If you are a UC Santa Cruz student responding to a sexual harassment or sexual violence allegation, you may search for a UC Santa Cruz Title IX lawyer while trying to understand the university process. A report, a request for an interview, and a Notice of Charges mark different stages. The deadlines described below matter when the corresponding policy step and notice apply to your case. The exact dates and route that apply to your matter come from the notice you received and the policy version in effect for your case, not from a general summary like this one. This page explains the framework so you know what questions to ask and what to preserve.
Which Policy and Version Applies
UC Santa Cruz’s process for these matters is governed by the University of California Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment (SVSH) policy, together with either PACAOS Appendix E or Appendix F, depending on the allegations and policy route. UCSC’s own Title IX policy page links to these documents rather than restating them, and the UCSC Student Conduct process page confirms that SVSH matters are routed to the SVSH policy and appendices, not to the general campus disciplinary timetable.
The same SVSH Policy and the same student frameworks, Appendix E and Appendix F, govern every University of California campus, and each campus Title IX office applies them. The main stages are a notice of charges, an investigation and evidence review, a preliminary determination, a possible hearing, and an appeal. For the full explanation, see the University of California systemwide Title IX process.
Official UC pages currently link different copies of the SVSH policy. The version hosted on an official UCLA system page states it was issued December 22, 2025, effective January 1, 2026, and records an FAQ update dated August 24, 2026. UCSC’s policy page currently links a separate, earlier January 2026 PDF copy that does not include that later FAQ update. Do not assume that the newest version automatically applies to an older incident, and do not assume the UCSC-linked copy contains updates found elsewhere. The version that governs your matter should be confirmed from your actual Notice of Charges and from the Title IX Office, not guessed from a webpage.
Report vs. Formal Complaint
A report and a formal complaint are not the same thing, and confusing them can lead to wrong assumptions about deadlines. Under the SVSH policy’s Appendix IV, a matter proceeds through the Title IX (DOE) process only if all listed jurisdictional conditions are met and a qualifying formal complaint has been filed. The Title IX Officer is the one who assesses an incoming report and determines how it will be classified and routed. Nothing in this page can substitute for that individualized assessment.
Two procedural tracks exist depending on that assessment:
- Appendix E governs non-DOE-covered student SVSH conduct.
- Appendix F governs DOE-covered student conduct.
Matters that mix DOE-covered and non-DOE-covered facts can be handled together in the DOE process. If a DOE complaint is later dismissed, a non-DOE route under Appendix E may still remain open. Which track applies to you cannot be determined from a general description; it depends on the notice you were given.
Early Steps After a Notice
Once a matter proceeds to charges, Appendix F §III.D.2 requires that charges be issued at least three business days before any requested interview date. This is a minimum notice period before an interview can be scheduled, not the deadline for your overall response.
If you receive any notice, report, or request for an interview, do not set it aside. Read it carefully, note every date referenced in it, and keep a copy. Save related messages, texts, and any other evidence in your possession. These materials may matter later during evidence review and at a hearing.
Investigation and Evidence Review
Both Appendix E §III.D.3 and Appendix F §III.D.3 state that the Title IX Office typically completes an investigation within 60 to 90 business days from the Notice of Charges, absent a good-cause extension. This is an institutional target for how long the investigation itself is expected to take. It is not a deadline by which a respondent must answer or respond to anything.
The evidence review period differs meaningfully between the two tracks, and the two should not be substituted for each other:
- Under Appendix E §III.D.5, parties get a reasonable evidence review and response period set by the Title IX Officer. Absent good cause, this period will not exceed five business days. That is a ceiling, not a guaranteed five-day minimum. The Title IX Officer could set a shorter period.
- Under Appendix F §III.D.5, parties get at least ten business days, absent good cause, to submit a written response to directly related evidence.
The categories of evidence covered also differ between the two appendices. Confirm which appendix applies to your matter before relying on either timeframe.
Advisor and Hearing Process
After investigative findings and a preliminary determination are issued, what happens next again depends on which appendix governs your case.
- Under Appendix E §III.F.2-3, either party has 20 business days from the notice of investigative findings and preliminary determination to contest it. A hearing follows if the finding is contested. If a violation is preliminarily found and Student Conduct proposes suspension or dismissal, the respondent is presumed to contest that finding unless they affirmatively accept the outcome and waive a hearing in writing.
- Under Appendix F §III.F.2, either party instead has 20 business days from that same notice to accept it in writing. Unless both parties accept, a hearing follows automatically.
The default matters. Under Appendix E, a respondent is presumed to contest only when a violation is preliminarily found and Student Conduct proposes suspension or dismissal; without the written acceptance and waiver, a hearing follows. In other Appendix E cases, if neither party contests within the 20 business days, the preliminary determination becomes final without a hearing. Under Appendix F, a hearing follows unless both parties affirmatively accept the preliminary determination in writing. Confirm the route before deciding how to respond.
At an Appendix F hearing, §III.G.4-5 provides for advisor-led questioning of the other party and witnesses. If a party does not have an advisor available for that role, the university provides a question reader at no charge. Do not assume Appendix E uses the same questioning procedure.
Under both appendices, §III.G.7-8 provide that if a violation is found, the findings go to Student Conduct within ten business days of the hearing, and a written determination with any sanction issues within 15 business days of the hearing.
Supportive Measures
Supportive measures are separate from a formal complaint, investigation, hearing, sanction, or appeal. They may be available after a report even when no formal complaint or hearing has begun. If you need them, ask the Title IX Office what is available and how to request it. The office assesses measures for each case; this page cannot promise a specific measure.
Appeals
Appeal windows differ depending on whether a hearing occurred, and by policy route. Do not treat these as interchangeable:
- Under both appendices, §III.H.3.a: if there was a hearing, an appeal of the hearing determination and any sanction goes to the hearing coordinator within ten business days following issuance of the notice of that determination.
- Under Appendix E §III.H.3.b, when a violation finding becomes final without a hearing, a sanction appeal goes to Student Conduct within ten business days following its notice that the preliminary finding is final and the proposed sanction will be imposed. Under Appendix F §III.H.3.b, the same ten-business-day period follows Student Conduct’s notice that the accepted finding is final and it will impose the sanction. In either no-hearing route, only a disproportionate sanction can be appealed.
- Separately, SVSH policy Appendix IV.C.4 sets a five-business-day period after a dismissal notice to appeal the dismissal of a DOE formal complaint.
The grounds allowed for appeal differ between these tracks as well; one list of grounds should not be assumed to apply to a different route. None of these periods should be calculated from an assumed email receipt date. The trigger is the date of issuance or notice as stated in the applicable document, so confirm the actual date on your notice.
FAQs
Does the newest SVSH policy version automatically apply to my case?
Not necessarily. The version that applies can depend on the alleged conduct and the applicable policy and notices. Confirm the applicable version with the Title IX Office rather than assuming.
What’s the real difference between a report and a formal complaint?
A report starts an assessment by the Title IX Officer. A formal complaint, when it meets DOE jurisdictional conditions, can trigger the Appendix IV/Appendix F process. Not every report becomes a formal complaint.
How long will the investigation take?
Appendix E and Appendix F both target 60 to 90 business days from the Notice of Charges, absent good-cause extension. This is a target, not a fixed guarantee, and extensions can occur.
If I stay silent after the preliminary findings notice, what happens?
It depends on the appendix. Under Appendix E, if a violation is preliminarily found and Student Conduct proposes suspension or dismissal, the respondent is presumed to contest unless they accept and waive a hearing in writing. In other Appendix E situations, the finding can become final if neither party contests in time. Under Appendix F, a hearing follows unless both parties affirmatively accept in writing. Confirm your route and the notice before acting.
Do I need my own advisor for the hearing?
You may bring an advisor. Under Appendix F, if you do not have one for question-asking purposes, the university provides a question reader at no charge for that specific function.
How long do I have to appeal?
It depends on whether there was a hearing and which policy section applies: ten business days following the hearing determination notice (§III.H.3.a), ten business days following notice that a finding without a hearing is final (§III.H.3.b), or five business days after a DOE dismissal notice (Appendix IV.C.4). Check your specific notice for the exact date that starts your window.
Requesting more time
UCSC also publishes extension procedures. To request an extension in an investigation, email the Title IX Coordinator or case officer with the reason and the specific amount of extra time requested. The decision is made case by case for good cause, and the parties receive written notice. A hearing-date change has a separate procedure: submit a written good-cause request and supporting proof to the Hearing Coordinator; the Hearing Officer decides. Ask promptly rather than assuming an extension is automatic.
Disclaimer
This page is for general education only. It is not legal advice. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by the University of California, Santa Cruz. Procedures, deadlines, and policy versions change; always confirm current requirements against your own Notice of Charges, the current SVSH policy, and the applicable appendix, or by contacting the UCSC Title IX Office directly. No outcome is guaranteed, and nothing here should be treated as a substitute for individualized legal counsel.
Sources
- UCSC Title IX Policy Page
- UCSC Student Conduct Process Page
- UC SVSH Policy (official UCLA host)
- UCSC-linked SVSH Policy PDF (January 2026 copy)
- Appendix E (non-DOE-covered student conduct)
- Appendix F (DOE-covered student conduct)
- UCSC Investigations Page
- UCSC extension procedures
- UCSC hearing-date procedures
