Is Stanford University a good company to work for?

Stanford University has an overall rating of 4.3 out of 5, based on over 6,427 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 83% of employees would recommend working at Stanford University to a friend and 69% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Stanford University have been left by employees working as Student Worker , Professor and Course Assistant .

Does Stanford University pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Stanford University employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.6 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Stanford University. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Stanford University?

83% of Stanford University employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Stanford University 3.9 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.1 for culture and values and 3.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Stanford University?

Postdoctoral Fellow (348) , Research Assistant (347) , PhD Student (166) , Graduate Research Assistant (157) , Postdoctoral Scholar (135) , Graduate Student (132) , Postdoctoral Researcher (102) , PhD Graduate Student (79) , Research Scientist (76) , Teaching Assistant (60) , Research Associate (56) , Postdoctoral Research Fellow (54) , Researcher (54) , Clinical Research Coordinator (52) , Administrative Assistant (47)

What are the pros of working at Stanford University according to real employee reviews?

"People were great and nice to work with" ((in 490 reviews)); "one of the best places If you like to do research and the campus is beautiful" ((in 357 reviews)); "Great faculty and colleagues and resources" ((in 175 reviews)); "Good work life balance is good" ((in 147 reviews)); "Everyone is appreciative of your work and hours are flexible as long as you do your assigned tasks." ((in 106 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Stanford University according to real employee reviews?

"Low pay and very antiquated." ((in 308 reviews)); "Low salary because of the way the fellowship works; can only work domestically not internationally" ((in 301 reviews)); "Poor management; Discouraging and had unreasonable expectations as working from home began due to covid" ((in 63 reviews)); "Managers don't hold themselves accountable and you wonder what they do all day." ((in 45 reviews)); "Very low compensation and no bonuses compared to the rest of the Bay Area." ((in 31 reviews))

What are employees saying about Stanford University layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Stanford University layoffs and their outlook for job security at Stanford University in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Stanford University locations?

Stanford , Palo Alto , San Francisco , Redwood City , Menlo Park , San Jose , Los Angeles , Mountain View , New York , California City , Santa Clara , Chicago , San Diego , Oakland , San Mateo , Philadelphia , Boston , Los Altos , Sunnyvale , East Palo Alto , Stanford , Washington , Davis , Belmont , Fremont , South San Francisco , Campbell , Stamford , California , Cambridge

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Stanford University

Stanford University reviews

4.3

83% would recommend to a friend

(5,728 total reviews)

Jonathan Levin

77% approve of CEO

69% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.2

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Culture & values

3.9

Work/Life balance

3.9

Career opportunities

3.6

Senior management

3.6

Compensation and benefits

Stanford University has an employee rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars, based on 5,728 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Stanford University employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.8 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

6K reviews

3.0

Dec 3, 2014

Pretty great for a regular employee

Financial specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

They have great benefits for families, a strong emphasis on work-life balance, and in staffing roles, very nice people. You can definitely find a stable position there, if that's what you're looking for. Proud to be a part of award winning and groundbreaking research. I have seen some of their research impact my loved ones.

Cons

I understand that the research is what makes Stanford go round, but a lot of times I feel like the University is a little too deferential to the authority of the PIs and I don't feel that supported by upper management.

1.0

Sep 26, 2014

Inefficient workplace with little room for growth

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

work/life balance, catering, nice campus, gym facility, students

Cons

bureaucracy, lack of incentives, inefficiency, tense atmosphere, lack of team work mentality, negative attitude

1.0

Aug 29, 2014

Evil and Unprofessional Managers

Administrative associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Stanford expresses strong values and provides great benefits. Reputable institution. Provides excellent training and classes.

Cons

Managers here are unprofessional and breaks administrative policies because of their power trips. They do not encourage team orientation or positive working environments, instead controls their every move to manipulate situations and gives only very negative feedback. Managers are deceitful and will ruin you if they don't "like" you. Petty and it's a disgrace considering that Stanford is reputable institution. The whole department is walking around on eggshells because no one is allowed to speak with each other or ask any questions. It is hostile and I've witnessed some employees fall so far behind because of their unreasonable amount of work, and see the favored ones who doesn't do much at all. Bad management skills overall!

Viewing 181 - 183 of 5,728 Reviews

Jobs at Stanford University

Research Administrator 2

IRISS Predoctoral Researcher

Junior AI Applications Engineer

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Pretty great for a regular employee

Inefficient workplace with little room for growth

Evil and Unprofessional Managers

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