University of California-Merced
Merced, CA · Public
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See the full analysis — freeAdmission rate
University of California-Merced admitted 90.5% of applicants university-wide (28,906 of 31,928).
| Cohort | Admit rate | Admitted | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|
| University-wide | 90.5% | 28,906 | 31,928 |
| Men | 89.8% | 14,286 | 15,900 |
| Women | 91.2% | 14,620 | 16,028 |
Of 28,906 admitted students, 2,093 enrolled (7.2% yield).
University of California-Merced Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C1–C2 · 2024 — Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.
Test scores and GPA of admitted students
Testing policy: Test-blind (scores not considered)
University of California-Merced Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C9–C12 · 2024 — Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.
Cost and financial aid
Published cost of attendance: $72,314/yr.
| Out-of-state tuition | $49,823 |
| Fees, housing, food, books & other | $22,491 |
| Sticker cost of attendance | $72,314/yr |
Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)
| Under $30k | $7,945 |
| $30k–48k | $8,465 |
| $48k–75k | $11,557 |
| $75k–110k | $14,828 |
| Over $110k | $28,734 |
US applicants
Need- and merit-based aid available.
International applicants
No need-based aid reported for internationals.
University of California-Merced Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024
Application requirements
US applicants
- Official transcript
- Test scores (SAT/ACT) (optional)
- Letters of recommendation (recommended)
- Supplemental essays (recommended)
International applicants
- Official transcript
- Test scores (SAT/ACT) (optional)
- Letters of recommendation (recommended)
- Supplemental essays (recommended)
- English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
- GPA credential conversion
- Predicted Class XII marksheet
- Financial documentation (I-20)
University of California-Merced Common Data Set · Application requirements · 2024
Essay prompts
Draft these in the free Essay Coach
Prompts from the UC Application member feed · verified Jul 3, 2026
Graduate outcomes
- Median earnings
- $64,368
- Median earnings · 10 years after entry
- Graduation rate
- 68.7%
- Within 150% of normal time
- First-year retention
- 82%
- Return for year two · CDS Section B
- Median debt
- $16,144
- At graduation
University of California-Merced · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023 — Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.
Published rankings
- U.S. News National: #57
- WSJ: #14
- Forbes: #190
- Niche: #406
Academics and campus
Largest degree fields: Engineering (23%), Psychology (19%), Biological & life sciences (17%).
University of California-Merced Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024 — Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.