Public4-yearHispanic-Serving

University of California-Merced

Tuition, net price, acceptance rate, graduation rate, and graduate salary · Merced, California

Official website ↗ University of California-Merced net price calculator ↗ College Scorecard, June 2026

Net price / year

$11,983

after grants & scholarships

lower than 61% of public 4-year colleges

Acceptance rate

91%

Graduation rate

69%

within 150% of normal time

higher than 86% of public 4-year colleges

Median earnings

$65,410

4 years after graduating

higher than 72% of public 4-year colleges

University of California-Merced at a glance

What is the tuition at University of California-Merced?: In-state undergraduate tuition and fees are $15,623 for the 2024-25 academic year, or $49,823 for out-of-state students.
What is the cost of attendance at University of California-Merced?: The average cost of attendance is $39,665 a year before financial aid (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses.
What is the net price at University of California-Merced?: The average net price for in-state students is $11,983 a year after grants and scholarships (2023-24).
What is the acceptance rate at University of California-Merced?: About 91% of applicants were admitted (fall 2024).
Is University of California-Merced test optional?: Test policy reported to the federal government: Tests neither required nor recommended.
What is the graduation rate at University of California-Merced?: 69% of first-time, full-time students finish within 150% of normal time, or 6 years (entering classes through fall 2018).
How much do graduates of University of California-Merced earn?: The median graduate earns $65,410 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled (2024 dollars).

Key takeaways

The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 1.7 years of work (not counting income forgone while studying).
69% of students graduate on time or within 150% of normal time, higher than 86% of public 4-year colleges.
Graduates earn a median $65,410 four years after finishing, more than 72% of public 4-year colleges.
Families earning under $30,000 pay about $7,945 a year on average, versus $28,734 for families earning over $110,000.
59% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, a sign the school serves many lower-income students.

Tuition and cost of attendance at University of California-Merced

Average net price (in-state)

$11,983 per year

Cost of attendance minus average grants and scholarships, for first-time full-time students receiving federal aid.

Estimate your own price with the University of California-Merced net price calculator ↗

Estimated total net cost

$47,932

Net price × 4 years, at today's prices and assuming on-time completion. Your actual cost depends on your aid.

Net price by family income

Average yearly net price for students receiving federal aid.

$0–30k $7,945
$30–48k $8,465
$48–75k $11,557
$75–110k $14,828
$110k+ $28,734

Where the sticker price goes· Cost of attendance $39,665

Tuition & fees$15,623
Books & supplies$1,046
Room & board$21,445
Other expenses$5,852

Tuition & fees (in-state): $15,623
Tuition & fees (out-of-state): $49,823

University of California-Merced acceptance rate and admissions

Acceptance rate

Share of applicants admitted.

Test policy: Tests neither required nor recommended

Graduation rate and salary after graduating from University of California-Merced

Graduation rate

69%

First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time.

Retention rate

83%

Full-time first-years who return the next fall.

Typical monthly payment

$171

On a standard 10-year federal plan.

Years of earnings premium to cover cost

1.7 years

Net cost ÷ (graduate earnings − high-school graduate earnings). Excludes income forgone while studying and assumes today's earnings. A rough guide, not a prediction.

Earnings vs debt

4 years after graduating$65,410

1 year after graduating$39,692

Median graduate debt$16,144

High-school graduate median (California)$36,976

Of graduates working and not enrolled, in 2024 dollars.

Debt-to-earnings: 0.2×Median debt divided by median earnings 4 years after graduating.
Share of pay going to loans: 3.1%
3-year loan default rate: 0%

Outcomes by student group

The Scorecard reports some outcomes separately for groups of students. A group is left out when it is too small to report. These are school-level figures and say nothing about any individual student.

Completion within 150% of normal time, by group

Share of students who entered in 2018 and completed within 150% of normal time (six years at a four-year college, three at a two-year college).

White students 67%

Black students 67%

Hispanic students 67%

Asian students 75%

Pell Grant recipients 68%

All students, same entering cohort: 69%

Group rates and the all-student rate come from the same 2018 entering cohort, so they can be compared directly. Groups at small colleges can rest on very few students. Data period: Entering cohort 2018 (IPEDS).

Earnings ten years after entry

All students who entered this college, whether or not they graduated, in 2022 dollars, ten years after entry.

Typical range: middle half of students

25th percentile $42,064 · median $64,368 · 75th percentile $95,770

Median by family income

Lowest third of family incomes $62,805

Middle third $64,866

Highest third $69,615

Median by sex

Male students $69,462

Non-male students $61,381

This is not the same as the graduates' earnings shown above. It covers everyone who entered, including students who left without a degree, ten years after entry and in 2022 dollars. The graduates' figure covers only completers, four years after finishing, in 2024 dollars. Do not compare the two directly.

Data period: Students who entered in academic years 2009-10 and 2010-11 (pooled), earnings measured in 2020 and 2021, 2022 dollars (Treasury).

Median federal student debt, by group

Median federal loan debt of students who borrowed, when they left school, by group.

By Pell Grant status

Pell Grant recipients $12,600

Not Pell recipients $13,639

By first-generation status

First-generation students $12,500

Not first-generation $14,250

By family income

Family income $0–$30,000 $12,270

Family income $30,001–$75,000 $12,000

Family income over $75,000 $15,991

By gender

Men $13,500

Women $12,000

Data period: Loans in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (pooled, NSLDS).

How borrowers are doing

One year after leaving school and entering repayment, here is where the 2,724 federal-loan borrowers from this college stood. It covers borrowers only, not students who did not take federal loans.

Repayment status one year after entering repayment

Paid in full 17%
Making progress 12%
Not making progress 8%
Delinquent 2%
Default 0%
Forbearance 47%
Deferment 14%
Discharged 0%

What the terms mean

Paid in full:: The borrower has paid off the loans completely.
Making progress:: Payments are reducing the loan balance, not just covering interest.
Not making progress:: The borrower is paying, but not enough to shrink the balance.
Delinquent:: Payments are late but the loan is not yet in default.
Default:: The borrower has missed payments for so long that the loan is officially in default.
Forbearance:: Payments are temporarily paused or reduced, and interest may keep adding up.
Deferment:: Payments are on hold for an approved reason, such as returning to school.
Discharged:: The loan was cancelled, for example because of a disability or a school closure.

2,724 borrowers · Data period: Borrowers who entered repayment in the AY2018-19 and AY2019-20 cohorts (pooled, NSLDS).

Programs and majors at University of California-Merced ranked by earnings

Program	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Earnings over time	Compared with the U.S. median for this field	Median debt
Computer Engineering Bachelor's · Graduates: 136	$102,575	1 yr$58,8354 yrs$102,5755 yrs$102,036	U.S. median $109,015 U.S. middle half $86.3K–$145.2K · Below the U.S. median	$19,003
Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's · Graduates: 160	$95,040	1 yr$67,0964 yrs$95,0405 yrs$85,156	U.S. median $92,135 U.S. middle half $77.7K–$109.1K · Above the U.S. median	$18,498
Biomedical/Medical Engineering Bachelor's · Graduates: 34	$88,795	1 yr$57,2234 yrs$88,7955 yrs$89,244	U.S. median $93,451 U.S. middle half $74.1K–$113.9K · Below the U.S. median	$20,816
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering Bachelor's · Graduates: 36	$83,007	1 yr$47,0284 yrs$83,0075 yrs$83,194	U.S. median $81,171 U.S. middle half $68.9K–$95.2K · Above the U.S. median	$20,619
Applied Mathematics Bachelor's · Graduates: 21 Small sample	$82,156	1 yr$39,1384 yrs$82,1565 yrs$79,461	U.S. median $91,532 U.S. middle half $63.4K–$127.3K · Below the U.S. median	$15,500
Business Administration, Management and Operations Bachelor's · Graduates: 235	$68,277	1 yr$46,3784 yrs$68,2775 yrs$61,387	U.S. median $68,257 U.S. middle half $47.6K–$93.6K · Above the U.S. median	$16,000
Economics Bachelor's · Graduates: 34	$67,692	1 yr$51,2124 yrs$67,6925 yrs$71,331	U.S. median $82,686 U.S. middle half $58.2K–$116.3K · Below the U.S. median	$19,303
Political Science and Government Bachelor's · Graduates: 70	$62,815	1 yr$29,1534 yrs$62,8155 yrs$59,111	U.S. median $63,293 U.S. middle half $44.8K–$85.4K · Below the U.S. median	$17,132
Biology, General Bachelor's · Graduates: 289	$59,249	1 yr$36,1404 yrs$59,2495 yrs$67,342	U.S. median $57,214 U.S. middle half $38.9K–$79.2K · Above the U.S. median	$18,000
English Language and Literature, General Bachelor's · Graduates: 23 Small sample	$58,623	1 yr$29,1524 yrs$58,623	U.S. median $48,590 U.S. middle half $33.7K–$63.8K · Above the U.S. median	$24,000

Show all 16 programs

Chemistry Bachelor's · Graduates: 25 Small sample	$56,888	1 yr$50,9444 yrs$56,8885 yrs$64,086	U.S. median $65,120 U.S. middle half $48.3K–$84K · Below the U.S. median	$14,500
Public Health Bachelor's · Graduates: 83	$56,393	1 yr$36,5554 yrs$56,393	U.S. median $58,808 U.S. middle half $42K–$79.2K · Below the U.S. median	$15,250
Psychology, General Bachelor's · Graduates: 244	$53,143	1 yr$28,6694 yrs$53,1435 yrs$52,632	U.S. median $50,706 U.S. middle half $35.7K–$67.2K · Above the U.S. median	$16,500
Cognitive Science Bachelor's · Graduates: 63	$51,147	1 yr$32,4194 yrs$51,1475 yrs$57,358	U.S. median $81,496 U.S. middle half $53.3K–$130.4K · Below the U.S. median	$20,105
Sociology Bachelor's · Graduates: 68	$50,468	1 yr$37,0924 yrs$50,4685 yrs$49,395	U.S. median $52,657 U.S. middle half $37.7K–$69.5K · Below the U.S. median	$17,500
History Bachelor's · Graduates: 24 Small sample	$44,144	1 yr$26,1034 yrs$44,144	U.S. median $50,680 U.S. middle half $36.3K–$66.7K · Below the U.S. median	$15,455

Earnings are for graduates working and not enrolled, 4 years after completing, in 2024 dollars.

The U.S. median and middle half (25th to 75th percentile) are for graduates of the same field and credential level at all colleges, 4 years after completing.

The 1-year, 4-year and 5-year figures come from different graduating cohorts and dollar years (1-year: AY2018-19 and AY2019-20 graduates, 2022 dollars; 4-year: AY2017-18 and AY2018-19 graduates, 2024 dollars; 5-year: AY2014-15 and AY2015-16 graduates, 2022 dollars), so read them as three separate measures, not a single career path.

Small samples are noisy: the Scorecard adds privacy noise to program figures and some rows are based on only a handful of graduates, so rows marked “small sample” can move a lot from year to year.

What students study

The largest fields among the degrees and certificates this college awarded, grouped by two-digit CIP code (the federal Classification of Instructional Programs). Fields under 1% are left out.

Share of degrees and certificates awarded, by field

Engineering 22.9%

Psychology 19.3%

Biological and Biomedical Sciences 16.7%

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services 11.4%

Social Sciences 10.8%

Health Professions and Related Programs 6%

Physical Sciences 3.8%

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies 3.4%

A large share means many awards, not necessarily many students or higher earnings. Data period: Awards in academic year 2024-25 (IPEDS).

Who attends

A snapshot of the undergraduate student body as this college reported it to the federal government. Shares are shown as published; they can differ slightly from 100% because of rounding.

Race and ethnicity

White 9.2%
Black or African American 5.1%
Hispanic or Latino 55.4%
Asian 23.6%
American Indian or Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.3%
Two or more races 4.6%
U.S. nonresident 0.5%
Race and ethnicity unknown 1.2%

Federal reporting categories. Students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents are counted as nonresident, and students who did not report are counted as unknown. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).

Gender

Men 54.8%
Women 45.2%

Federal reporting uses two categories. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).

Students aged 25 or older

of undergraduates

Many adult students work or have families while enrolled. Data period: Fall 2023 (IPEDS).

Students and campus

Undergraduate enrollment: 8,372
Part-time students: 2%
Receive Pell Grants: 59%
Receive federal loans: 29%
Students per faculty member: 20 : 1
Setting: Suburb

Similar colleges

Schools of a similar type, price, size and outcomes.

Where it ranks

This college appears in the top 50 of these TuitionScope rankings.

#10 Colleges With Many Pell Students and Strong Graduation Rates

Guides worth reading

Plain-language explainers that help you read the numbers on this page.

Frequently asked questions

How much is tuition at University of California-Merced?

For the 2024-25 academic year, University of California-Merced reported undergraduate tuition and fees of $15,623 for in-state students and $49,823 for out-of-state students. These are published prices before grants and scholarships; what you pay depends on your aid.

What is the cost of attendance and net price at University of California-Merced?

The average cost of attendance at University of California-Merced is $39,665 a year (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $11,983 a year. That is around the middle of public 4-year colleges.

How much financial aid do students at University of California-Merced get?

59% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. 29% receive federal loans. The average net price runs from $7,945 a year for families earning under $30,000 to $28,734 for families earning over $110,000 (2023-24).

What is the acceptance rate at University of California-Merced?

University of California-Merced admitted about 91% of applicants in fall 2024. That means most applicants are admitted.

What are the graduation rate and retention rate at University of California-Merced?

69% of first-time, full-time students at University of California-Merced finish within 150% of normal time. 83% of full-time first-years return the next fall.

How much do University of California-Merced graduates earn after graduation?

The median graduate earns $65,410 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled in further study (2024 dollars). One year after finishing, the median is $39,692.

Is University of California-Merced worth it?

There is no single answer: it depends on your major, your aid and whether you finish. For University of California-Merced, the data shows this. The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 1.7 years of work. Graduates who borrowed have a median debt of $16,144, about 0.2 times their median earnings four years after finishing. 69% of first-time, full-time students finish within 150% of normal time. These are averages, not predictions, and they do not count income forgone while studying.

How much debt do University of California-Merced graduates have?

Graduates who borrowed have a median federal-loan debt of $16,144, or about $171 a month on a 10-year plan.

Sources and data periods

All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (June 2026 release). Periods differ by measure:

Average net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
Acceptance rate: Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
Graduation rate: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25 pooled with previous years (# of total pooled years found in POOLYRS)
Median earnings: Treasury AY2017-18, AY2018-19 pooled cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Median graduate debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts

Some figures are blank because the school did not report them or the group was too small to publish. How we calculate things