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American University

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American University

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American University Reviews

4.0

64% would recommend to a friend

(1046 total reviews)

Sylvia M. Burwell

56% approve of CEO

Ratings by category

4.0

Work/Life Balance

3.9

Culture & Values

3.8

Diversity & Inclusion

3.5

Career Opportunities

3.4

Senior Management

3.2

Compensation and Benefits

Ratings distribution

5 stars

35%

4 stars

34%

3 stars

21%

2 stars

7%

1 star

4%

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Found 1,046 of over 1K reviews

Updated Dec 6, 2023

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Top Review Highlights by Sentiment

Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor

Pros
  • "The AU community was very supportive and provided great benefits for staff.(in 84 reviews)
  • "people you work with are great and really care(in 63 reviews)
  • "Flexible hours; very understanding of your school schedule/commitment(in 40 reviews)
  • "campus is beautiful and there are a lot of things to participate in on campus(in 37 reviews)
  • "I liked working with great colleagues.(in 27 reviews)
Cons

Ratings by Demographics

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This rating reflects the overall rating of American University and is not affected by filters.

    1. 5.0
      Dec 4, 2023
      Dean's Fellow
      Former Employee, less than 1 year
      Washington, DC
      Recommend
      CEO Approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Made great connections with supervising attorneys and professors.

      Cons

      It can sometimes be a lot of work, more than advertised but so is the legal realm.

      1. 5.0
        Dec 1, 2023
        Graduate Teaching Assistant
        Former Employee, less than 1 year
        Washington, DC
        Recommend
        CEO Approval
        Business Outlook

        Pros

        Being a graduate teaching assistant was a lot of work but it gave me lots of skills that I could add to my resume (classroom facilitation, data management, lesson creation)

        Cons

        Some professors will give more work than others, yet everyone is paid the same. That being said, you should make the most out of your assistantship and take on as much responsibility as you're able to.

      2. Join the American University team
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        1. 4.0
          Dec 1, 2023
          Assistant Director
          Former Employee, more than 3 years
          Washington, DC
          Recommend
          CEO Approval
          Business Outlook

          Pros

          Retirement and health benefits are good. Great people, great community, and trying their best to be responsive to the students and staff but...

          Cons

          Salaries don't match the workload. Huge turnover is happening and those left behind and expected to pick up the slack without any compensation. And staff are asked to volunteer their time at work...

          1. 5.0
            Dec 1, 2023
            Assistant Athletic Trainer
            Former Employee, more than 1 year
            Washington, DC
            Recommend
            CEO Approval
            Business Outlook

            Pros

            Great location, great institution with lots of recourse

            Cons

            living expense is quite high in the area, relatively far from public transportation access

            1. 3.0
              Dec 6, 2023
              Associate Director, Financial Management
              Current Employee
              Recommend
              CEO Approval
              Business Outlook

              Pros

              Wonderful, friendly environment with caring people

              Cons

              Easy to get stuck in a place with no mobility based on supervisor or department.

              1. 2.0
                Aug 11, 2023
                Administrative Assistant
                Current Employee
                Recommend
                CEO Approval
                Business Outlook

                Pros

                The community, some of the best people work here

                Cons

                The pay is embarrassing. Let me repeat that. The pay I receive at AU to do the job I need to do at this institution is demoralizingly embarrassing. It’s embarrassing to me, and it should be embarrassing to AU, but since payroll, HR, Lit, Provost, etc is so scattered, there is no central force to feel embarrassed. AU does not see the individual. AU sees a very cheap line they allocated that is easily interchangeable. I once had a meeting when I was a student with graduate services about serious concerns I had about food insecurity (when I was on tuition remission my pay came out to 300 a week) and she suggested I take canned beans from the pantry.

                5
                1. 2.0
                  Oct 13, 2023
                  Professor
                  Current Employee, more than 8 years
                  Washington, DC
                  Recommend
                  CEO Approval
                  Business Outlook

                  Pros

                  Plenty of work, professional development opportunities, and opportunities to do more more more for AU!

                  Cons

                  HR is unresponsive and not effective. The incompetence is unparalleled, especially for a major university. Paychecks are often wrong, reimbursements take months (if they happen), and stipends or payments for specific events often take months to issue and often lead to more errors. It’s frustrating to work at a place that demands so much from their employees but cannot pay their workers correctly or correct payment errors without negative impacts on the employee.

                  1. 5.0
                    Nov 8, 2023
                    Graduate Research Assistant
                    Former Employee, more than 1 year
                    Recommend
                    CEO Approval
                    Business Outlook

                    Pros

                    Great way to gain professional experience in academia and make connections based on interests beyond coursework

                    Cons

                    Hourly pay is not enough to live on, but a nice supplement to other earnings

                    1. 5.0
                      Nov 12, 2023
                      Research Assistant
                      Current Employee
                      Recommend
                      CEO Approval
                      Business Outlook

                      Pros

                      Awesome , I love the work environment

                      Cons

                      You get very bored as the the work is very less

                      1. 5.0
                        Oct 26, 2023
                        Associate Director
                        Current Employee, more than 1 year
                        Washington, DC
                        Recommend
                        CEO Approval
                        Business Outlook

                        Pros

                        Laid back work environment Hardworking and intelligent student body Committed coworkers Excellent 401k match Lots of time off over Winter Break

                        Cons

                        Lots of bureaucratic hoops to jump through Many areas are under resourced Lack of strategic focus and buy-in

                      Viewing 1 - 10 of 1,046 Reviews
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                      American University Reviews FAQs

                      American University has an overall rating of 4.0 out of 5, based on over 1,119 reviews left anonymously by employees. 64% of employees would recommend working at American University to a friend and 51% have a positive outlook for the business. This rating has improved by 2% over the last 12 months.

                      According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, American University employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.2 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at American University. This rating has improved by 1% over the last 12 months.

                      64% of American University employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews. Employees also rated American University 4.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.9 for culture and values and 3.5 for career opportunities.

                      According to reviews on Glassdoor, employees commonly mention the pros of working at American University to be culture, career development, benefits and the cons to be management, compensation.

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                      Feel free to post any interview questions you might be asked and I’ll help you compose an effective response :)

                      Analytical Chemist

                      Do you experience that how long the hiring process would take at Thermo Fisher? I got my second interview with hiring manager at the beginning of November but I haven’t heard nothing from them. When I’ve emailed them to check in they just said that the process would be slow, no time frame. I would be able to get an offer soon from other company but work as contractor. Should I wait for Thermo Fisher?

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                      KPMG

                      Booz Allen Hamilton Recently applied and I've been referred for an interview! Any tips on interviewing with Booz Allen? And if I am being asked to complete clearance and background upfront, is this a good indicator for being hired?

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                      Alex L.

                      Applied for a job a few weeks back, got a call from HR yesterday morning about an interview next week. She mentioned she'd shoot me an email with all the interview details, but so far, my inbox is empty. Assuming I'll hear from her early next week, is it normal for them to expect me to show up for an in-person interview on short notice, like couple days?

                      12
                      3 Comments

                      Glassdoor has 1,119 American University reviews submitted anonymously by American University employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if American University is right for you.