Campus Life

Open Arms, Open Skies: Students Welcomed at Spirited, Soggy Scholars Bridge Crossing

August 26, 2025

Spirits were high and futures bright while all else was soaked in a summer storm that made Tuesday morning’s Scholars Bridge Crossing, UC Merced’s traditional greeting to new students, a welcome unlike any before. Call them Thunder ‘Cats. The ceremony embraced about 2,000...

UC Merced Enrollment Passes 9,000 — a New High — Despite National Decline

UC Merced rose into the top 100 of the U.S. News & World Report rankings of National Universities earlier this month, and the university already has another milestone to celebrate. According...

UC Merced Ranked High by Washington Monthly

UC Merced is one of the top universities for promoting upward mobility, research and civic engagement at an affordable price, according Washington Monthly magazine. The campus is rated No. 56 out...

Students will be able to connect with each other and vital resources through the new virtual Student Den initiative.

‘Student Success Anywhere’: Innovative Student Den Program to Provide Community for Undergraduates this Fall

The coronavirus has changed the way people work and live: One population feeling it most acutely is students. This semester undoubtedly will be different for both new and returning UC Merced...

UC Merced is agile in nature, finding creative solutions to provide students the Bobcat experience despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Bobcats Head Back to Class as UC Merced Celebrates 15 Years

Bobcats go back to school today and while most are not physically returning to campus, there are still plenty of festivities planned to kick off the semester. This year marks 15 years since the...

Merced 2020 Project Wraps; Stands as Largest Public-Private Partnership Completed in U.S.

A new chapter began at UC Merced on June 1 with the completion of the massive $1.2 billion Merced 2020 Project, an extensive expansion of the campus’ physical space and capacity. The project...

UC Merced Wins Best Practice Awards for Sustainability Efforts

UC Merced is the only campus to win three best practice awards in the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference ’s 2020 energy and sustainability competition. The annual...

Researcher Provides Helpful Guide to Coping with Stressful Times, Part I

Professor Matthew Zawadzki is with the Department of Psychological Sciences in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts. His research examines social psychological processes as applied to...

First Virtual Commencement Honors Class of 2020

The Class of 2020 has officially graduated and while students didn’t cross the stage in typical commencement fashion, the celebration was memorable. In the first virtual commencement for a...

UC Merced is commemorating the tremendous accomplishments of its graduates with a virtual ceremony streamed at 10 a.m. May 16.

Virtual Commencement Promises Surprises for Grads, Families

While the COVID-19 pandemic has altered many things this spring on the UC Merced campus — from classes and research to events — UC Merced is making sure the Class of 2020 has a forum to...

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