The fixtures, published on Wednesday, see champions Connacht take on Glasgow in Galway while beaten finalists Leinster host Treviso.
The play-off semi-finals take place on the weekend of 19-21 May with the final scheduled for the following weekend.
Last season Ulster finished fourth in the table and were beaten 30-18 by Leinster in the play-off semi-finals.
This will be the first full season in charge for Ulster's Director of Rugby Les Kiss, who took on the role after finishing his spell on the Ireland coaching set-up at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
He will be hoping to lead Ulster to their first silverware since they won the Celtic League in 2006.
Ulster will kick-off their 2016-17 Pro12 campaign on Friday, 2 September at home to Newport Gwent Dragons.