Is Caltech (California) a good company to work for?

Caltech (California) has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5, based on over 1,095 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has increased by 2% over the last 12 months. 74% of employees would recommend working at Caltech (California) to a friend and 70% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Caltech (California) have been left by employees working as Teaching Assistant , PhD Student and Researcher .

Does Caltech (California) pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Caltech (California) employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.8 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Caltech (California). This rating has improved by 4% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Caltech (California)?

74% of Caltech (California) employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Caltech (California) 3.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.0 for culture and values and 4.1 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Caltech (California)?

Graduate Student (71) , Postdoctoral Fellow (63) , Graduate Research Assistant (56) , Postdoctoral Scholar (44) , PhD Student (42) , PhD Graduate Student (40) , Research Assistant (35) , Postdoctoral Researcher (27) , Researcher (21) , Research Scientist (17) , Teaching Assistant (16) , Administrative Assistant (15) , Research Technician (15) , Postdoctoral Research Associate (14) , Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow (13)

What are the pros of working at Caltech (California) according to real employee reviews?

"My PI is great and the people I work with are fantastic." ((in 109 reviews)); "Campus is beautiful and location can't be beat." ((in 63 reviews)); "Good benefits are often given to employees here" ((in 42 reviews)); "Location is great and your colleagues hail from all over the world." ((in 34 reviews)); "Nice Staff" ((in 17 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Caltech (California) according to real employee reviews?

"Low pay and you lab may expect you to work a lot" ((in 54 reviews)); "Low salary and lots of work" ((in 35 reviews)); "bad work life balance at" ((in 20 reviews)); "Siloed departments and lack of cohesive management" ((in 14 reviews)); "long hours and having to work a sunday" ((in 12 reviews))

What are employees saying about Caltech (California) layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed Caltech (California) locations?

Pasadena , Los Angeles , Baton Rouge , Livingston , Chesterfield , Charlotte , Livingston , Big Pine , Claremont , Glendale , Glendora , Montrose , South Pasadena , Moreno Valley , Rancho Cordova , Palomar Mountain , San Diego , Berkeley , Redwood City , Sausalito , San Jose , San Luis Obispo , Richland , Boston , Pasadena

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Caltech (California)

Caltech (California) reviews

4.2

74% would recommend to a friend

(981 total reviews)

Dr. Thomas F. Rosenbaum

77% approve of CEO

70% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Career opportunities

4.0

Culture & values

3.8

Work/Life balance

3.8

Senior management

3.8

Compensation and benefits

Caltech (California) has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 981 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Caltech (California) 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

981 reviews

5.0

Feb 28, 2011

great

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

great research great brains great work

Cons

stress pressure extra-curricular activities are less

5.0

Oct 8, 2010

Caltech - JPL is a great place to work!

Systems integration engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

1. Good pay. 2. Good benefits. 3. Competent management. 4. Good workforce planning. 5. Exciting missions!

Cons

1. Low raises. 2. Bureaucracy. 3. Politics. 4. Dependence on NASA. 5. Entitlement mentality.

4.0

Sep 1, 2010

Computer Scientist at Caltech

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Staff at Caltech have a large degree of freedom to create and work on innovative projects. Collaboration among the various disciplines is also a great plus.

Cons

The faculty can be difficult to deal with because they tend to be very abstract in their though processes and often communicate poorly.

Viewing 964 - 966 of 981 Reviews

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Jobs at Caltech (California)

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Senior Applications Developer

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great

Caltech - JPL is a great place to work!

Computer Scientist at Caltech

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