Glassdoor Reveals The Best Universities To Work For

As college students get ready to head back to the classroom, thousands of university employees are already on campus, working hard as most of them do year-round.

By now, you’ve seen countless reports ranking the top universities in the nation, including the recently released “America’s Top Colleges” report by Forbes Magazine. But, what about the employees? For the first time, Glassdoor, a jobs and career community, has turned the tables on these rankings, by offering an inside look at what it’s really like to work for more than 100 universities, from Arizona State to Yale, according to those who know best – the employees. The results may surprise you:

• Glassdoor data analysts found that The University of Kansas tops the list as the best university to work for with an overall rating of 4.2, followed by Iowa State University (4.1), Brigham Young University (4.1) and Georgia Tech (4.1). (The full report on how these universities compare to many others is below).
• Interestingly, MIT is the only university to rank in the top 10 of both Forbes’ “America’s Top Colleges” report (#9) and Glassdoor’s “Best Universities To Work For” report (tied at #5).
• While Ivy League and other recognized universities are still among the highest on Forbes’ “America’s Top Colleges” report, the rankings of these schools vary on Glassdoor’s “Best Universities To Work For” report: Brown University (#5 ranking, 4.0 rating), University of Pennsylvania (#9 ranking, 3.9 rating), Harvard University, Princeton University and University of Virginia (#14 tied ranking, 3.8 rating), Yale University, Stanford University and Duke University (#30 tied ranking, 3.7 rating).
• Think bigger might be better? Not always true. Arizona State University, the nation’s largest university for student enrollment, receives a 3.4 rating from its employees. The University of Central Florida, the second largest university in terms of enrollment, receives a 3.3 rating. However, Ohio State University, the nation’s third largest university, receives a higher overall rating than the top two largest schools, with a 3.8 rating.

What makes these universities standout among employees?  Here’s what several employees had to say:

“Relative autonomy and ability to create projects. Excellent work environment. Am given the resources necessary to complete my work efficiently and effectively. Management is open to new ideas as to how to improve operations.” – University of Kansas Employee (location n/a)

 “Lots of pride in working for a great institution. Benefits have remained solid even through tough economic/budgetary times” - Iowa State University Program Coordinator (Ames, IA)

 “The employee comes first. Easy to balance work and life. The school has a rapidly growing reputation” – Brigham Young University Analyst (Provo, UT)

 “Top technical institute in science, technology and engineering. Compared to best in the world. Top class well known faculty to advise.” – Georgia Tech Employee (Atlanta, GA)

Do you work at a college or university? Share a company review on Glassdoor and tell us what you like about your company and what could be improved. Report based on universities and colleges with at least 20 employee reviews between 8/1/2009 -7/31/2011. Ratings are based on a 5-point scale; 5.0 – 4.01 = Employees are “Very Satisfied”, 4.0 – 3.51 = Employees are “Satisfied”, 3.5 – 2.51 = Employees say it’s “OK”, 1.51 – 2.5 = Employees are “Dissatisfied, 0.0 – 1.5 = Employees are “Very Dissatisfied.”