Benefits & Wellness
We’re excited that you want to learn more about all of the ways the University of Cincinnati provides support and resources for our employees. On this page, you'll find information on our medical coverage, retirement options, wellness programs, and more.
Explore our What It's Like to Work at UC page for more information on what defines UC's work environment! With a mission-driven culture of professional support, collaboration, and development, UC is a great place work, learn, grow, and serve.
You'll want to note that this page offers a generalized overview of benefits offerings. Actual offerings may differ depending on your employment type, which can be reviewed in the Benefit Breakdown by Employment Role.
If you are a current employee, visit the Benefits Bearcats Landing site for detailed benefits information.
Best-in-Class Benefits
UC has many great benefits, but we offer best-in-class retirement plan options, time off work (including parental leave), and tuition remission benefits.
Robust Retirement Plans
If planning for the future is one of your top priorities, UC offers pension and non-pension options for retirement plans. This power to choose between these plans means you have the option to be more hands on or hands off with your investments. For most employees on these plans, UC contributes 14% of an employee's salary to these retirement accounts!
In addition, UC employees are eligible to contribute additional money to 403(b) and 457 accounts. You can even select a Roth or non-Roth option based on your planning and preference.
Comprehensive Tuition Remission
UC offers a tuition remission benefit that's hard to beat. If you or your dependents are interested in taking classes at UC, this benefit covers almost all tuition and fees for all but two programs (Medicine and MS of Physiology). This benefit can save you thousands of dollars as you or your dependents take classes or work to earn a degree! To illustrate, one UC employee with two children earned degrees from UC saved almost $85,000 in tuition costs.
"Tuition remission has been one of the most valuable benefits of working at UC. I am deeply grateful for the doors tuition remission has opened and the lasting impact it has had on my professional journey."
Real Work-Life Balance
UC values employee's work-life balance and supports that with comprehensive time-off-work benefits, variable work options, and child care resources.
Employees accrue both vacation and sick time each month. Vacation time rolls over indefinitely up to the max accrual amount (240 hours for many employees), and sick time has no max accrual and never expires. UC's sick time policy allows employees to take paid sick leave for medical and preventative care visits, making it that much easier to prioritize your health and wellness.
Employees also get 11 paid holidays and additional paid time off at the end of the year, called Winter Season Days. This may vary for essential employees. UC also offers 6 weeks of paid parental leave for new parents (biological or through adoption), and leaves of absence for qualifying events that may arise along your journey at UC.
If you're looking for flexibility, UC offers variable work options for certain roles. You can check the job posting for terms like telework, hybrid or alternative work schedule. This will tell you if that role may allow for the more flexible options!
Finally, if you have children, UC has connections with many child care resources, like the Artlitt Center, Clifton Child Care Center, Dependent Care FSA, and others. Being a UC employee may mean you are eligible for special rates.
"I was so appreciative to spend my time healing and not worrying about how I was going to pay my bills while I was out on leave."
Other Great Benefits
UC also provides a range of other fantastic benefits employees can access.
Medical, Dental, and Vision Plans
UC offers two medical plans with comprehensive medical, prescription and preventive coverage. Dental and orthodontics plans are available for some employee classifications, as well as vision coverage.
Wellness Program
Be Well UC provides enriching programs and activities to enhance your health and wellness. Log points to earn cash; access counseling, financial planning, legal, and other support through our Employee Assistance Plan (EAP).
Flexible Spending Accounts
The university offers Healthcare and/or Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts that allow you to pay for eligible medical or dependent care expenses with pre-tax money.
Competitive Pay and Career Progression
Through investments in the personal and professional growth of our employees, we can ensure employee fulfillment, an effective organization, and quality student experience.
Rowe Loan
UC offers a loan program to eligible employees to help cover unforeseen expenses for emergencies and necessities.
Life, Disability, and Accident Plans
We offer options for life insurance, Long Term Disability insurance, Personal Accident Insurance, and more to protect you and your family.
Planning and Coaching Services
If you have financial and legal questions, UC employees have free access to CAPTRUST Financial Planning and EAP legal and financial consults.
Supplemental Reitrement Investing
If you're looking to put more money away for retirement, UC has two supplemental investing options. Both option include a Roth (post-tax) and non-Roth (pre-tax) option to fit your needs and goals.
Staff Success Center (SSC)
The Staff Success Center, for example, offers open enrollment, cohort-based, and technical training programs that are completely free to all employees.
Faculty Enrichment Center
The Faculty Enrichment Center strives to create a culture of engagement for our UC faculty.
Mentor Me UC
This structured but informal program intentially matches employees based on interests, identities, and needs. The program then asks participats to meet regularly for at least a year.
Benefits Detailed Information
Want more information about specific costs and options? Visit our faculty and staff Benefits by Employee Role pages.
