Commencement

UC Merced Graduates Encouraged to Embrace Every Moment

May 19, 2025

With cheers, hugs and leis, more than 1,500 UC Merced graduates received a celebratory sendoff to their bright futures as a prominent keynote speaker told them to make the most of the here and now. Hundreds of families and friends joined the graduates in three days of commencement ceremonies at...

Largest Graduating Class in Campus History Celebrated At Commencement

Clouds loomed over the Carol Tomlinson-Keasey Quad last weekend, but nothing was going to rain on the parade of the more than 1,300 Bobcats who walked the stage at UC Merced’s commencement....

Chancellor Dorothy Leland delivered the keynote address at UC Merced's commencement ceremonies May 18 and 19.

Chancellor Leland's Commencement Address

It was not my intention to be your commencement speaker this morning, and you were no doubt looking forward to having California’s First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom share her wisdom with you...

Commencement student speakers Victoria Arias and Cydney Caradonna

Class of 2019 Student Speakers Leave UC Merced with Messages of Gratitude

Undergraduates Victoria Arias and Cydney Caradonna entered UC Merced through different doors. Arias was a freshman impressed with the campus and community. Caradonna was a transfer student and...

Soon-to-be Graduate Taps into Diverse Opportunities for Growth at UC Merced

Graduating senior Araceli Perez was looking for a new environment when she moved from Hacienda Heights to attend UC Merced in 2015. The shift from the high-intensity region of Los Angeles to the...

Commencement Behind the Scenes: A True Team Effort

It’s before dawn on a Saturday morning in mid-May — not a time anyone would expect the UC Merced campus to be busy. But it is. This is Spring Commencement, and there is much work to do...

More than 140 UC Merced students walked the stage during Fall Commencement.

Campus Welcomes Newest Graduates at Fall Commencement

More than 140 students became proud UC Merced alumni Saturday, Dec. 15, at Fall Commencement at the Art Kamangar Center in the Merced Theatre. Students receiving their bachelor’s, master’...

This Saturday, mechanical engineering major Vanessa Andrade will participate in the university’s second fall commencement ceremony.

Passion for Cars Steers Graduating Senior into Mechanical Engineering

Growing up in San Juan Bautista, Vanessa Andrade loved hanging out with her father and his collection of cars and tractors. She spent hours in the “barn” or shop, helping change the...

David Do ('09) will be the 2018 fall commencement speaker for UC Merced. Photo courtesy of Mayor's Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs.

UC Merced Selects Outstanding Alum David Do as Fall Commencement Speaker

Before David Do earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from UC Merced, he helped spearhead a Valentine’s Day card campaign that convinced First Lady Michelle Obama to give the...

Outstanding Student Awards Celebrate the Cream of the Crop

Verenize Arceo of Winton has represented UC Merced at the state Capitol, but her most recent achievement is closer to home. The history major is among the 20 graduates in the Class of 2018 honored...