Financial Aid/Scholarships

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...

A family takes a photo with a UC Merced sign.

Bobcat Day Gives Future Bobcats a Taste of UC Merced

UC Merced is hosting its annual open house event Saturday, April 22, to give admitted, prospective and transfer students the opportunity to learn more about what the university has to offer....

College Track President & CEO Shirley M. Collado and UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz sign a partnership between the two entities.

UC Merced and College Track Partner to Democratize Potential Through Higher Education

The University of California, Merced, and College Track are pleased to announce a new partnership focused on ensuring that college students from underserved communities who want to be the first in...

UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz and alumni pose for a photo at Dodger Stadium.

UC Merced Alumni Hit Home Runs in 2022

UC Merced alumni gave back to their alma mater in several big ways in 2022. From endowed scholarships to events, Bobcats are ensuring that current and future students have access to the best...

Sociology Professor Charlie Eaton smiles in a photograph.

Professor Eaton Makes Case for Student Loan Forgiveness on 'Dr. Phil' Show

Sociology Professor Charlie Eaton was a recent guest on the "Dr. Phil" talk show, where he discussed President Joe Biden's plan to cancel billions of dollars in federal student...

Sociology Ph.D. student Jullanar Williams Chancellor’s Fellowship for Inclusive Excellence

Four Ph.D. Students Awarded Chancellor’s Fellowship for Inclusive Excellence

UC Merced has awarded its second cohort of Chancellor’s Fellowship for Inclusive Excellence to four incoming Ph.D. students from the schools of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, Natural...

Five Students Earn NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

Two UC Merced doctoral students and three undergraduate alumni have each earned a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF-GRFP). The fellowships are highly competitive, with...

Meet incoming first-year student Lizet Martin-Martinez.

Incoming Atwater Student Drawing on Discipline and Training for College Success

UC Merced is highlighting incoming first-year students for fall 2022 — a dynamic, diverse and accomplished cohort of new Bobcats. Lizet Martin-Martinez might not have had any family role...

Three students study in Half Dome student housing.

Grant Saves Students Thousands of Dollars in Textbook Costs

Higher education and high textbook prices usually go hand in hand, but hundreds of UC Merced students have been able to keep more money in their pockets thanks to a grant program. The Zero-Cost...

Interdisciplinary Humanities Ph.D. student Sabrina Rawson

Incoming Grad Students Awarded Inaugural Inclusive Excellence Fellowship

As part of its commitment to inclusive excellence in graduate research and education, UC Merced has awarded its new Chancellor’s Fellowship for Inclusive Excellence to four incoming Ph.D....