Annual Performance Appraisals
Learn about the annual performance appraisal process for policy-covered employees (and represented employees when applicable).
All People Leaders (including Faculty and academic leaders of staff) are expected to provide employees feedback and clearly outline expectations through continuous performance management and an annual performance appraisal.
UC San Diego is committed to annual performance appraisals for all staff employees as they provide employee feedback, recognize accomplishments and set goals for the next year.
The University takes performance appraisals seriously; therefore, People Leaders are required to complete performance appraisals for all policy-covered employees by the campus deadline to be eligible for any salary program announced. People Leaders must also complete performance appraisals for all represented, probationary and non-probationary employees in accordance with their performance appraisal cycle to be eligible for any salary program announced.
Answers to frequently asked questions are available on the FAQ page.
UC San Diego Health and Health Sciences Employees
The information on this page pertains to UC San Diego campus staff employees. Health Sciences and Health System employees should visit the Health HR website for more information about performance evaluations.
Planning
The Performance Appraisal process for policy-covered (non-represented) employees for the 2024-2025 cycle covers May 1, 2024 through April 30, 2025. Policy covered staff employee performance appraisals are due to be completed within 45 calendar days after the end of the appraisal period. The deadline is close of business Friday, June 13, 2025.
Download and save the Annual Appraisal Planning Timeline as a PDF for easy reference.
Online Appraisal System
The online application for UCSD Staff Performance appraisals is hosted on https://spa.ucsd.edu.
The SPA system has a substantially improved interface and better management features for HR contacts, but all appraisals conducted with the new version follow the same UCSD and UC policies as previous versions.
Data, including all previous appraisals, has been migrated to the updated system.
The SPA system may also be used for represented staff. Every staff union has employees who have been evaluated using SPA.
For technical questions related to the SPA online system, please contact: spa-support@ucsd.edu
For policy interpretation questions related to performance appraisals, please contact: perf-appraisal@ucsd.edu
FOR HR CONTACTS
- SPA Administrator training dates can be found on the Campus HR Network. Not in the Campus HR Network yet? Join here.
FOR PEOPLE LEADERS AND EMPLOYEES
- A short, self-paced online training module is available for employees and People Leaders. This course will provide an overview of how to use the system and complete tasks associated with their particular role in the process. The course is available in the UC Learning Center using this link: https://go.ucsd.edu/2yBfgPg.
- A quick reference guide is available, see UC San Diego Performance Appraisal System Quick Reference Guide
- Managing Performance Trainings
Tools & Resources
For Employees
Looking for guidance on your self-appraisal? Tools to Write a Self-Appraisal provides helpful tips to showcase your achievements effectively.
For People Leaders
Support your team’s growth with resources for performance appraisals. Explore training and development tools to guide you through the process.
For technical questions related to the SPA online system, please contact: spa-support@ucsd.edu.
For policy interpretation questions related to performance appraisals, please contact Employee Relations via perf-appraisal@ucsd.edu.