The activities and operations of UC Merced are governed by various policies and procedures. Well-formulated policies and procedures provide the foundation for how UC Merced community members treat one another, how we do our jobs, and how we conduct ourselves when representing the university. Policies and procedures promote consistent and fair business practices, improve organizational communication, reduce organizational risk and exposure, and contribute generally to satisfying the overall compliance requirements of the University.

The Administrative Policy Office is a function within the Ethics & Compliance unit that manages the development of UC Merced administrative policies and procedures. While the Policy Office establishes policy standards and manages the development, review, and approval procedures for policies, the individual divisions/units are the policy owners responsible for developing, promulgating, and maintaining policies and procedures within their functional purview. The Policy Office partners with divisions/units throughout the policy development process that includes the review, update, evaluation, and publication of policies and procedures.

The Policy Office also coordinates campus review of systemwide policies and initiatives and provides consolidated feedback to the respective responsible offices or policy owners.