APP 7-13: Leaves of Absence — Sabbatical Leave

A sabbatical leave is a privilege accorded to qualified academic appointees to enable them to engage in intensive programs of research and/or study and thus enhance their subsequent service to the University by increasing their effectiveness as teachers and scholars. An individual on regular sabbatical leave is expected to devote full time to research, writing, or equivalent activity.

1. Regular sabbatical leave provides salary at varying percentages depending on the amount of accrued sabbatical credit. An individual on such regular sabbatical leave is excused from all regular duties to enable him or her to devote full time to research and/or study.
2. Sabbatical leave in residence may be granted to a faculty member who is eligible for regular sabbatical and who, in addition to a program of research and/or study, will teach at the home campus or at another UC campus.  The faculty member will teach at the University one class that meets regularly at least three hours each week during the sabbatical period; or will perform an equivalent amount of instructional service in a course or in a clinical setting. Directed study, such as 199’s or 299’s, or other similar courses are not considered to be equivalent to such a regularly scheduled course, unless they would be so normally under the department’s regular teaching workload policy. An individual on sabbatical leave in residence shall be free from all other teaching obligations and from all committee and administrative work.

1. Academic Year Appointees – Credit to apply for sabbatical is earned by nine-month appointees at the rate of one credit for each full quarter of half-time or more service in eligible titles for a maximum of three credits a year.
2. Fiscal Year Appointees – Credit to apply for sabbatical is earned by eleven-month appointees at the rate of one credit for each full quarter of half-time or more service in eligible titles for a maximum of four credits a year.
3. Eligible academic appointee with qualifying service partly paid on an academic year and partly on a fiscal year basis (i.e. faculty appointment with a concurrent faculty administrator appointment), sabbatical leave credit is computed as follows:
   1. if the appointment is divided unequally in percentages of time between academic year and fiscal year basis, the sabbatical leave credits accrue based on the majority of the appointment.
   2. if the appointment is divided equally between academic year and fiscal year basis, sabbatical leave credit accrues based on the academic year appointment.
   3. if the appointment is paid on a 9/11 split salary with a summer differential, sabbatical leave credit accrue based on the fiscal year basis (APM Policies 740-11-c and 740-11-i(3)). When an administrator returns to their academic year appointment, they may keep their total credits accrued.
   4. will continue to accrue the total sabbatical credit beyond the established limits during the duration of their appointment.
4. Deans and faculty administrators (100% time) will continue to accrue sabbatical leave credit beyond the established limits during the duration of their appointment.
5. Academic appointees serving on 11-month appointments through the Education Abroad Program accrue credit to apply for sabbatical on a fiscal year basis.
6. All faculty eligible to accrue sabbatical credits may earn sabbatical credits in excess of the maximum accrual specified in APM 740-16-a (30 credits for academic year appointees, 40 credits for fiscal year appointees).

Please reference APM 740-16.

1. Sabbatical leave may never exceed one full year, regardless of the credit accrued.
2. A sabbatical leave shall be granted only with the understanding that the recipient, immediately following the sabbatical leave, will return to University service for a period at least equal to the period of the leave. As an exception, the Vice Provost may approve a leave without pay following sabbatical, which would delay the return. Failure to return to University service for the required period shall create an obligation on the part of the appointee to repay the University the amount of the salary received during the sabbatical leave.
3. A sabbatical will not normally be approved for a faculty member who has been recommended for non-reappointment. A sabbatical may not be approved to a faculty member who has been given notice of non-reappointment or termination of appointment.
4. An academic appointee does not accrue sabbatical leave credit during a child bearing leave with pay for one quarter or semester or more, or during a childbearing or parental leave without pay.  During a period of active service modified duties, an appointee accrues credit toward sabbatical leave in accordance with standard accrual provisions (APM-760-35-d).

NOTE: Vacation accrued during sabbatical must be used during the sabbatical or it will be lost.

Sabbatical leave salary is based on the employee’s regular salary at a percentage appropriate to the terms of the leave. If the sabbatical is less than full time, the recipient may receive additional salary from non-state funds, but in no case is it to exceed the full salary rate. Sabbatical leave shall not be used as a means of augmenting personal income; a recipient may not accept gainful employment during a sabbatical leave, including employment normally permitted, such as substituted teaching, significant service, or employment by University Extension. This restriction applies also to outside employment normally permitted, including consulting. This restriction does not apply to the following:

1. For an academic year appointee, the period after spring quarter and before fall quarter.
2. For a fiscal year appointee, the vacation period accrued during the sabbatical (but such work may not be for the University).
3. A fellowship or personal grant awarded to an individual which is not compensation for services.
4. Acceptance of nominal honoraria.

The request for sabbatical leave is made on the Sabbatical Leave of Absence form (UCI-AP-75) and should be accompanied by a statement providing detailed information regarding the history of the project and the significance of the project as a contribution to knowledge or as a contribution to the applicant’s increased effectiveness as a teacher and a scholar.

Within 90 calendar days following return from leave, the recipient of a sabbatical leave is to submit to the dean a concise report of the results of the leave which includes an account of activities during the leave, a statement of progress made on the project, and a statement of future plans for the project, especially plans for completion and publication of the results. The sabbatical report may be included in a future academic review file when the period of review includes the period of the sabbatical leave.

1. Review and approval of sabbatical leaves have been delegated to the Deans. With the redelegation, dean’s offices were assigned responsibility for the following:
   1. Maintaining records concerning sabbaticals of faculty in the units (requests and records of approval and denial) and collecting, reviewing, and acknowledging sabbatical leave reports from faculty. Sabbatical credits may be verified with records in Academic Personnel upon request.
   2. Monitoring online entry of the approved actions and forwarding to Academic Personnel for post audit. This must be done before the earliest pay date affected by the sabbatical.
   3. Submit Sabbatical Leave of Absence form to Academic Personnel once it has been approved by the Dean.
2. In those units which are organized without formal departments, or where the dean is acting as department chair, sabbaticals continue to require review and approval by Academic Personnel. All exceptions to sabbatical policy require approval by Academic Personnel.
3. Sabbaticals for deans require approval by Academic Personnel. While it is appropriate for the dean to suggest a replacement, usually one of the associate deans, it is the Chancellor and the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor who select the acting dean, and where necessary, recommend his or her appointment to the President.

Sabbatical Credit Usage for Academic Year (9-month) Appointees

Sabbatical Credit Usage for Fiscal Year (11-month) Appointees

Sabbatical Credit Usage for Academic Year Appointees in the School of Law (Semester System)