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...

Students Can Catch Up, Save Up With Summer Session

Completing degree requirements in eight semesters can be challenging for many students. Add a minor, a job or a semester abroad, and students can easily find themselves playing catch-up. That’s why...

Undocumented Students Chase ‘Dreams’ Through Financial Aid

Some undocumented students struggling with financial aid restrictions are receiving up to $25,000 for their educations through TheDream.US, a scholarship program designed to help highly motivated,...

Day of Giving Nets More Than $310K for Scholarships

UC Merced employees and alumni were loud and proud supporters of the #GiveTueUCM campaign, part of the international day of charity known as Giving Tuesday on Dec. 1. Including matching funds, the...

Le Grand High Students Challenged to Excel, Achieve

UC Merced staff and administrators encouraged about 400 Le Grand High School ninth- through 12th-grade students to aim for a University of California education. The visit on Nov. 19 was part of...

Busy Weekend Planned for Prospective Students, Families, Alumni

Each fall, UC Merced opens its doors to the community to show what takes place on a research university campus. During Preview Day — scheduled for Oct. 17 — UC Merced welcomes hundreds of high school...

UC President’s Whirlwind Visit Covers Many Bases

University of California President Janet Napolitano learned about UC Merced’s outreach to local high school students and efforts to support the UC system’s Global Food and Carbon Neutrality...

Despite Constraints, UC Merced Enrollment Continues to Grow

Enrollment at the University of California, Merced, this fall has climbed to another all-time high of 6,685 students — an increase of 6.7 percent over Fall 2014, according to headcount figures...

Day of Giving Nets $40,000 for Scholarships

On Dec. 2, UC Merced alumni, parents, staff, faculty members and friends of the campus came together for the first #GivingTuesdayUCMerced, in an effort to create a positive effect on the lives of ...

High School Students Get Road Map to College

Eleventh and 12th graders and their parents filled the gymnasium bleachers at McLane High School in Fresno on Thursday (Oct. 9) eager to find out what it takes — academically and financially — to...