General Academic Compensation Information


Academic-Year and Fiscal Year

Academic appointments are normally classified as being either Academic Year or Fiscal Year. Academic-Year (AY) appointments are aligned with the Academic Calendar, involving up to 3 quarters or service per year. Most of our faculty and other instructional positions are AY positions. 

Research and other non-instructional positions are typically classified as Fiscal Year (FY) positions as they are in service all twelve months of the year. 

There are academic- and fiscal-year versions of some titles, such as professors and adjunct professors. In these cases, “AY” or “FY” will be noted in the payroll Job Code Description.

Pay Dates and Service Dates

Fiscal Year: 12 months’ service and pay 

For exempt fiscal-year appointees, pay dates exactly match service dates. Salary is paid in 12 equal checks (1/12th of their annual salary each month) over the course of a 12-month period. 

Fiscal year appointees work year-round (12-months) and are paid for each month worked.

Service PeriodMonthly Pay PeriodsPaychecks Received On
Summer QuarterJuly, August, SeptemberAug. 1, Sept. 1, and Oct. 1
Fall QuarterOctober, November, December Nov. 1, Dec. 1, and Jan. 1
Winter QuarterJanuary, February, MarchFeb. 1, March 1, and Apr. 1
Spring QuarterApril, May, JuneMay 1, June 1, and July 1

Academic Year: 9 months’ service, paid over 9 or 12 months

Academic-year appointees serve over the three quarters of the academic year. The pay periods depend on the terms of their appointment, and do not match actual service dates.  

 a timeline visualization of the pay and service periods described in the text and table that follow
The academic year service period is from the beginning of fall quarter through the end of spring quarter; appointment pay dates are different and can span three or four calendar months per quarter of service.

The determination of whether an academic-year employee is paid over 9 months, 12 months, or biweekly is set by employment terms and regulations, policy, and union contracts; it is not something an employee can choose.

If appointed for the full academic year, faculty and other nonstudent academic-year appointees are normally paid over 12 months. Often referred to as “nine-over-twelve” (9/12), this spreads their pay over all twelve months of the year, with one quarter’s service paid over four months. 

Other academic-year appointees are paid in three monthly installments per quarter. They are hired for three full calendar months per quarter, not the actual dates of instruction, resulting in more consistent monthly payments. For example, fall quarter service starts in late September, the pay period begins October 1, and the first paycheck is received November 1.

Academic Year Pay Periods (3 quarters of service, paid over 9 months, or 12 months)

Service Period *Pay PeriodPaychecks Received On
9 over 9 (1/9th)
Fall QuarterOctober 1 – December 31Nov. 1, Dec. 1, Jan. 1
Winter QuarterJanuary 1 – March 31Feb. 1, March 1, Apr 1
Spring QuarterApril 1 – June 30May 1, June 1, and July 1
9 over 12
Fall QuarterJuly 1 – October 31Aug. 1, Sept. 1, Oct. 1, and Nov. 1
Winter QuarterNovember 1 – February 28 (29 in leap years)Dec. 1, Jan. 1, Feb. 1, and March 1
Spring QuarterMarch 1 – June 30Apr. 1, May 1, June 1, and July 1

*refer to the Academic Calendar for quarter dates

Biweekly Pay

Certain academic appointees are paid hourly and on a Biweekly Pay Cycle, typically because they have been classified as “nonexempt” according to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA is the wage and hour law that covers the University under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Labor (DOL). Academic employees in non‐student, non‐instructional titles are considered nonexempt if their full‐ or part-time earnings fall below the salary earnings threshold that is defined and set by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). FLSA status is determined at the employee level, meaning employees with concurrent jobs will be reviewed by the appropriate HR/Personnel offices and a single status determined. Nonexempt employees report time worked on an hourly basis, are eligible to earn overtime, and are paid once every two weeks. See Payroll Schedules & Calendars for details.

By Agreement (BYA)

Under limited circumstances, academic appointees may be paid a fixed monthly dollar amount that may not be tied to a salary scale. Refer to Guidelines for BYA Appointments in APM 600- Appendix 9 and CAPM 806.600 Additional Compensation of Academic Appointees

Last modified: Dec 03, 2024