About
The University of California, Merced (UC Merced or colloquially, UCM) 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 (330 hectares) 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. UC Merced offers over 60 undergraduate degrees and 18 graduate and professional degrees, with 8,372 undergraduates and 738 graduate students enrolled as of fall 2024. In 2025 the university was classified as an R1 Carnegie research institution becoming the only R1 institution in the Central Valley and one of the youngest universities ever to attain the designation.
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Key facts
- Global rank
- #739
- Location
- Merced, United States
- Type
- Public
- Admission rate
- 90%
- English test
- Required
- How to apply
- Own portal
Outcomes and costs
Official figures from US College Scorecard, US Department of Education. Salaries are for all graduates, not only international students.
- Median salary 10 years after starting
- $64,368 a year
- Median salary 6 years after starting
- $48,475 a year
- Graduation rate (within 6 years)
- 69%
- Students returning for a second year
- 82%
- Tuition (out-of-state, per year)
- $49,823
- Average cost of attendance (per year)
- $39,665
- Undergraduate students
- 8,372
- Students per faculty member
- 20 to 1
- Median debt at graduation
- $16,144
Programmes
Showing 1 of 1 programmes.
Undergraduate · Undergraduate (all majors)
Undergraduate admission (all majors)
- Tuition per year
- USD 49,823 (Latest College Scorecard)
- Duration
- 48 months
- Apply through
- Own portal
Deadline: Most regular decision deadlines fall between 1 November and 15 January. Check the official admissions page.
· verified 14/9/2026
Scholarships you could use here
Fulbright-Nehru Master's Fellowships · USIEF (United States-India Educational Foundation)
Indian citizens with a bachelor's (minimum 55%) or master's degree and at least three years of relevant full-time work experience, without a US degree. Government of India employees are not eligible.
The last published cycle (2026-2027) closed on 14 May 2025. A 2027-2028 master's cycle is not currently listed.
Official pageFulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships · USIEF
Indian scholars registered for a PhD at an Indian institution, for 6 to 9 months of research in the US.
The 2027-2028 cycle closed on 1 July 2026.
Official page