Is Penn State a good company to work for?

Penn State has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5, based on over 5,437 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months. 78% of employees would recommend working at Penn State to a friend and 57% 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 been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Penn State?

78% of Penn State employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Penn State 4.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.0 for culture and values and 3.8 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Penn State?

Graduate Research Assistant (392) , Research Assistant (323) , Teaching Assistant (96) , 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 321 reviews)); "The people are great and friendly" ((in 257 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 184 reviews)); "Good work environment" ((in 95 reviews)); "Nice and friendly staff." ((in 93 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 318 reviews)); "2， salary is low" ((in 178 reviews)); "poor management and sometimes toxic" ((in 77 reviews)); "The organization is not diverse or especially aware of its lack of diversity." ((in 27 reviews)); "Senior leadership won't invest in fixing root causes." ((in 25 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

78% would recommend to a friend

(4,993 total reviews)

Eric J. Barron

73% approve of CEO

57% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.2

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Work/Life balance

4.0

Culture & values

3.8

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 4,993 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

Oct 7, 2015

Student Employee

Assistant student manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Works around class schedule for the students, great management, good pay for students, and great environment

Cons

Work can sometimes be slow and monotonous, not really that big of a negative, but there are no complaints that I have

4.0

Oct 6, 2015

Different Units work with different levels of efficiency

Graduate research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

It is a large research university with many different departments. The benefits of being in a diverse university community with a lot of young, energetic people around is great for entrepreneurial folks. A large amount of the students are also in science and engineering fields so that is of a big benefit for forging interdisciplinary connections. Great IT systems.

Cons

Some of the administration is very slow with paperwork. Weather is not great for 6-7 months of the year. Also the public transport inside the town is good, but it is far from all major hub airports and the local airport in expensive.

1.0

Oct 5, 2015

Pegula Rink Staff

Pegula rink staff

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Decent Group of people and a very easy job. Working at the ice rink is about as easy of a job that you can have. Very little responsibility.

Cons

Awful management made it confusing and difficult to complete tasks. Sends you in a million different directions with very little guidance.

Viewing 4351 - 4353 of 4,993 Reviews

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Jobs at Penn State

Student Library Assistant

Part-Time Wage Payroll

Part-Time Horse Barn Worker