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Friday, October 9, 2026

Upcoming Deadlines

Friday, 10/23 - Submit completed and approved Org Tree change requests
Wednesday, 10/28 - Complete Q1 Key Controls

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Action Items

Submit completed and approved Org Tree change requests by Friday, October 23

To submit an Org Change request, please access the Organizational Tree Change Request Portal. For Org Tree changes to be processed in October, please complete your org change request form in the portal as early as possible to allow time for the Org Tree Change Committee to review and route for all required approvals. Ideally, requests should be entered into the Org Tree Change Request Portal for review at least two weeks prior to the October 23 deadline. Please review the Org Tree Change Request Portal Job Aid for more information on how to get started. Contact dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu with questions.

Complete Q1 Key Controls by Wednesday, October 28

Complete and submit both the Financial Reporting Review and System Access Review by the end of the day on Wednesday, October 28. Please visit the Division Key Controls page for instructions and more information. Email questions regarding financial reporting review controls to the Financial Accounting and Controls team at gao@berkeley.edu. For questions about system access review controls, contact the BFS Security team at secbfs@berkeley.edu.

Informational Updates

Review STAR/SPOT Award funding allocation

The FY27 Staff Appreciation and Recognition program (STAR) has been allocated. Review the FY27 STAR Campus Allocations to view the funding for your unit. The amount available to spend is in the last column called “2027 Beg. Bal + Distribution”. Please share this information with the person responsible for allocating funds for STAR awards within your unit. If you have questions about the allocation, please contact the Budget and Financial Operations team at centralresourcemanagement@berkeley.edu.

Review October’s updated unused airline ticket credits

Please review the October 2026 UC Berkeley Monthly Unused Ticket Report to ensure that your unit's travel credits are used before they expire. If you identify a credit that is no longer active, please let us know so we can update the report accordingly. Please contact the UC Travel Center at 310-206-2639 or travel@finance.ucla.edu to learn how to use the applicable credit. Read more in the Unused Airline Ticket Credit Alert (October 2026).

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Berkeley International Office (BIO) International Student Service Fee

The International Student Service Fee is charged to international students in F or J status sponsored by UC Berkeley for services provided by BIO, starting in Fall 2026. Central campus is addressing the BIO fee and funding for PhD students, and fee remission for eligible Academic Student Employees and Graduate Student Researchers, for Fall 2026. Until we reach out with further information, please do not make any new awards or adjust current awards for this fee.

More information about this fee is available at the International Student Service Fee webpage. If you have any questions, please contact me at kenmahru@berkeley.edu.

Launch of FY2026-27 Q1 Forecast Coming Soon

As mentioned in the budget decision letters and the recent DFL meeting, we will be moving towards quarterly forecasts, with the Q1 forecast launching in mid-October.

This is an important exercise that will allow you to reassess and enhance financial projections for the year and evaluate how closely they align with the goals established in your original budget. The Q1 forecast will enable us to assess progress toward your FY2026-27 EGM target. As a result, all campus divisions are expected to review and update their forecast. Templates and detailed instructions will be provided in the coming weeks.

Changes to the DFL in your division?

If the DFL role in your division is changing, email vcfinance@berkeley.edu to ensure our website, communications, and training plans are updated.

As a reminder, these updates are regularly posted to the DFL Weekly Updates page, allowing you to reference past updates at any time. Additionally, the operational deadlines page provides an overview of deliverables by quarter.

Thank you,

Office of the Vice Chancellor of Finance

If you are having difficulty accessing the information in this message, please contact vcfinance@berkeley.edu for assistance.

CFO website

Divisional Finance Leaders