 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Penn State 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

5K reviews

5.0

Mar 9, 2016

Research Assistant

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

There is a lot of advanced research work going on at Penn State. There is always a requirement of high level thinking and innovation required while working on the research projects. The professors have in depth knowledge of their respective fields and are always looking forward to collaborating with industry professionals for the research work.

Cons

Although it is good that professors have in depth knowledge of their fields and they give a lot of work to research assistants. But, the professors do not spend enough time with the students on discussing the problems being faced in the research. They just give an overview of the work that needs to be done and expect the assistants to finish off the work by themselves.

2.0

Mar 8, 2016

I don't know

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

3 day work week, but this will be taken away soon. Tuition discount is nice also, but who knows how long that will last

Cons

Management does not care about staff. They do not follow union contract and get mad when people contact the union.

5.0

Mar 8, 2016

Great Atmosphere

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Penn State creates a great atmosphere for recent graduates. They provide the benefit of learning the impacts that an IT department has in a large scale setting.

Cons

The only con for working at Penn State is that you have to pay for parking. Parking is not expensive in anyway, but adds a additional concern to the employees.

Viewing 4216 - 4218 of 4,994 Reviews

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Jobs at Penn State

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Morehead, KY

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Gate Attendant at Cumberland