Dear Colleagues,
As I reflect on my first year as your Chancellor, I have been deeply inspired by the dedication and excellence that define the UC Riverside community. It is a privilege to witness the transformative work you do every day. We have received communication from the UC Office of the President detailing the 2026-27 salary program. President Milliken has approved a 4% salary increase for eligible policy-covered staff and academic appointees across the University of California. Following UCOP guidelines, I am pleased to announce the UCR salary program for policy-covered staff and academic appointees.
2026 - 2027 General Salary Increase Information
Academic Appointees
Eligible policy covered academic appointees will receive a 4.0% general salary increase to base salary scales. In addition, UCR will provide a 3% increase to the off-scale component of faculty salaries and a 3% increase to above-scale faculty salaries. Adjustments for policy-covered faculty will take effect on October 1, 2026. Other eligible academic appointees will see this salary increase effective July 1, 2026, for monthly paid appointees and July 5, 2026 (the first period commencing after July 1, 2026) for bi-weekly paid academic appointees.
Staff
Eligible policy-covered staff will receive a 4% general salary increase. In addition, UCR will apply an additional 1.0% equity adjustment for eligible policy-covered staff. As a result, eligible policy-covered staff employees will receive a total 5.0% salary increase beginning July 1, 2026, for monthly paid staff and June 21, 2026, for bi-weekly paid staff. Eligibility requires a 2025-2026 performance appraisal rating of at least “Successfully Meets Performance Expectations/Successful.” Full eligibility requirements can be found at this link.
Finally, please note that union-represented staff and academic employees are not included in this program as their wages are governed by collective-bargaining agreements.
While the university continues to face a challenging fiscal environment, we remain deeply committed to investing in our employees. We hope this year's salary program reflects that commitment. As we move into the next fiscal year, we will continue to exercise thoughtful fiscal stewardship to support our employees while ensuring the long-term fiscal health and sustainability of the university's academic mission.
Thank you for your ongoing dedication to UC Riverside. Your work is vital to our continued success in teaching, research, and service.
Sincerely,
S. Jack Hu, Ph.D. Chancellor