University of California, Merced
University of California, Merced at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
University of California, Merced Featured Rankings
About University of California, Merced
According to Wikipedia, The University of California, Merced is a public land-grant research university in Merced, California. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California system. Established in 2005, UC Merced is the newest campus within the UC system. The primary campus is located around five miles north of Merced and sits adjacent to Lake Yosemite. The main campus is around 1,026 acres in size, and total land owned by the university amounts to around 8,195 acres including large areas of preserve land. Large areas of almond orchards and natural grasslands surround the university from various sides.
University of California, Merced Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 67,891 | 91% | 82% | 68% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does University of California, Merced Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $16,271 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $7,387 |
| 30K - 48K | $7,141 |
| 48K - 75K | $10,285 |
| 75K - 110K | $14,069 |
| 110K+ | $30,779 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do University of California, Merced Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former University of California, Merced students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $69,352 a year, and 94% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
University of California, Merced's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 9,716 | 8,917 | 799 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is University of California, Merced?
University of California, Merced is located at 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343-5603.
How Safe is University of California, Merced?
Like every college that receives federal student aid, University of California, Merced publishes an annual security report with its campus crime statistics and safety policies. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.
Relative to its enrollment, University of California, Merced has a violent crime rate of 0.11% and a property crime rate of 0.38%. Merced has a violent crime rate of 0.79% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 2.89%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is University of California, Merced Known For?
University of California, Merced is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Physics
- Earth Sciences
- Chemistry
- Sociology
- Computer Science
- Biology
- Anthropology
- Economics
- Psychology
- Medical
- Engineering
- Political Science
- Philosophy
- Mathematics
- History
- Business
- Literature
University of California, Merced's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much University of California, Merced's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
University of California, Merced ranks #172 in the U.S. and #721 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesUniversity of California, Merced ranks #285 in the U.S. and #1195 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesUniversity of California, Merced ranks #289 in the U.S. and #1480 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesUniversity of California, Merced ranks #308 in the U.S. and #1096 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesUniversity of California, Merced ranks #348 in the U.S. and #1524 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesUniversity of California, Merced ranks #376 in the U.S. and #1530 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesUniversity of California, Merced ranks #410 in the U.S. and #1245 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesUniversity of California, Merced ranks #415 in the U.S. and #2517 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesUniversity of California, Merced ranks #426 in the U.S. and #1074 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesUniversity of California, Merced ranks #427 in the U.S. and #1561 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesUniversity of California, Merced ranks #463 in the U.S. and #2768 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesUniversity of California, Merced ranks #470 in the U.S. and #1927 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesUniversity of California, Merced ranks #487 in the U.S. and #1615 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesUniversity of California, Merced ranks #531 in the U.S. and #2205 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesUniversity of California, Merced ranks #717 in the U.S. and #2125 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesUniversity of California, Merced ranks #770 in the U.S. and #2934 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesUniversity of California, Merced ranks #780 in the U.S. and #2341 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature Degrees