Is Penn State a good company to work for?

Penn State has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5, based on over 5,420 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 58% 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 4.0 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 274 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 196 reviews)); "Good work environment and lots of learning." ((in 95 reviews)); "Nice and friendly staff." ((in 90 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 317 reviews)); "2， salary is low" ((in 181 reviews)); "poor management and sometimes toxic" ((in 72 reviews)); "The organization is not diverse or especially aware of its lack of diversity." ((in 26 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

78% would recommend to a friend

(4,976 total reviews)

Eric J. Barron

77% approve of CEO

58% 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 4,976 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

4.0

Jun 29, 2012

Where I plan to stay... with unfortunately low pay

Administrative assistant iii

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits and work/life balance. Most offices are very relaxed and lenient. This is the place to be for a relaxed life... and you get a lot of vacation time to use to make it even better.

Cons

As a public institution there is already a big different between private industry pay and what PSU offers. But in the last ten years budget cuts have dropped PSU salaries way behind the industry. If you are from outside, coming in, and are fine with moving on to another place, you're good to go. You can negotiate for a good salary and you can leave for a new one if needed. Internal employees are constrained to 4% increases (before negotiation) on any job switch, even with a new degree or more responsibility.

2.0

Dec 27, 2008

It could be done better.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Size and variety of the organization. Mission and goals are a strong drawing card. Because of the size, there are some very interesting environments and dynamics that can create really valuable and worthwhile learning for staff and administrators. There are a lot of bright people to learn from and create new intiatives.

Cons

Leadership was not dynamic. Poor decision making processes. Top down communication. Data and information were disregarded. Good and bright people were too often ignored. The success of the institution often created a sense of complacency. Resources were often not marshalled to appropriately meet problems and create solutions. Decision makers often did not have the expertise to understand or confront organizational uncertainty or a crisis. Personalities were often more important than knowledge and expertise.

2.0

Jun 29, 2023

Too much burnout

Administrative assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

You are able to get a lot of experience in different things so when you want to leave you have a good chance of landing a better paying job.

Cons

Overworked, underpaid, because you are getting experience from various areas, you have no support as you are the support. You do not get trained properly and when hired are given everything the last assistant has done and they expect you to just pick it up with minimum to no errors.

Viewing 10 - 12 of 4,976 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

UCLA

3.7★Compensation & Benefits

Texas A&M University

3.5★Compensation & Benefits

UC San Diego

3.6★Compensation & Benefits

Arizona State University

3.5★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at Penn State

Penn State

Penn State reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Where I plan to stay... with unfortunately low pay

It could be done better.

Too much burnout

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

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at Penn State

Penn State reviews FAQs