Grouted sleeve connections have been developed in various precast structures such as columns in buildings and bridges. When they are used in precast columns, the aspect ratio of the column is reduced owing to the shifted plastic hinge phenomenon. In contrast, short columns with aspect ratios of less than three are susceptible to shear failure under earthquakes. This study investigated the effect of UHPC (ultra-high-performance concrete) grouted sleeve connections on the seismic performance of precast columns. One cast-in-place column (CIP) and two precast columns (PCGS1 and PCGS2) with an original aspect ratio of 3.11 were manufactured. The two precast columns were designed with grouted sleeve connections at different positions, which were supposed to have lower actual aspect ratios according to the shifted plastic-hinging phenomenon. Cyclic loading tests were conducted on all the columns to study their seismic performance. The damage progression and seismic responses were analyzed experimentally. Shifted plastic hinging was theoretically calculated, and a numerical model was developed using OpenSees platform. From the acquired results, the precast column PCGS1, which was connected by grouted sleeve connections at the bottom, failed in shear failure. The other two columns failed in flexure-shear failure. The seismic performance of precast column PCGS1 was significantly reduced through a comparison of the hysteretic responses. A calculation method was proposed to obtain the critical height of the grouted sleeve connections, which helped the short columns avoid shear failure during earthquakes. The numerical analysis showed that the location of grouted sleeves had a negligible effect on seismic performance when placed above the critical height. The increase in the compression ratio and rebar strength positively affected the bearing capacity but negatively influenced the ductility.