Is Penn State a good company to work for?

Penn State has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5, based on over 5,421 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 56% 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 3.8 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 (70) , Graduate Assistant (68) , Intern (53) , Postdoctoral Scholar (48) , Assistant Professor (46) , Student Worker (44) , Undergraduate Research Assistant (44) , Postdoctoral Fellow (41) , 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 320 reviews)); "The people are great and friendly" ((in 270 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 180 reviews)); "Good work environment and lots of learning." ((in 98 reviews)); "Nice and friendly staff." ((in 93 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 329 reviews)); "2， salary is low" ((in 167 reviews)); "poor management and sometimes toxic" ((in 74 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 Penn State locations have received the highest employee ratings?

Allentown , Malvern , Philadelphia , New York , Reading , Middletown , Erie , Scranton , Penn State University , State College

Skip to content Skip to footer

Notifications

Penn State

Penn State reviews

4.2

77% would recommend to a friend

(4,977 total reviews)

Eric J. Barron

73% approve of CEO

56% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.2

Diversity & inclusion

4.0

Culture & values

4.0

Work/Life balance

3.8

Career opportunities

3.6

Senior management

3.6

Compensation and benefits

Penn State has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 4,977 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).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

5K reviews

3.0

Jun 16, 2009

Good job, ok co-workers, poor salary.

It specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

I enjoyed helping people through their IT issues and felt very appreciated for my efforts. It was an enjoyable job.

Cons

My co-workers were not competent. I worked harder than others and accomplished more in less time. It made me unhappy over time because I felt like I was doing an unfair share of the work and not receiving any additional praise or compensation for my efforts. The salary is very much below similar positions within the university as well as outside.

4.0

Jun 16, 2009

A great place to work

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

You learn a lot as an employee here. People are very friendly and make you feel at home. The vacation time is way more than most places.

Cons

The only bad thing about working here is you have to follow all university rules even though it isn't actually a school atmosphere.

3.0

Mar 27, 2009

Salaries can run lower than the national average for the position, but the benefits package is impressive

Conference services manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

great benefits including health care, sick time, and vacation days

Cons

as always in the hospitality industry, work schedules can be difficult during peak business levels in April and October

Viewing 4957 - 4959 of 4,977 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

University of Michigan

3.9★Compensation & Benefits

University of Washington

3.5★Compensation & Benefits

NYU (New York University)

3.9★Compensation & Benefits

Stanford University

3.6★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at Penn State