FAQs

To access UC OATS, log in through your campus-specific UC OATS portal using your campus credentials. If your account has not yet been set up, you may receive an alert indicating your account has not been set up.

Contact your campus UC OATS Administrator for assistance with setting up your account.

If you need help using UC OATS, please visit our extensive knowledge base. 

For further support, please email your campus UC OATS administrator or click the link below to visit your campus UC OATS help site. 

Campus UC OATS Help Sites & Contact Info: 

• UC Berkeley - appolicy@berkeley.edu
• UC Davis - oats-help@ucdavis.edu or visit Contacts for UC OATS
• UC Irvine - oats@uci.edu
• UC Los Angeles -  co_oatshelp@conet.ucla.edu
• UC Merced - ucm-oats@ucmerced.edu 
• UC Riverside - oats@ucr.edu
• UC San Diego - esr-oats@ucsd.edu or visit Offices Supporting OPA Reporting
• UC San Francisco - OATSProject@ucsf.edu
• UC Santa Barbara - helly.kwee@ucsb.edu
• UC Santa Cruz - oats@ucsc.edu

UC OATS (Outside Activities Tracking System) is the University of California’s system for managing and tracking faculty outside professional activities. It is used to submit prior approval requests, report activities, and complete annual certification in compliance with University policies such as APM-025 Conflict of Commitment and Outside Activities of Faculty Members and APM-671 Health Sciences Compensation Plan.

Faculty who are subject to the University of California’s conflict of commitment policies are required to report outside professional activities in UC OATS.

This includes:

• General Campus faculty governed by APM-025 Conflict of Commitment and Outside Activities of Faculty Members
  Health Sciences faculty participating in the Health Sciences Compensation Plan under APM-671 Health Sciences Compensation Plan

Review the APM policy for specific information on which faculty titles are required to report in UC OATS. Reference [APM-025-14] [APM-671-14]

The Conflict of Commitment policy refers to University of California policies that govern how faculty engage in outside professional activities while ensuring that their primary responsibilities to the University are not compromised.

For general campus faculty, this is governed by APM-025 Conflict of Commitment and Outside Activities of Faculty Members, which outlines time limits, approval requirements, and annual reporting.

For Health Sciences faculty, the APM-671 Health Sciences Compensation Plan applies and includes additional rules regarding compensation and outside activities.

Both policies ensure that outside activities do not interfere with teaching, research, clinical duties, or service responsibilities.

Outside professional activities are activities—whether paid or unpaid—that relate to a faculty member’s professional expertise and involve sharing that expertise with industry, the community, or the public. This includes certain types of outside teaching.

These activities are separate from personal or non-professional activities, which are part of a faculty member’s private life and are not governed by University policy.

Outside professional activities must not interfere with a faculty member’s responsibilities to the University.

Reference the following APM policies for further details: [APM -025-4]​​​​​​​ [APM-671-4]

Faculty are required to report outside professional activities in UC OATS in accordance with University policy.

Under APM-025 Conflict of Commitment and Outside Activities of Faculty Members and APM-671 Health Sciences Compensation Plan, faculty must:

• Obtain prior approval for certain activities (e.g., Category I activities, Student Involvement, etc.) before the activity begins
• Report all applicable outside professional activities annually through the Annual Certification process
• Accurately disclose time and/or earnings associated with those activities
• Ensure activities remain within allowable limits and do not interfere with University responsibilities

These requirements help ensure compliance with conflict of commitment policies and maintain transparency around outside activities.

Under APM-240 Deans, Deans have specific reporting requirements for outside professional activities in addition to general conflict of commitment rules.

Deans are required to:

• Report all compensated outside professional activities
• Report effort and earnings for outside activities (including Categories I, II, and applicable Category III activities)
• Disclose student involvement in any outside professional activity
• Complete Annual Certification each year, even if no outside activities occurred

In addition, Deans must follow limits on outside activities, including:

• A maximum number of allowable days for compensated outside work
• Use of vacation leave if those limits are exceeded

These requirements ensure transparency and compliance with conflict of commitment policies while allowing Deans to engage in appropriate outside professional activities.

Reference APM 240-20

Faculty Administrators appointed at 100% time are subject to the same conflict of commitment reporting requirements as faculty under APM-025 Conflict of Commitment and Outside Activities of Faculty Members or APM-671 Health Sciences Compensation Plan, with additional requirements outlined in APM-246 Faculty Administrators (100% Time).

Faculty Administrators are required to:

• Report all outside professional activities
• Obtain prior approval for Category I activities before the activity begins
• Report both compensated and uncompensated Category I and II activities, and report compensated Category III activities
• Track and report time and/or effort associated with outside activities in UC OATS
• Complete Annual Certification each fiscal year, even if no activities occurred

In addition, Faculty Administrators are subject to stricter limits and oversight compared to general faculty, including limits on time spent on outside activities and additional reporting to campus leadership.

These requirements ensure transparency and help confirm that outside activities do not interfere with administrative and University responsibilities.

Reference APM-246-20