Salary Increase for Policy-Covered Staff and Academic Appointees

I am pleased to inform you of a 4% general salary increase for policy-covered (non-represented) staff employees and academic appointees at UC San Diego, including the health system/health sciences, as identified in the Office of the President’s (UCOP) 2026-2027 Salary Program.

For staff employees, the salary increase will be effective July 1, 2026, for those paid monthly, and June 21, 2026, for those paid bi-weekly. We are working with UCPath to determine when the increase will begin appearing in paychecks. Once confirmed, these paycheck dates will be added to the 2026-2027 Salary Guidelines page. Staff increases will be implemented centrally by the respective Human Resources Offices in July 2026. Eligible staff are those hired on or before January 2, 2026, into a career or contract position with an appointment at 50% or more. An employee's most recent performance rating must be satisfactory/solid/effective/meets performance or better. Fiscal contacts for staff will receive additional eligibility and distribution details in the coming weeks.

Implementation details for academic appointees are forthcoming from the Executive Vice Chancellor’s office. The adjustment to the academic salary scales will be effective October 1, 2026, for policy-covered faculty, and July 1, 2026, for other policy-covered academic appointees.

UC San Diego Equity Program for Policy Covered Staff

In addition to the Salary Program outlined above, I am proud to announce a 2026-2027 Equity Program for policy-covered (non-represented) staff employees at UC San Diego, including the health system. The Equity Program is intended to address competitive market conditions and will follow the same eligibility guidelines as the general salary increase. The equity program increase level will be based on pay as of June 1, 2026, and effective August 1, 2026, for monthly employees, and July 19, 2026, for bi-weekly paid staff employees. We are working with UCPath to determine which paycheck this increase will appear for staff employees and will post in the 2026-2027 Salary Guidelines page when available. The Equity Program will be implemented centrally by the respective Human Resources Offices.

For eligible staff, the program will be implemented as follows:

Eligible staff with a salary up to and including $120,000: 2.5%
Eligible staff with a salary above $120,000 and up to and including $200,000: 2.0%
Eligible staff with a salary above $200,000: 1%

Thank You

I want to express my sincere appreciation for all that you do in service of UC San Diego and UC San Diego Health. This has been a year that asked a great deal of each of us, and through it you have continued to demonstrate the dedication, resilience and excellence that define our community.

Every member of our community advances this mission in meaningful ways, whether by caring for patients, pushing the boundaries of discovery, guiding the success of our students, or sustaining the operations and services that keep our university strong. The excellence and care you bring to your work each day reflect the very best of who we are.

I am proud to work alongside such a remarkable group of people. Your contributions make a lasting difference, here on our campus, throughout our community and well beyond.

Thank you for all that you do, and for the spirit of service and excellence you bring to UC San Diego.

Pradeep K. Khosla
Chancellor
Joan and Irwin Jacobs Chancellor’s Endowed Chair

University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093