Is Penn State a good company to work for?

Penn State has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5, based on over 5,425 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 55% 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 3.7 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 (71) , Graduate Assistant (68) , Intern (53) , Postdoctoral Scholar (48) , Assistant Professor (46) , Student Worker (44) , Undergraduate Research Assistant (44) , Postdoctoral Fellow (42) , 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 273 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 190 reviews)); "Nice and friendly staff." ((in 96 reviews)); "Good work environment in the lab" ((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 325 reviews)); "2， salary is low" ((in 176 reviews)); "poor management and sometimes toxic" ((in 75 reviews)); "Lack of diversity (do not let the awards fool you)" ((in 27 reviews)); "Senior leadership won't invest in fixing root causes." ((in 22 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 , Stroudsburg

Penn State reviews

4.2

77% would recommend to a friend

(4,981 total reviews)

Eric J. Barron

72% approve of CEO

55% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Penn State has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 4,981 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

3.0

Oct 6, 2017

Good research, bad culture

Graduate research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Beautiful area, high quality research. High camaraderie among graduate students and other positive and supportive environment.

Cons

Penn state at large is frighteningly cultish and willing to look over immoral behavior (although I'm sure other large football schools suffer this problem). Computing cluster management is a disaster. One is better off running simulations on Amazon or Google or their own computer for a larger price than deal with ICS. Poor undergraduate instruction in physics -- mostly organizational style. Mediocre to handling of graduate student grievances. Particular faculty have far inappropriately large weight when it comes to graduate student applications. Loudest voices among faculty appear to be the only ones heard, while not enough attention paid to the opinions of humbler and/or quieter but equally (if not more) qualified faculty.

5.0

Sep 23, 2017

ITS Lab Consultant

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great and understanding managers. Lots of opportunities for advancement. A great position for students to work part-time.

Cons

Quality varies with other student employees at this level. Usually anyone who isn't a good fit ends up leaving, but sometimes you can end up picking up the slack for these people.

5.0

Sep 11, 2017

Very great experience

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

This was a student position, but even so, it was a great experience. I loved working with people with similar interests and being able to help out so often.

Cons

Some old practices here are still followed seemingly only because of tradition.

Viewing 160 - 162 of 4,981 Reviews

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Jobs at Penn State

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Penn State

Penn State reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Good research, bad culture

ITS Lab Consultant

Very great experience

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Jobs at Penn State