Is Penn State a good company to work for?

Penn State has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5, based on over 5,421 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 been stable over the past 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, 4.0 for culture and values and 3.8 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Penn State?

Graduate Research Assistant (390) , Research Assistant (322) , Teaching Assistant (95) , Graduate Student (74) , Graduate Teaching Assistant (70) , Graduate Assistant (68) , Intern (53) , Postdoctoral Scholar (48) , Assistant Professor (46) , Student Worker (44) , Undergraduate Research Assistant (44) , Postdoctoral Fellow (41) , 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 306 reviews)); "The people are great and friendly" ((in 261 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 187 reviews)); "Nice and friendly staff." ((in 99 reviews)); "Good work environment and lots of learning." ((in 94 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 170 reviews)); "poor management and sometimes toxic" ((in 74 reviews)); "The organization is not diverse or especially aware of its lack of diversity." ((in 24 reviews)); "Poor leadership and human resources does nothing about it" ((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 Penn State locations have received the highest employee ratings?

Allentown , Malvern , Philadelphia , New York , Reading , Middletown , Erie , Scranton , Penn State University , State College

Penn State reviews

4.2

77% would recommend to a friend

(4,977 total reviews)

Eric J. Barron

73% approve of CEO

56% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.2

Diversity & inclusion

4.0

Culture & values

4.0

Work/Life balance

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 4,977 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

2.0

Dec 21, 2015

Overall good, but bad management made it unbearable

Educational program associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits. Generous paid time off for both vacation and sick. Wonderful tuition reimbursement. Get a degree while you are there. Everything you need on a college campus is there, good food service, excellent library, and fully stocked student union with racquetball, pool, and other work out options. Friendly and helpful co-workers. Your happiness really depends on your direct manage.r

Cons

Upper management is stuck in the "We are Penn State" mentality. Not willing to look at the new changing face of higher education. Can be very hierarchical and the bureaucracy is nearly crippling innovation. Pay is below average for other similar places. Nearly impossible to move up in the organization.

3.0

Nov 6, 2015

we are...filling out paperwork

Assistant professor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Happy students, loyal alumni, beautiful campus. Many resources are available for the teaching aspects of the job. If you put your mind to it, you can become an excellent teacher. The role of research, and how well it's supported depends on which college you are in. Some have excellent support, others are in the business of pushing undergrads through the system. Faculty are paid quite well especially considering the low cost of living. You can have a nice, peaceful life here...good place to raise a family. If you're in the right department, life can be pretty good.

Cons

It's a heavily bureaucratic, compliance-oriented and dean-centric culture. Faculty governance is minimal. You'll spend more time filling out paperwork to university risk management than actually doing your work. It's also an old boys club with respect to decision making. Faculty quality of life varies greatly depending on departments. Mixed messages are given about the importance of research vs. teaching. There's pressure on all sides to do more with less. Classrooms are packed to the brim with pressure for greater enrollment. There are great people who work here but also plenty of duds. The most depressing are the disenfranchised faculty who stay here because the area is very family friendly and/or PSU generously gave golden handcuffs when they tried to leave.

1.0

Sep 3, 2015

No appreciation for retaining good employees

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

There really aren't any pros for working at Penn State. I have been here 10 yrs. and in that time, all of my collaborators have left as have the people who were new when I was.

Cons

Having to live in the middle of nowhere. Most of the people I know want to get out.

Viewing 52 - 54 of 4,977 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

University of Michigan

3.9★Compensation & Benefits

University of Washington

3.5★Compensation & Benefits

NYU (New York University)

3.9★Compensation & Benefits

Stanford University

3.6★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at Penn State

Penn State

Penn State reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Overall good, but bad management made it unbearable

we are...filling out paperwork

No appreciation for retaining good employees

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at Penn State

Penn State reviews FAQs

Want the inside scoop on your own company?

Bowls

Followed companies

Job searches

Penn State reviews FAQs

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at Penn State