Academic Distinction

May 13, 2026

A graduate student eagerly anticipates her hooding ceremony.
UC Merced is abuzz with celebration as students, families, friends, staff and faculty finish last-minute preparations for the largest commencement in university history. Across three outdoor ceremonies, 1,649 students will walk the stage at Spring Commencement 2026, marking a record-setting...
Author Mark Arax, UC Merced writer in residence, talks to students
Spending an hour with one of California’s most accomplished storytellers left a mark on Rowan Alcocer. “I was impressed by his ability to find a metaphor in almost anything,” the...
UC Merced professor and students
Should a scientist who sees signs of global catastrophe sound an early alarm or wait until more conclusive evidence is in? Does going public lead to swifter action or give naysayers more time to...
Student speaker at 2024 UC Merced Fall Commencement
 A beaming Jesus Cevon-Gonzalez stood on Merced’s Main Street, surrounded by his mom and dad, grandparents, sister and other loved ones. He clutched the proof of a freshly bestowed...
UC Merced Juan Sanchez Munoz
Only 20 years since undergraduate instruction began, UC Merced is a recognized leader in conducting academic research, developing young minds for career success and driving economic growth, the...
Following recognition as a Top 25 university by U.S. News & World Report, UC Merced has once again earned national acclaim, this time from the Wall Street Journal. In its 2026 report of the Best...
UC Merced’s upward trajectory shows no signs of slowing as the university has cracked the Top 25 of U.S. News & World Report’s best public schools in the nation. The annual survey...
Mark Arax
UC Merced has debuted a writer-in-residence program with one of California’s premier chroniclers of its history, especially the titanic power plays for land and water that have shaped the state...
UC Merced Ph.D. graduate Fabiola Perez-Lua
A daughter of San Joaquin Valley immigrant farmworkers has earned the opportunity to study alongside a nationally prominent health researcher and energize her mission to improve the well-being of...
UC Merced remains one of the top universities in the nation according to Money’s 2025 “Best Colleges in America” report. The university earned 4.5 stars out of 5 in Money’s...

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