Financial Aid

First-generation Students Shine at UC Merced. This Week Celebrates Them

November 3, 2025

UC Merced Professor Rose Scott, student Narciso Martinez Solorio

More than six in 10 UC Merced undergraduates are the first in their families to attend a university. The national average for four-year universities is about two in 10. Opening doors to opportunity for first-generation students is infused into UC Merced’s DNA. Young people who had little...

image with two people with brown/black hair and the Beginnings sculture

Two Social Science Graduate Students Earn Fellowships

UC Merced Ph.D. candidates Eliana Fonsah and Nihan Karagul are recipients of the highly competitive dissertation fellowship from the UC Institute of Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC). They...

From Dreams to Degrees: Graduates Celebrate with Scholarship Donors

UC Merced’s graduating Class of 2025 recently celebrated its achievement at the campus’s spring commencement, joined by family members, close friends and loved ones. For two graduates...

Alumna Laura Showalter, Foundation Diplomat Jane Binger Create Chemical Sciences Scholarship

UC Merced students pursuing degrees in chemical sciences now have access to a new source of financial support, thanks to a gift from two of the university’s most dedicated advocates. Alumna...

Students at Bobcat Day: Why I Chose UC Merced

UC Merced is only two decades into its mission of shaping the next generation of trailblazers. But that’s more than enough time for multiple Bobcats to come from the same family. Dawit...

Give to UC Merced 2024 to Launch on Giving Tuesday

On Dec. 3, the date of this year's Giving Tuesday, UC Merced will participate in the worldwide day of charitable giving by launching Give to UC Merced 2024. For the fifth year, the university...

Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz shaking hands with Las Positas College President Dyrell Foster. Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz shaking hands with Madera College President Angel Reyna.

Two Community Colleges Join UC Merced Transfer Pathway for Students

UC Merced has partnered with two California community colleges to further extend access to students transferring to a four-year university. In April, ceremonies were held to sign agreements with...

Students, Alums Awarded Prestigious NSF Graduate Fellowships

Three UC Merced graduate students and two undergraduate alumni were recently offered fellowships from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). “I am...

Fellowship Expands Quantum, AI Training to Fill Industry Demand

UC Merced graduate students Anuvetha Govindarajan and Jocelyn Ornelas-Munoz have each received a $25,000 fellowship from SandboxAQ, which creates solutions at the nexus of artificial...

1300 Campaign Continues to Lift up Young Men of Color to Pursue Higher Education

Editor's note: In honor of Black History Month, the UC Merced newsroom is highlighting some of the organizations, services and people who serve or represent the Black community on campus. For...