Undergraduate Experience at UC Merced

Student & Alumni Success

Just Taking Classes She Liked Points UC Merced Student to Graduate at 19

September 30, 2026

Professor Andy LiWang and student Areesha Tariq are pictured in his lab.
Areesha Tariq didn't intend to fly through college in two years. As a student at El Capitan High School in Merced, Tariq enjoyed taking math and science classes. When she ran out of options there, she took courses through dual enrollment at Merced College. She earned associate's...
UC Merced students who will compete in Battle of the Brains pose for picture

UC Merced Gets Down to Business at HSI Battle of the Brains

Seven hand-chosen, whip-smart UC Merced students descend on Austin, Texas, this week to pit their teamwork and business skills against representatives of other Hispanic-serving institutions in a high...
Students gathered around a UC Merced sign,

UC Merced Named the 30th Best Public University in the Nation

In recognition of its growing national reputation, UC Merced has been named the 30th best public university in the country by U.S. News & World Report. The announcement was made today as part of...
Three people sit behind a table in front of a blue UC Merced backdrop, smiling for a photo after signing documents.

UC Merced Signs Automatic Admission Agreements with Shasta County School Districts

UC Merced is expanding its Merced Automatic Admission Program (MAAP) to students in Shasta County, creating a direct pathway for eligible students to secure guaranteed admission. Through...
Student shakes hand of UC Merced Dean of Students Jose Leon on a sunny day on campus

New Dean of Students Reflects on Art of Listening, Power of Family

UCLA was a huge change for Jose León. The college transfer student from a small town and a tight-knit extended family struggled to relate to classmates from bigger cities. Then, at a student...
Andres Arias standing in front of campus building

Study Highlights Hidden Labor Market Facing California’s Most Vulnerable Workers

When farmworkers decide conditions are so harsh they have to leave the fields, the story doesn’t end there — it moves to another corner of the labor market. UC Merced Sociology Ph.D....
Headshot of Hilly Rus and UC Merced campus entrance

Alumna Brings Behavioral Science to the Front Lines of Sleep Innovation

For Holly Rus, ’17, a passion for health psychology and real-world impact has led to a career at the forefront of consumer sleep research. She is head of scientific research at Sleep.ai, where...
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman takes a photo with UC Merced students Rayan Dua and Samir Ahmed.

NASA Administrator Offers UC Merced Students a Glimpse of Their Future

It might seem that an airfield filled with old planes is a strange place to talk about the future of space flight. But Jared Isaacman, the administrator of NASA, said the Castle Air Museum was the...
Teddy Adams, Olivia Gawel, Adrianna Seiden, Bridget Sprecher and Taylor Whitney

UC Merced Ph.D. Students Receive ARCS Support for STEM Research

Five UC Merced doctoral students have earned prestigious awards from the Northern California Chapter of ARCS Foundation, joining a select group of scholars recognized for outstanding research....
UC Merced students and Rufus mascot at Beginnings sculpture during Scholars Bridge Crossing

Big Smiles in Big Collection of New Bobcats at Scholars Bridge Crossing

A smiling throng of new faces took part Tuesday in one of UC Merced’s oldest traditions, the Scholars Bridge Crossing. Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz and other campus leaders led the march...

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