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...

Will Shadish Memorial Fellowship Announced for Giving Tuesday

During this year’s Giving Tuesday — an international day of giving held each year on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving — UC Merced will honor Professor Will Shadish with a new graduate student...

Boys & Girls Clubs Partner With UC to Prepare Youth for College

UC Merced is one of three campuses in the University of California system to team up with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to prepare young Californians for college success. The partnership...

New Financial Aid Application Process Benefits Students

This year’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process has two major changes aimed at making it easier for students to apply for financial aid. The FAFSA for the 2017-18 academic year...

Future Public Servants Get a Boost From UC Fellowships

UC Merced student Stephanie Maldonado was excited when she earned a slot in the University of California’s public service internship program in Washington, D.C., this fall — then came the financial...

Rising Student Demand Drives UC Merced Enrollment Growth

The University of California, Merced, enters its 12th academic year with a record-breaking incoming class, signifying strong demand for the newest campus in the UC system. “More and more students are...

Washington Monthly Ranks Campus High for Value, Social Mobility

The Washington Monthly College Guide lists UC Merced as No. 8 in its “Best Bang for the Buck: Western Colleges” list — one spot behind Stanford University — highlighting colleges in the Western U.S....

Campus Ranks Among Best for Scholarships

The GoodCall 2016 Best Schools for Scholarships Report has ranked UC Merced No. 8 out of 4,000 U.S. public colleges and universities for earning scholarships. The report examined the amount of...

Bobcat Day Brings Admitted Students to Campus

Students from across California and their family members will converge on the UC Merced campus April 16 for Bobcat Day. The day is an opportunity for admitted students to visit campus, and talk with...

Two Alumni Create Legacies Through Scholarship Endowments

Jessica “JaeJae” Julian (2010) and Marko Zivanovic (2014) are proving that giving back shortly after graduation can be possible. During the campus’s Giving Tuesday fundraising efforts last December...