Sabbatical Leave Policy

1 UCL considers that sabbatical leave is an important element in the intellectual and academic life of individual members of academic staff and the institution as whole. It can assist staff to maintain the high calibre of research and scholarship for which UCL is renowned, and can equally encourage the enhancement of teaching quality and innovation.

2 UCL offers all academic staff, in the grades of Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader or Professor the opportunity to apply for sabbatical leave, one term after three years. In a period of sabbatical leave academic staff are expected to produce tangible outcomes in furtherance of their research or teaching. Sabbatical leave requests should be made to the Head of Department in writing and can be made using the optional Sabbatical Leave form (below). The right to apply for sabbatical leave will not be affected by any previous period of, or application for, maternity/paternity or parental leave. A report confirming what has been achieved during each period of sabbatical leave must be submitted to the Head of Department within two months of return.

3 The following criteria will be considered in relation to applications for sabbatical leave

The applicant must have successfully completed her/his probationary appointment
Any previous sabbatical leave should have resulted in an appropriate outcome
The period of sabbatical leave must have as its objective a clear outcome in furtherance of the individual's research or teaching
Arrangements must be proposed in relation to cover for teaching and administrative duties
Adequate notice must be possible for the supervision of graduate students or provision of a specialised course.

4 Authority for approval of sabbatical leave and responsibility for arranging cover for teaching and administrative responsibilities etc. are vested in the Head of Department. Departments should contact their School Finance Team to find out what the arrangements are in their respective faculty for covering the cost of the sabbatical cover.

5 The Dean will consider appeals from any individual whose application for sabbatical leave has been turned down by their Head of Department. In order to consider an appeal against a Head’s decision on sabbatical leave, the Dean will require completion of the sabbatical application form including an indication from the Head of Department of the reason for not approving the application

6 Departmental Strategic Plans should address sabbatical leave priorities and the provision of cover for sabbatical leave. There is already a range of good practice in academic departments with some encouraging staff to take leave in rotation and to cover each other’s teaching as far as is possible. In some departments, 'points based' systems are used to establish priority eligibility for sabbatical leave where there are competing requests.

7 Heads of Department must inform all staff of eligibility to apply for sabbatical leave as part of the induction process and of any particular arrangements within the department to facilitate sabbatical leave. An individual's aspirations for sabbatical leave and its intended outcomes should be discussed as part of the Staff Review process. The Provost will discuss with potential Heads of Department their aspirations for sabbatical leave and will take these into consideration in proposing Headship appointments (and renewal of appointments) to Council.

8 Sabbatical leave that is granted through this policy should be recorded on an employee's MyView record so they can be monitored for equal opportunities purposes.

9 In addition to the provisions of this policy, UCL's Equalities and Diversity Strategy provides for one term of sabbatical leave without teaching commitments for research active academics returning from maternity, adoption, extended carer's, or long term sickness leave. This leave will enable staff to more quickly re-establish their research activity. Academics interested in this term should request this in writing to their head of department – there is an optional sabbatical form below. Requests should be made as early as possible but no later than four weeks of their return from leave.

10 Any queries in relation to the operation of this policy should be directed to the Human Resources Division.

Sabbatical Application form