Does Caltech (California) pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Caltech (California) employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.6 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Caltech (California). This rating has improved by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Caltech (California)?

69% of Caltech (California) employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Caltech (California) 3.6 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.8 for culture and values and 4.0 for career opportunities.

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

Graduate Student (69) , Postdoctoral Fellow (63) , Graduate Research Assistant (55) , Postdoctoral Scholar (44) , PhD Student (42) , PhD Graduate Student (40) , Research Assistant (35) , Postdoctoral Researcher (26) , Researcher (21) , Research Scientist (17) , Teaching Assistant (16) , Research Technician (15) , Administrative Assistant (14) , Postdoctoral Research Associate (13) , Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow (13)

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

"People are smart and nice." ((in 109 reviews)); "Campus is beautiful and location can't be beat." ((in 60 reviews)); "Good benefits are often given to employees here" ((in 39 reviews)); "Location is great and your colleagues hail from all over the world." ((in 34 reviews)); "very supportive administrative staff" ((in 15 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 50 reviews)); "Low salary and lots of work" ((in 34 reviews)); "bad work life balance at" ((in 20 reviews)); "Siloed departments and lack of cohesive management" ((in 14 reviews)); "Bad culture internally (in terms of staff; things may be different in terms of research / academics)." ((in 7 reviews))

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

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

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Caltech (California)

Caltech (California) Reviews

4.0

69% would recommend to a friend

(975 total reviews)

Dr. Thomas F. Rosenbaum

71% approve of CEO

62% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.0

Career opportunities

3.9

Diversity and inclusion

3.8

Culture and values

3.6

Work/Life balance

3.6

Senior management

3.6

Compensation and benefits

Caltech (California) has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 975 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good 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).

Reviews by job title

975 reviews

2.0

2 Mar 2015

Old guard Pasadena doing modern science.

Administrative assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Good salaries, many nice and helpful people. Pretty campus, flexible schedules and decent benefits. Divisions are all different and have unique cultures.

Cons

Research dominates and staff is treated like second class citizens. Systemic morale and ethics issues. Management and HR are not interested in changing or improving the workplace.

1.0

3 May 2024

Ignored This Employee's Health and Complaints

Administrative assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Naturally beautiful campus with a serene feeling. Most people here, especially in the HR department, are likeable.

Cons

The company ignored years of complaints about a toxic manager. Had to quit when I realized how much it was affecting my sleep and leading to issues such as hypertension and heart palpitations. A year of homelessness later and I would still do it again just to get away.

4.0

28 Jun 2017

Nice place to work

Administrative

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Beautiful campus and surroundings; great holiday schedule and PTO benefits; a chance to work alongside some really intelligent individuals; decent employer contribution to your 401k; Caltech is recognized worldwide for its excellence in education and research; very good work-life balance.

Cons

Typically low pay; the campus is pretty small, so transferring can be difficult and very competitive; not all divisions operate the same, so some employees enjoy schedule flexibility and holiday perks more than others - it's a matter of getting lucky and landing in a division/department that fits with your preferences/needs.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 975 Reviews

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Jobs at Caltech (California)

Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistant

Security & Dispatch Officer

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Old guard Pasadena doing modern science.

Ignored This Employee's Health and Complaints

Nice place to work

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