College profile
University of California-Merced
CA · Public · Mid-size suburb · 67,891 applicants 2023
Parent/student verdict
AccessibleAccessible for most applicants. Affordable — net price averages ~$11,983/yr among aid recipients.
Best for
- Students drawn to Engineering or Psychology (the two biggest majors)
- Research-curious students (R2 — active research output)
The reality
- You'd be near the bottom of their admitted class if: unweighted GPA below 3.37 (test bands are the school's own; the 3.37 line is our estimate, not a published figure)
- Out-of-state tuition is 3.2× the in-state rate
Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price with aid and at full price, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.
What are your child's odds here?
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Weighted is the higher GPA, with honors/AP credit in it — pick whichever your school reports. PSAT scores work in the SAT box.
Institutional snapshot
What kind of college is this?
Source: admit rate is UC's Fall 2026 preliminary release (see banner above); federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.
High-school GPA
3.57 avg unweightedGPA on the plain 4.0 scale, no honors/AP bonus. When a college publishes an "average admitted GPA of 3.9," it's often this scale — don't compare it to a weighted 4.3. GPA, enrolled first-years
unweighted 4.0 scale. UC Merced Common Data Set 2024-2025 (C12) ↗
As published by the college in its Common Data Set / admissions data (2024-25) — independently verified 2026-07-23 (source linked above). GPA basis (weighted vs. unweighted vs. 4.0-scale) varies by college and is labeled above.
Fall 2026 — just released by UC (preliminary)
49,426 applied · 46,812 admitted · 94.7% admit rate · admitted GPA middle 50%The middle half landed in this range — a quarter are below the low end and a quarter above the high end. Above the top number is a genuine strength; below the bottom isn't automatic rejection.: 3.57–4.16 · 87.9% of admits are California residents. First-year offers as of June 2026, per UC's own release ↗ — fresher than the federal figures below. Full analysis: UC's Fall 2026 numbers →
Admit rate by discipline — Fall 2025
The headline admit rate hides a wide spread by program.
University of California-Merced's own systemwide data, by broad discipline. Campus overall: 94%. UC admits to the campus, not the major, at most programs — but the spread below is the real selectivity of each applicant pool, and capped programs (computer science, engineering, nursing) do gate by major.
| Discipline | Applicants | Admitted | Admit rate Fall 2025 |
Admit GPA (mid-50%)The middle half landed in this range — a quarter are below the low end and a quarter above the high end. Above the top number is a genuine strength; below the bottom isn't automatic rejection. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arts & Humanities | 1,625 | 1,476 | 91% | 3.50–4.08 |
| Business | 3,674 | 3,382 | 92% | 3.45–4.06 |
| Other/Interdisciplinary | 3,176 | 2,909 | 92% | 3.48–4.11 |
| Physical Sciences/Math | 3,227 | 3,008 | 93% | 3.66–4.20 |
| Social Sciences | 8,622 | 8,049 | 93% | 3.47–4.08 |
| Public Health | 2,452 | 2,313 | 94% | 3.45–4.08 |
| Life Sciences | 10,012 | 9,646 | 96% | 3.62–4.18 |
| Engineering | 11,565 | 11,206 | 97% | 3.69–4.21 |
By specific major — Fall 2025
| Major | Applicants | Admitted | Admit rate Fall 2025 |
Admit GPA (mid-50%)The middle half landed in this range — a quarter are below the low end and a quarter above the high end. Above the top number is a genuine strength; below the bottom isn't automatic rejection. | Earlier year for comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biological Sciences Life Sciences | 6,776 | 6,556 | 97% | 3.65–4.19 | Fall 2021: 91% ↑ |
| Undeclared Undeclared | 5,013 | 4,576 | 91% | 3.40–4.02 | Fall 2021: 81% ↑ |
| Management And Business Economics Business | 3,419 | 3,149 | 92% | 3.45–4.04 | Fall 2021: 84% ↑ |
| Psychology Social Sciences | 3,400 | 3,210 | 94% | 3.44–4.08 | Fall 2021: 87% ↑ |
| Psychology, General Social Sciences | 3,400 | 3,210 | 94% | 3.44–4.08 | Fall 2021: 87% ↑ |
| Psychology, Other Social Sciences | 3,400 | 3,210 | 94% | 3.44–4.08 | Fall 2021: 87% ↑ |
| Public Health Public Health | 2,452 | 2,313 | 94% | 3.45–4.08 | Fall 2021: 86% ↑ |
| Mechanical Engineering Engineering | 2,311 | 2,240 | 97% | 3.63–4.18 | Fall 2021: 86% ↑ |
| Political Science Social Sciences | 1,786 | 1,708 | 96% | 3.57–4.15 | Fall 2021: 86% ↑ |
| Economics Social Sciences | 1,669 | 1,551 | 93% | 3.55–4.13 | Fall 2021: 78% ↑ |
| Applied Mathematics Physical Sciences/Math | 1,543 | 1,414 | 92% | 3.64–4.18 | Fall 2021: 85% ↑ |
| Sociology Social Sciences | 1,511 | 1,345 | 89% | 3.37–4.00 | Fall 2021: 84% ↑ |
| Biochemistry Life Sciences | 1,295 | 1,251 | 97% | 3.63–4.20 | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics And Molecular Biology Life Sciences | 1,295 | 1,251 | 97% | 3.63–4.20 | — |
| Civil Engineering Engineering | 1,294 | 1,258 | 97% | 3.57–4.15 | Fall 2021: 91% ↑ |
| Communication And Media Other/Interdisciplinary | 1,259 | 1,134 | 90% | 3.39–4.00 | — |
| Data Science And Analytics Other/Interdisciplinary | 1,120 | 1,011 | 90% | 3.45–4.10 | Fall 2024: 97% ↓ |
| Aerospace Engineering Engineering | 1,110 | 1,075 | 97% | 3.65–4.19 | — |
| Bioengineering Engineering | 1,048 | 1,019 | 97% | 3.75–4.23 | Fall 2021: 92% ↑ |
| Neuroscience Life Sciences | 983 | 942 | 96% | 3.64–4.20 | — |
| Environmental Systems Science Physical Sciences/Math | 523 | 494 | 94% | 3.60–4.14 | Fall 2021: 90% ↑ |
| Physics Physical Sciences/Math | 495 | 468 | 95% | 3.73–4.23 | Fall 2021: 90% ↑ |
| Physics, Applied Physical Sciences/Math | 495 | 468 | 95% | 3.73–4.23 | Fall 2021: 90% ↑ |
| Physics, General Physical Sciences/Math | 495 | 468 | 95% | 3.73–4.23 | Fall 2021: 90% ↑ |
| Physics, General - Secondary Education Physical Sciences/Math | 495 | 468 | 95% | 3.73–4.23 | Fall 2021: 90% ↑ |
| Data Science And Computing Other/Interdisciplinary | 410 | 388 | 95% | 3.69–4.20 | Fall 2024: 95% |
| Cognitive Science Other/Interdisciplinary | 369 | 360 | 98% | 3.70–4.20 | Fall 2021: 89% ↑ |
| History Arts & Humanities | 359 | 326 | 91% | 3.54–4.10 | Fall 2021: 84% ↑ |
| Chemical Engineering Engineering | 354 | 339 | 96% | 3.86–4.25 | Fall 2024: 93% ↑ |
| Literatures In English Arts & Humanities | 333 | 311 | 93% | 3.50–4.13 | Fall 2023: 89% ↑ |
| Environmental Engineering Engineering | 322 | 311 | 97% | 3.72–4.16 | Fall 2021: 91% ↑ |
| Philosophy Arts & Humanities | 172 | 152 | 88% | 3.54–4.11 | Fall 2021: 73% ↑ |
| Biochemical And Biomolecular Engineering Engineering | 133 | 132 | 99% | 3.87–4.26 | — |
Majors are shown as UC's systemwide data reports them; programs too small to clear UC's reporting floor don't appear. Admit rates by major reflect who applies as much as who gets in — at most UC programs, students are admitted to the campus, not the major.
Source: University of California Information Center ↗, first-year applicants by broad discipline (data back to Fall 2012). GPA is UC's capped weighted GPAUC's own GPA recalculation: extra points for honors/AP/IB classes, but capped at 8 semesters of bonus. That cap is why UC admitted-GPA bands cluster between 4.0 and 4.3 — a 4.28 here is a stronger number than it looks next to an uncapped 4.6 from a high school transcript.. UC's own guidance: use this as a general guide to selectivity, not a predictor of any one student's chances. Small programs are suppressed by UC.
Outcomes & cost
What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.
Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).
The real cost
What University of California-Merced actually costs
Which side your family lands on isn't set by any national income line — it's set by University of California-Merced's own aid decision: the gap between its price and your family's finances.
University of California-Merced's own published aid policy · 2026-27
Who qualifies: CA residents; UC Blue and Gold, systemwide tuition only.
Most California families that earn up to $100,000 receive enough grant and scholarship funds to cover their UC tuition.
Income thresholds assume typical assets. Policy independently verified against the college's financial-aid pages ↗.
Your odds + estimated cost across your whole college list, side by side.
The payoffTen years of typical graduate pay minus four years of cost — how many dollars ahead a typical graduate runs by year ten. Check both the full-price and with-aid versions to see which applies to you; median pay reflects who a college admits and what they study as much as the college itself., both ways
+$485K ahead at full price +$596K with aidSource: College Scorecard (average net price among Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates who received aid) and each college's published cost of attendance. We don't show the federal net-price-by-income brackets: their categories were fixed in 2008 and never adjusted, and none of the averages is your family's own number — the full story. Payoff = (10-yr median earnings × 10) − (4 years of cost), in dollars — how far ahead a typical graduate runs by year ten; medians travel with the students a college admits and the majors they choose as much as with the college itself. Full price is the published cost of attendance, largely in-state for publics; earnings are 10 years after enrollment, all majors combined.
What students study here
Most popular majors at University of California-Merced
Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what University of California-Merced actually graduates — not just what it markets.
What those majors earn here
Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major — University of California-Merced's own graduates, not national averages.
| Major (CIP) | 4-yr earnings |
|---|---|
| Computer Engineering. | $102,575 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | $95,040 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering. | $88,795 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering. | $83,007 |
| Applied Mathematics. | $82,156 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | $68,277 |
| Economics. | $67,692 |
| Political Science and Government. | $62,815 |
| Biology, General. | $59,249 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | $58,623 |
Sources: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a; bachelor's-level first majors, 2-digit CIP family — share is of the top 5 only) · College Scorecard program-level outcomes (PP-FOS). Full college-vs-major comparison: /college-outcomes →
Alternatives to University of California-Merced
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Feeder high schools
Which high schools send graduates to University of California-Merced?
Enrolled — from the schools' matriculation lists
15 high schools publish a numbered matriculation list — where their graduates actually enrolled, counted, in the school's own School Profile — and name University of California-Merced on it. Between them they printed 31 enrolled graduates. Ranked by graduates per class year enrolling at University of California-Merced, from each school's own published list: the number that school printed, divided by the class years its list covers. The published total and the school's own years label are shown beside every school, so a one-year list and a five-year list can sit on the same page. A list whose class years we cannot read is not divided by a guess — it is listed below with its total instead.
and 5 more
Admitted — from the schools' acceptance lists
4 high schools publish a numbered list of college acceptances — where their graduates were admitted, not where they enrolled — and name University of California-Merced on it. Between them they printed 69 admissions. Ranked by admissions per class year to University of California-Merced, from each school's own published acceptances list: the number that school printed, divided by the class years its list covers. Admits are counted at each college a student was admitted to, the same way the UC Reach Score counts a student admitted to three UC campuses three times — so this is a count of admissions, not of students. The published total and the school's own years label are shown beside every school, and a list whose class years we cannot read is listed below with its total rather than divided by a guess.
All 19 feeder schools, ranked →
Counted from each school's own published document, linked on that school's page. A high school that is not here does not publish a numbered list we could read — that is all absence means, and it says nothing about its graduates. Where a school publishes both, the two lists are shown separately: an acceptances list is not a list of enrollments, and the two are never added together.
Related reading
UC testing review · August 25, 2026
College admissions · August 21, 2026
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At a glance
JSON · Using this page with an AI assistantUniversity of California-Merced is a public four-year college in CA. It admitted 95% of applicants (67,891 applied, 2023). Test policy: Test-blind.
Average enrolled GPA 3.57 (unweighted, 2024-25, as published by the college).
Cost: about $11,983 a year on average with aid, $39,665 a year at full price for in-state students.
Median earnings ten years after entry: $64,368 a year. Payoff, meaning ten years of that pay minus four years of cost: $595,748 ahead with aid, $485,020 ahead at full price.
Highest median earnings four years after the degree, by program: Computer Engineering ($102,575); Mechanical Engineering ($95,040); Biomedical/Medical Engineering ($88,795).
Admit rate by major, Fall 2025 (the UC admits to the campus, not the major, at most programs, so read these as a guide to selectivity): lowest Philosophy 88% (172 applied); highest Biochemical And Biomolecular Engineering 99% (133 applied).
Aid pledge published by the college for 2026-27: families earning under $100,000 pay no tuition (CA residents; UC Blue and Gold, systemwide tuition only).
High schools that publish a numbered matriculation list and name University of California-Merced: 15, 31 enrolled students between them — ranked by graduates per class year, most often Harvard-Westlake School (2.0 per class year, 2 over 1 class year, BY THE CLASSES OF 2021-2025, counted column "CLASS OF '25"); Saint Joseph-Notre Dame High School (2.0 per class year, 2 over 1 class year, Class of 2026); Menlo School (1.7 per class year, 5 over 3 class years, Classes of 2023-2025). Each figure is the number that school printed divided by the class years its own list covers; the totals and years are shown. These are the schools that publish such a list, not every school that sends students; full list: https://highschoolreach.com/leaderboards/feeder-schools/university-of-california-merced.
High schools that publish a numbered list of college acceptances naming University of California-Merced: 4, 69 admissions between them — ranked by admissions per class year, most often Archbishop Mitty High School (35.0 per class year, 35 over 1 class year, Class of 2025); Lycée Français de San Francisco (10.3 per class year, 31 over 3 class years, Classes 2022, 2023, 2024); Staten Island Academy (2.0 per class year, 2 over 1 class year, College Acceptances 2026). Admits are counted at each college, so this counts admissions, not students. These are a different set of documents from the matriculation lists above and the two are never added together; full list: https://highschoolreach.com/leaderboards/feeder-schools/university-of-california-merced.
Machine-readable version of this page: https://highschoolreach.com/colleges/university-of-california-merced.json