Sabbatical

There are two application periods per year, one in March and one in October. Both application periods are for the same sabbatical term which is any sabbatical taking place the following academic year. See the Application Schedule (either AY or FY) located on this page. If you would like to take a sabbatical any time during the 2024-25 academic year (see schedule for fiscal year appointments), you can apply in March or October 2023. Sabbaticals taken during 2025-26 would have applications submitted in March or October 2024.

Tenured faculty who have previously taken a sabbatical may apply for another sabbatical beginning six full academic years after the completion of their previous sabbatical. Example: sabbatical was taken in the 2017-18 academic year. The count of six years would begin with the 2018-19 academic year so the faculty member would be eligible for sabbatical in the 2024-25 academic year. The application period for that time frame is either March 2023 or October 2023.

Below are examples of outstanding sabbatical applications for you to use as a reference. The best applications always address, in full, the criteria in the policy (Section E).

• Example one
• Example two

For those on an academic year appointment: a one-semester sabbatical is at full pay and a full-year sabbatical is at half pay. For those on a fiscal year appointment: a half-year sabbatical is at full pay and full-year sabbatical is at half pay.

If your sabbatical is for a full year/half pay you may be interested in supplementing your income. If you are eligible and/or funding is available to you, your request for supplemental pay should be included and detailed in your sabbatical request. Eligibility and appropriateness of supplemental pay in addition to the .5 amount for a full-year sabbatical depends on the following conditions: 1) the supplemental salary is only up to the amount of your full-time U of I pay (never beyond); 2)  the justification for work beyond the sabbatical scope is relevant, appropriate and has been justified and approved; 3) the supplemental salary is provided for the work that is beyond the scope of the sabbatical if internal, state or grant, funds are requested; 4) the pay comes from outside sources (additional review by legal and Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) may be required). Any outside pay arrangements are best kept outside the university pay system, though in some cases (e.g., federal contractors) the funding source may request U of I’s involvement.

Typically, we see requests that are specific to grant funds. These requests must be approved by OSP and the work on the grant must be continued throughout the sabbatical. 

While on sabbatical faculty members remain full-time employees of the university and many benefits will remain the same. However, some benefits may be impacted so it is highly recommended that you contact HR prior to your sabbatical to determine if any of your benefits will be affected.

For benefit questions you can email benefits@uidaho.edu.

If you change residence even temporarily to another state or county you may be subject to that state’s tax rules. Additionally worker’s comp benefits may be affected if you are working in another state.

Prior to the sabbatical, a new Position Description in People Admin must be created to document the appropriate percentages of duties and description of expectations on the sabbatical. The sabbatical review and accomplishments will then be documented and discussed as part of the annual evaluation for that year. (Upon return the Position Description will be updated in People Admin to reflect the regular duties.)

If a faculty member must change the purpose, place or time of the sabbatical, the faculty member must submit a sabbatical change cover sheet indicating the type of change along with an updated recommendation from the dean and unit administrator to the SLEC. The SLEC will review the change and make a recommendation to the provost for final approval. This request must state the rationale for the changes and update the sabbatical plan to reflect these changes.

If a sabbatical must be cancelled, the faculty member must submit written notification of cancellation to the Provost’s Office along with confirmation from the dean and unit administrator (if applicable). Cancelled sabbaticals cannot be reinstated, but faculty may re-apply through the normal application process.