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Public · Suburban campus · founded 2005 · full profile

University of California, Merced

California students — particularly first-generation and Pell-eligible students — who want a research university education with UC faculty, small classes and a low net price, and who care more about what a degree costs and returns than about the name on it.

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Merced, California8,372 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 14Public flagshipResearch universitySocial mobility

The short answer

UC Merced is the newest University of California campus and the most accessible way into the UC research system, admitting 90.5% of applicants while charging an average net price of $11,983. 58.9% of its undergraduates receive Pell grants and 57.4% are the first in their family to attend college, which makes it one of the most economically diverse research universities in the country.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
90.5%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$11,983

83% below the $71,268 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$64,368

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
68.7%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$16,144

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedUniversity of California-Merced reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

How to read UC Merced's numbers

  • UC Merced's 90.5% acceptance rate is not a measure of academic weakness. UC applicants apply to multiple campuses on one application and are evaluated against a systemwide eligibility standard, so the pool arriving at Merced has already cleared the UC bar.

Where UC Merced ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#57of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#190of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026National Universities#14of 442National universities
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#18of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B+#283of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges4.5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: UC Merced's position moves 35 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

Where third-party rankings highlight this institution

Themed lists built on published criteria — STARS, mobility rankings, LEED records — with methodology stated on each page.

About UC Merced

Opened in 2005, UC Merced is the only American research university founded this century. Each publisher measures something different, so the rankings table lists every placement with its list and its denominator. The student body is the fact those lists are reacting to.

The student body is the distinguishing fact. A 58.9% Pell share is roughly three times what most research universities report, and 57.4% of undergraduates are first-generation. UC Merced is a Hispanic-Serving Institution serving California's Central Valley, a region historically underserved by four-year higher education. Median earnings ten years after entry are $64,368 against a median federal debt of $16,144 — a strong ratio for a student body entering with far less family wealth than the UC average.

The trade-offs are those of a young institution. The six-year graduation rate of 68.7% trails the rest of the UC system, the alumni network is two decades old rather than a century, and Merced is a small Central Valley city without the cultural density of Berkeley or Westwood. Against that, class sizes are smaller than at the large UC campuses, undergraduate research access is unusually good for a public university, and the campus is still building out rather than settled.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • The most accessible entry point to a UC research education, admitting 90.5% of applicants.
  • An average net price of $11,983 makes it one of the lowest-cost research universities in California.
  • 58.9% Pell enrolment and 57.4% first-generation — genuine economic diversity, not a diversity statement.
  • A student body that is mostly Pell-eligible and first-generation, which is the population social-mobility methodologies are written to describe.

Considerations

  • A 68.7% six-year graduation rate is the weakest in the UC system and worth asking about by major.
  • Merced is a small Central Valley city; students wanting a major metro should look at other UC campuses.
  • Founded in 2005, so the alumni network and campus traditions are still forming.
  • Test-blind admission means strong SAT scores cannot help an application here at all.

Who this school genuinely fits

California students — particularly first-generation and Pell-eligible students — who want a research university education with UC faculty, small classes and a low net price, and who care more about what a degree costs and returns than about the name on it.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$15,623

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$49,823

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$21,445

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $71,268 a year, but the average family pays $11,983 — a 83% difference. 58.9% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run UC Merced's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Psychology
  2. 2Biological Sciences
  3. 3Computer Science & Engineering
  4. 4Public Health
  5. 5Management & Business Economics

Standout programs

  • Cognitive Science
  • Environmental Systems
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Public Health
  • Sierra Nevada Research Institute field work
Student-faculty ratio
21:1

IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

First-year retention
82.1%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduate enrollment
8,372

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

UC Merced: questions families ask

Read the rankings table for each publisher's placement and list size, then read the federal figures underneath. UC Merced enrols a student body that is 58.9% Pell-eligible and 57.4% first-generation, graduates 68.7% within six years, and reports median earnings of $64,368.

UC Merced admits 90.5% of applicants, but the pool is not open to everyone. University of California applicants use a single application across campuses and must meet systemwide eligibility requirements before any campus reviews them. Merced also has capacity that Berkeley, UCLA and San Diego do not, so it admits most of the eligible students who apply. The high rate reflects capacity and application mechanics, not a lower academic floor.

No. The entire University of California system is test-blind. SAT and ACT scores are not considered for admission or for scholarships at UC Merced, and submitting them cannot help or hurt you. Applications are evaluated on coursework, grades, personal insight questions and context.

In-state tuition and fees are $15,623 and on-campus room and board $21,445, but almost nobody pays that. The average net price after grant aid is $11,983 per year. Out-of-state students pay $49,823 in tuition and fees and receive far less need-based aid, so the calculus is very different for non-Californians.

Similar colleges

Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

University of Arizona

Tucson, AZPublic

Arizona is a major research university with world-leading astronomy and optical sciences programs — it operates the Mirror Lab that builds the world's largest telescope mirrors — and admits 87% of applicants with generous automatic merit aid for non-residents. The caution is completion: a 68% six-year graduation rate is low for a flagship.

Acceptance rate
86.1%
Average net price
$16,674
Median earnings (10 yr)
$59,979
6-yr graduation rate
67.5%
US News · National universities#127 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#124 of 500Washington Monthly · National universities#96 of 442+2 more on profile

42,537 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 20 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MIPublic

Michigan is the strongest all-around public university in the country by breadth, ranking top-25 nationally while enrolling 34,177 undergraduates. In-state students pay about $18,000 in tuition for a program that competes with private universities charging three times that; out-of-state students pay roughly $60,000 and receive limited need-based aid.

Acceptance rate
15.6%
Average net price
$13,138
Median earnings (10 yr)
$83,648
6-yr graduation rate
93.2%
US News · National universities#20 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#21 of 500Washington Monthly · National universities#29 of 442+3 more on profile

34,177 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 4 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

California State Polytechnic University-Pomona

Pomona, CAPublic

Verified publisher rankings · federal data

California State Polytechnic University-Pomona: U.S. News ranks it #3 on Regional Universities (West) (2026); Forbes ranks it #144 on America's Top Colleges (2026); WSJ ranks it #21 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #447 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars. It enrolls 25,042 undergraduates, admits 75.2% of applicants, and posts a 68.4% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $20,380; aid recipients pay $11,531 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $71,902.

Acceptance rate
75.2%
Average net price
$11,531
Median earnings (10 yr)
$71,902
6-yr graduation rate
68.4%
US News · Regional univ. (West)#3 of 118Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#144 of 500WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#21 of 500+2 more on profile

25,042 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 13 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

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