Is UC Davis a good company to work for?

UC Davis has an overall rating of 4.3 out of 5, based on over 4,294 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has increased by 1% over the last 12 months. 87% of employees would recommend working at UC Davis to a friend and 67% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about UC Davis have been left by employees working as PhD Graduate Student Researcher , Student Research Assistant and Registered Nurse .

Does UC Davis pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, UC Davis employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.7 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at UC Davis. This rating has improved by 3% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at UC Davis?

87% of UC Davis employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated UC Davis 4.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.2 for culture and values and 3.8 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at UC Davis?

Graduate Student Researcher (160) , Student Assistant (143) , Teaching Assistant (138) , Research Assistant (127) , Graduate Teaching Assistant (83) , Graduate Student (71) , Junior Specialist (64) , Graduate Research Assistant (63) , Postdoctoral Fellow (61) , Postdoctoral Researcher (57) , Postdoctoral Scholar (55) , Student Worker (45) , Undergraduate Research Assistant (40) , Lab Assistant (38) , PhD Graduate Student (32)

What are the pros of working at UC Davis according to real employee reviews?

"Benefits and campus climate are good." ((in 255 reviews)); "Diverse and great people work there" ((in 243 reviews)); "There are flexible hours that accommodate student schedules and a workplace that values customer service and teamwork experience" ((in 214 reviews)); "Great PI's and coworkers" ((in 98 reviews)); "Good work environment (depending on lab) Lots of constantly rotating openings in different positions." ((in 82 reviews))

What are the cons of working at UC Davis according to real employee reviews?

"The pay is low and there was a serious disinclination to spend money on things like training." ((in 265 reviews)); "If you work in research your salary is low and they don't want to promote you." ((in 132 reviews)); "Minimum wage on campus jobs" ((in 24 reviews)); "Poor leadership and very disorganized." ((in 18 reviews)); "Unclear communication" ((in 16 reviews))

What are employees saying about UC Davis layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed UC Davis locations?

Davis , Sacramento , San Francisco , Los Angeles , San Diego , San Jose , Berkeley , Houston , Fresno , Modesto , Oakland , New York , California City , Woodland , Salinas , Bodega Bay , Tracy , UC Berkeley , Sacramento Valley , Davis , Campus , Chesterfield , Kenosha , Madison , Middleton , Wisconsin Dells , Phoenix , Tucson , Davis , Dallas

UC Davis reviews

4.3

87% would recommend to a friend

(3,858 total reviews)

Linda Katehi

76% approve of CEO

67% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.4

Diversity & inclusion

4.2

Culture & values

4.1

Work/Life balance

3.8

Senior management

3.8

Career opportunities

3.7

Compensation and benefits

UC Davis has an employee rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars, based on 3,858 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The UC Davis 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

4K reviews

4.0

Mar 21, 2013

Great university to work for

Analyst iii

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Friendly environment, easy commute from Sacramento, Regular reviews from management for raises and salary increases. Very happy in the current position. Will stay here as long as I can.

Cons

Monthly parking costs, raises in health care costs

4.0

Mar 18, 2013

UC Davis is a great place to work

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Interesting work. Excellent benefits. Wonderful town to live in. Mostly very good co workers

Cons

low pay, relatively speaking. There is an idea that one can hire a student to do pretty much anything which leads to trouble sometimes because either the student didn't really know what they were doing or they did fine but obviously can't stick around to do maintenance. Still, it's good for the students!

4.0

Mar 17, 2013

Lots of freedom, nice town, OK pay

Postdoctoral scholar

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

A postdoc is a unique experience, it really depends on your supervisor and group. It has been nice at Davis. My group is very good and we have good facilities. I like the town. The campus is nice. There is swimming and a gym available not too far from my office, although I have to pay for these. Pay is tolerable for the town, Davis is not cheap though.

Cons

Lots of freedom, almost too much sometimes. You need to keep on yourself to produce. It's your job. There can be a lot of bureaucracy in the university. Postdoc's do not accrue time in the Social Security system, which is something you may want to consider if you've been in Grad School for a while.

Viewing 3652 - 3654 of 3,858 Reviews

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Jobs at UC Davis

Administrative Assistant

Sterile Processing Technician (STERILE PROCESSING TCHN 2)

Farm Laborer (FARM LABORER)

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UC Davis

UC Davis reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

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Great university to work for

UC Davis is a great place to work

Lots of freedom, nice town, OK pay

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