University of California, Merced

University of California, Merced logo
#1527 / #446
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#275
Most Desirable School
Public university in Merced, California

University of California, Merced at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#446
Acceptance rate (fall 2024)
91%
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$16,271
Graduation rate
68%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
8,372

Reviewed by , 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 ApplicationsAcceptanceRetention RateGraduation Rate
67,89191%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
Average Net Price by Family Income (2024–25)
IncomeAverage 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 BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
9,7168,917799

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:

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

Physics
#721
World Rank
#761
Historical Rank
#172
USA Rank

University of California, Merced ranks #172 in the U.S. and #721 worldwide for influence in Physics.

physics Degrees
Earth Sciences
#1195
World Rank
#1216
Historical Rank
#285
USA Rank

University of California, Merced ranks #285 in the U.S. and #1195 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.

earth-science Degrees
Chemistry
#1480
World Rank
#1503
Historical Rank
#289
USA Rank

University of California, Merced ranks #289 in the U.S. and #1480 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.

chemistry Degrees
Sociology
#1096
World Rank
#1107
Historical Rank
#308
USA Rank

University of California, Merced ranks #308 in the U.S. and #1096 worldwide for influence in Sociology.

sociology Degrees
Computer Science
#1524
World Rank
#1529
Historical Rank
#348
USA Rank

University of California, Merced ranks #348 in the U.S. and #1524 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.

computer-science Degrees
Biology
#1530
World Rank
#1558
Historical Rank
#376
USA Rank

University of California, Merced ranks #376 in the U.S. and #1530 worldwide for influence in Biology.

biology Degrees
Anthropology
#1245
World Rank
#1258
Historical Rank
#410
USA Rank

University of California, Merced ranks #410 in the U.S. and #1245 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.

anthropology Degrees
Economics
#2517
World Rank
#2526
Historical Rank
#415
USA Rank

University of California, Merced ranks #415 in the U.S. and #2517 worldwide for influence in Economics.

economics Degrees
Psychology
#1074
World Rank
#1090
Historical Rank
#426
USA Rank

University of California, Merced ranks #426 in the U.S. and #1074 worldwide for influence in Psychology.

psychology Degrees
Medical
#1561
World Rank
#1566
Historical Rank
#427
USA Rank

University of California, Merced ranks #427 in the U.S. and #1561 worldwide for influence in Medical.

medicine Degrees
Engineering
#2768
World Rank
#2783
Historical Rank
#463
USA Rank

University of California, Merced ranks #463 in the U.S. and #2768 worldwide for influence in Engineering.

engineering Degrees
Political Science
#1927
World Rank
#1934
Historical Rank
#470
USA Rank

University of California, Merced ranks #470 in the U.S. and #1927 worldwide for influence in Political Science.

political-science Degrees
Philosophy
#1615
World Rank
#1678
Historical Rank
#487
USA Rank

University of California, Merced ranks #487 in the U.S. and #1615 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.

philosophy Degrees
Mathematics
#2205
World Rank
#2250
Historical Rank
#531
USA Rank

University of California, Merced ranks #531 in the U.S. and #2205 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.

math Degrees
History
#2125
World Rank
#2140
Historical Rank
#717
USA Rank

University of California, Merced ranks #717 in the U.S. and #2125 worldwide for influence in History.

history Degrees
Business
#2934
World Rank
#2935
Historical Rank
#770
USA Rank

University of California, Merced ranks #770 in the U.S. and #2934 worldwide for influence in Business.

business Degrees
Literature
#2341
World Rank
#2391
Historical Rank
#780
USA Rank

University of California, Merced ranks #780 in the U.S. and #2341 worldwide for influence in Literature.

literature Degrees

Who Are University of California, Merced's Most Influential Faculty?

Matt Wedel
Matt Wedel
An American paleontologist.