Penn State reviews

4.2

77% would recommend to a friend

(4,978 total reviews)
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Eric J. Barron

73% approve of CEO

56% positive business outlook

Penn State has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 4,978 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).

Reviews by job title

5K reviews
5.0
Dec 16, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The institution really cares about diversity and the mentors really care about the graduate students. Healthy working environments with clear expectations and a great work-life balance.

Cons

Location. State College can feel dreary during the winter and post comp life for PhD students can be quite lonely if they're not going to the lab daily.

1.0
Dec 11, 2025

PhD RA

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 97 - 99 of 4,978 Reviews

Glassdoor has 5,422 Penn State reviews submitted anonymously by Penn State employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Penn State is right for you.