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Stanford University

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Stanford is a good place to work for but can be improved still - Communications, Finance and Administration Manager Stanford University Employee Review

4.0
31 Dec 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Stanford tries hard to be diversified. It provides a lot of internal training for staff's career advancement. The situation of work environment varies from department to department. Most of the departments and schools have very reasonable work environment with fair and understanding management. Stanford's pay scale in general is not bad, and benefits are comparable with some bug companies. Stanford also strives for work life balance for staff and students. The campus is amazingly beautiful, and the university tries their best to discourage personal cars on campus by building a lot of bike only roads. In general, Stanford is a good organization to work for.

Cons

The more competitive schools (like medicine and engineering) have more cut-throat environment. Also, because Stanford is a research university, there is always the need for meeting the highest standard of research. Administrators sometimes feel the pressure of being knowledgeable about the most up to date research regulations at all times, which might not be possible all the time. Stanford management is not always transparent in terms of policy and benefit changes.

Explore other reviews about Stanford University

5.0
25 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Stable beyond the out-of-ordinary circumstances like 2008 housing crisis and covid. Among other colleges and universities, salaries are higher as I looked at other listings at time of hire,

Cons

University as a whole has its base financial and guidelines for rules and policies but each department and program acts like its own system and has their own specific policies that sometimes supersedes the universities own rules stricter. It's hard to maneuver and there's a lot of verbal rules and understandings that aren't said loudly.

4.0
19 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Overall, Stanford is an amazing place to work. The environment and benefits can't be beat. You can go for a swim on your lunch break or a walk around the lake. The recreational classes and opportunities are usually great. Eating at the dining hall, although pricy, is a real treat.

Cons

If you're not senior management, faculty, development, etc., Stanford's pay has not kept up with the cost of living in the area. If you come for a job from outside of California, be prepared for a real shock when you see the kinds of rentals and the prices. Beauty has a price. You will not be able to live near campus as the average employee. Unless you're really familiar with the traffic in California, don't look at places that you think are an hour away, because they'll be two hours away by car. And you'll have to pay to park on campus, so not driving at all is your best option. Many administrative jobs are held by partners of people working in tech or faculty, because that's the only way you can afford to live there. If you don't have a partner making $200K+, you'll be taking the train or bus for an hour. If you're thinking about buying a house and you don't have a suitcase of cash, that sound you're hearing is my laughter. It's also important to realize that the working conditions across campus vary by unit. Working at the Graduate School of Business will seem more like a corporate job; working in Medicine could be brutal; and the treatment you will get can vary by department.

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