Is UC Santa Cruz a good company to work for?

UC Santa Cruz has an overall rating of 4.3 out of 5, based on over 1,665 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has increased by 3% over the last 12 months. 84% of employees would recommend working at UC Santa Cruz to a friend and 70% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about UC Santa Cruz have been left by employees working as Academic Tutor , Postdoctoral Researcher and Tutor .

Does UC Santa Cruz pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, UC Santa Cruz employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.5 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at UC Santa Cruz. This rating has improved by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at UC Santa Cruz?

84% of UC Santa Cruz employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated UC Santa Cruz 4.2 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.3 for culture and values and 3.7 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at UC Santa Cruz?

Teaching Assistant (57) , Graduate Student Researcher (48) , Graduate Teaching Assistant (34) , Research Assistant (33) , Tutor (20) , Graduate Student (19) , Lecturer (19) , Administrative Assistant (18) , Student Worker (17) , Graduate Research Assistant (15) , Student Dining Hall Worker (14) , Junior Specialist (12) , Resident Assistant (12) , Academic Tutor (10) , Intern (10)

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

"The campus is beautiful and nice to work" ((in 94 reviews)); "It is an easy job and the people are great." ((in 85 reviews)); "The hours are flexible and it beats off campus jobs since they are really understanding of student's schedules." ((in 69 reviews)); "Good benefits for grad students: tuition deduction" ((in 62 reviews)); "Great Place to Study and has Friendly Staff" ((in 31 reviews))

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

"Low pay and very hectic first month." ((in 122 reviews)); "base salary low" ((in 49 reviews)); "management is poor" ((in 25 reviews)); "Back to minimum wage for many." ((in 10 reviews)); "Mandatory meetings and trainings especially during weekends really suck." ((in 8 reviews))

What are employees saying about UC Santa Cruz layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed UC Santa Cruz locations?

Santa Cruz , San Francisco , Los Angeles , San Jose , Scotts Valley , Santa Clara , Watsonville , Chicago , New York , Santa Clarita , Sacramento , Mount Hamilton , Urbana , Flagstaff , Austin , Bakersfield , Huntington Beach , Ladera Ranch , Laguna Beach , Pasadena , Santa Ana , Santa Monica , Rancho Cucamonga , San Diego , Berkeley , Castro Valley , Fremont , Oakland , Pacifica , Mountain View

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UC Santa Cruz

UC Santa Cruz reviews

4.3

84% would recommend to a friend

(1,478 total reviews)

George R. Blumenthal

69% approve of CEO

70% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.5

Diversity & inclusion

4.3

Culture & values

4.2

Work/Life balance

3.9

Senior management

3.7

Career opportunities

3.5

Compensation and benefits

UC Santa Cruz has an employee rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars, based on 1,478 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The UC Santa Cruz 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

1K reviews

3.0

Jun 9, 2022

ridiculously low pay for the amount of work

Lecturer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Wonderful campus, wonderful colleagues, great educational opportunities

Cons

ridiculously low pay for the amount of work

1.0

Jun 3, 2022

Under resourced, constant turnover, toxic culture

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Unlike many staff, my compensation is fair. Only positive working here, but tbh bring abused at work isn't worth any amount of money.

Cons

No work life balance. Non- represented staff treated very poorly in terms of out sized expectations, unrealistic turn around times, especially given consistently understaffed. Toxic and abusive work culture is condoned...abusive work environment from union and management/faculty employees alike. No real job growth or movement unless you are a favored employee.

3.0

May 3, 2022

grad student ta

Teaching assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

you get some money and work with talented undergrads

Cons

the uc sucks and pays you next to nothing

Viewing 7 - 9 of 1,478 Reviews

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Jobs at UC Santa Cruz

Associate Research Administrator

Fisheries Collaborative Program Specialist Pool

Computer Science and Engineering Department: CROSS Practitioner in Residence Pool

Deputy Executive Director

Literature Department: Lecturer Pool