Guidelines for Faculty Advancement: Academic Review Process

Normal Actions:

• On-Time Merit Advancement  
• 4th Year Appraisal  
• Promotion 
• Merit to Step VI 
• Merit to Above Scale 
• Further Above Scale Merit advancement

Other Actions:

• No Change Reappointments
• Accelerated Merit Advancement or Accelerated Promotion
   

For definitions on these actions and normative periods of review, please see PPM 230 and APM for your series.

At the Assistant or Associate rank, the normal review cycle is every two years. If you are at the Full rank, a review cycle is every three years. At Step IX or higher, review occurs every four years.  The effective date for every review action is July 1. 

Faculty at the Assistant rank will need to be mindful of the “8-year clock”—the requirement to promote before the end of their first eight years at UCSD.  

APM - 133: Limitation on Total Period of Service with Certain Academic Titles

The many layers of the review process necessitate that the Reviews team starts their work as far in advance as possible.  Depending on your department and action, your file may pass through as many as eight layers of review. 

If there are questions at any point in the process, please reach out to please reach out to ARC at arcrequest@ucsd.edu.  

Faculty Liaisons are designated by the Department Chair or Dean to assist them and serve as the unit’s faculty academic personnel subject matter expert. In this role, they provide guidance on recruitments, appointments, advancements, and other academic review processes, ensuring alignment with policy and facilitating timely, well-prepared actions. They act as a critical bridge between departmental faculty and the Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences Academic Affairs Office.

The Faculty Liaison cohort was established to foster a community of practice, promote consistency in policy interpretation and application, and create a structured forum for information sharing. Liaisons partner closely with the VCHS AA office and meet quarterly to discuss emerging issues, policy updates, process improvements, and strategic priorities to ensure timely, coordinated communication across units. Through this engagement, liaisons cascade critical information to faculty, strengthen transparency, and advance faculty success across the academic lifecycle.

Below is a list of Faculty Liaisons by unit.