# University of California-Merced

Public college in Merced, CA. IPEDS ID 445188.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-california-merced · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/university-of-california-merced.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 91% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $11,983 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 69%; beats 61% of CA colleges and 77% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $64,368; beats 51% of CA colleges and 79% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $12,750

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $7,945 |
| 30-48k | $8,465 |
| 48-75k | $11,557 |
| 75-110k | $14,828 |
| 110k+ | $28,734 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, in-state. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $39,665 in-state; about $73,865 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $15,623 in-state, $49,823 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $20,293; books: $1,214

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: not reported; SAT math: not reported; ACT: not reported (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 67,891 applicants, 26,598 admitted, 2,416 enrolled; test scores not considered
- Fall 2024: acceptance 91%, ACT not reported (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 39%, ACT not reported (IPEDS Admissions)

### State-published GPA and test ranges (middle 50%)
- Admitted for Fall 2026: GPA (weighted) 3.57–4.16; SAT —; ACT —; CLT — (First-year admit data, fall 2026 (one page per campus))
- Check chances: https://educationguide.com/chances?school=university-of-california-merced

## Majors (28 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineering | $58,835 | $102,575 | $19,086 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $67,096 | $95,040 | $18,500 |
| Biomedical Engineering | $57,223 | $88,795 | $21,234 |
| Environmental Engineering | $47,028 | $83,007 | $21,665 |
| Applied Mathematics | $39,138 | $82,156 | $16,497 |
| Business Administration | $46,378 | $68,277 | $16,000 |
| Economics | $51,212 | $67,692 | $19,303 |
| Political Science | $29,153 | $62,815 | $17,500 |
| Biology | $36,140 | $59,249 | $18,325 |
| English | $29,152 | $58,623 | $24,000 |
| Chemistry | $50,944 | $56,888 | $15,000 |
| Public Health | $36,555 | $56,393 | $15,502 |
| Psychology | $28,669 | $53,143 | $16,500 |
| Cognitive Science | $32,419 | $51,147 | $21,000 |
| Sociology | $37,092 | $50,468 | $17,515 |
| History | $26,103 | $44,144 | $15,455 |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Materials Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Psychology (Research) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Social Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Anthropology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Visual and Performing Arts | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Management Science / Analytics | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Biology → Biological technician: median wage not reported (Merced, CA), $71,440 (CA), $57,510 (U.S.)
- Business Administration → Management analyst: median wage $79,670 (Merced, CA), $101,460 (CA), $101,860 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).