University of California-Merced
About
The University of California, Merced is a public land-grant research university in Merced County, California, United States. Established in 2005, UC Merced is the tenth and newest campus in the University of California (UC) system. The main campus is around 810 acres in size and located around 5 miles (8.0 km) north of the city of Merced and sits adjacent to Lake Yosemite. The campus is adjacent to large swaths of protected natural grasslands and vernal pools, which have shaped its development, capital planning, and research.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates — a notably small equity gap.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 77 Title IV programs, 16 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 61 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing16 · 20.8%
- No Data61 · 79.2%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
WASC Senior College and University Commission
WASC Senior College and University Commission
Action history · 1
- Jun 2018Renewal of AccreditationWASC Senior College and University Commission
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 5,323 students received $37.0M in Pell grants, alongside $25.0M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 1,394 borrowers who entered repayment, 12 (0.8%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Ucmerced
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 6
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus34
- Non-campus1
Includes 22 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- Tulare Hall - UC Merced1 fireElectricalDamage $0-$99
- Glacier Point9 firesA student used a cigarette lighter to intentionally burn a piece of paper.Damage $0-$99
- Glacier Point9 firesA student used a cigarette lighter to intentionally burn a piece of paper.Damage $0-$99
- Glacier Point9 firesA student used a cigarette lighter to intentionally burn a piece of paper.Damage $0-$99
- Glacier Point9 firesA student used a cigarette lighter to intentionally burn a piece of paper.Damage $0-$99
- Glacier Point9 firesA student used a cigarette lighter to intentionally burn a piece of paper.Damage $0-$99
- Glacier Point9 firesA student used a cigarette lighter to intentionally burn a piece of paper.Damage $0-$99
- Glacier Point9 firesA student used a cigarette lighter to intentionally burn a piece of paper.Damage $0-$99
- Glacier Point9 firesA student used a cigarette lighter to intentionally burn a piece of paper.Damage $0-$99
- Glacier Point9 firesA student used a cigarette lighter to intentionally burn a piece of paper.Damage $0-$99
- Granite Pass2 firesA student used a cigarette lighter to intentionally burn a piece of paper.Damage $0-$99
- Granite Pass2 firesDamage $25,000-$49,999
- Sentinel Rock2 firesA student used a cigarette lighter to intentionally burn a piece of paper.Damage $0-$99
- Sentinel Rock2 firesA student used a cigarette lighter to intentionally burn a piece of paper.Damage $0-$99
Data quality: 1 report was later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Ucmerced vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Ucmerced selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectUniversity of California-Merced | 69% | — | 9,110 | $12,744 | R2 Research |
Augusta University | 49% | 86.4% | 10,900 | $13,347 | R2 Research |
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 53% | 20.6% | 9,313 | $15,847 | R2 Research |
Idaho State University | 35% | — | 13,061 | $17,324 | R2 Research |
Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus | 54% | 90.8% | 9,073 | $17,216 | R2 Research |
Jackson State University | 51% | 93.1% | 6,326 | $20,191 | R2 Research |
Louisiana Tech University | 62% | 86.4% | 11,873 | $12,209 | R2 Research |
Michigan Technological University | 68% | 92.4% | 7,403 | $15,729 | R2 Research |
Missouri University of Science and Technology | 64% | 72.5% | 7,154 | $13,773 | R2 Research |
Morgan State University | 41% | 82.2% | 10,739 | $15,015 | R2 Research |
Prairie View A & M University | 43% | 79.3% | 9,922 | $14,041 | R2 Research |
Rutgers University-Camden | 67% | 66.3% | 5,675 | $18,803 | R2 Research |
South Dakota State University | 62% | 98.3% | 12,056 | $18,219 | R2 Research |
Southern University and A & M College | 27% | 35.1% | 8,279 | $19,740 | R2 Research |
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | 66% | 63.3% | 2,757 | $18,730 | R2 Research |
Tennessee State University | 35% | 70.1% | 6,310 | $10,026 | R2 Research |
Tennessee Technological University | 58% | 76.1% | 10,511 | $14,207 | R2 Research |
Texas Southern University | 22% | 96.9% | 8,704 | $19,734 | R2 Research |
The University of Texas at Tyler | 54% | 94.0% | 10,362 | $13,931 | R2 Research |
University of Alaska Fairbanks | 39% | 64.7% | 6,893 | $9,634 | R2 Research |
University of Arkansas at Little Rock | 37% | 58.8% | 8,216 | $16,136 | R2 Research |
University of Idaho | 57% | 75.5% | 12,286 | $13,782 | R2 Research |
University of Maryland Eastern Shore | 35% | 96.4% | 3,177 | $14,035 | R2 Research |
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth | 52% | 90.6% | 7,968 | $20,605 | R2 Research |
University of Missouri-St Louis | 57% | 62.7% | 14,736 | $12,323 | R2 Research |
University of New Orleans | 38% | 74.3% | 6,501 | $11,147 | R2 Research |
University of South Dakota | 60% | 98.8% | 10,619 | $19,155 | R2 Research |
William & Mary | 89% | 34.1% | 9,818 | $22,529 | R2 Research |
Wright State University-Main Campus | 42% | 96.3% | 10,603 | $15,216 | R2 Research |
| Peer group median | 53% | 79.3% | 9,110 | $15,216 |
Ucmerced Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The mission of IRDS is to provide analysis for data-driven decision-making and communicates research insights that support strategic initiatives. IRDS strives to be a trusted partner and consultant, providing accurate and actionable information to campus constituents.
Visit IR office page- Corinne TownsendPhD
- Corinne TownsendDirector of Institutional Effectiveness and Analytics
- Andrea Hall-CucciaEdD
- Andrea Hall-CucciaInstitutional Research Analyst
- Jose Lopez ArriazaMS
- Jose Lopez ArriazaBusiness Intelligence Specialist
- Jessica ChackoriaPhD
- Jessica ChackoriaBusiness Intelligence Specialist
Reports & documents (4)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DashboardDashboardcie.ucmerced.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- GlossaryAcademic Program Assessment GlossaryThe UC Merced Academic Program Assessment Glossary provides a common language to facilitate discussions on academic assessment. It offers general descriptions and definitions to promote understanding across various academic disciplines about terms related to academic assessments, learning outcomes, program evaluations, curriculum mapping, and evidence-based improvements. The glossary aims to standardize these terms within the academic program assessment context, ensuring that stakeholders can openly communicate and align on methods and expectations.assessment.ucmerced.edu
- Strategic plan2021 - 2031 Strategic Plan2021The University of California-Merced's 2021-2031 Strategic Plan outlines a vision for growth and excellence guided by shared values. Under the leadership of Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz, the plan aims to achieve R1 research status and expand student enrollment to 15,000 by 2030. It emphasizes care for faculty and staff, and a commitment to student success, enriching communities and fostering a prosperous future.chancellor.ucmerced.edu
Notable alumni of Ucmerced (5)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Shavone Charles
- Oliver Darcy
- David Do
- Preeya Singh
- Marco Torralva
Frequently asked questions about University of California-Merced
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Ucmerced.
What is the graduation rate at University of California-Merced?
How many students attend University of California-Merced?
What is the average net price at University of California-Merced?
What is the yield rate at University of California-Merced?
Where is University of California-Merced located?
Who runs Institutional Research at University of California-Merced?
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