Student & Alumni Success

20 Years In, UC Merced Celebrates Achievements, Looks to Future

October 23, 2025

Only 20 years since undergraduate instruction began, UC Merced is a recognized leader in conducting academic research, developing young minds for career success and driving economic growth, the university’s chancellor said Wednesday. Speaking to a gathering of campus and community...

Joslyn Conchas is one of 15 incoming students who were accepted into UC Merced’s inaugural San Joaquin Valley Prime+ B.S. to M.D. pathway that focuses on high school students who are committed to pursuing careers in medicine.

Fresno Native Takes Next Step to Becoming a Doctor

For Joslyn Conchas, becoming a physician wasn’t always the plan. “I wanted to be a veterinarian, but that was before I saw firsthand how impactful health disparities are within my...

Participants from this year's physics workshop.

Students Learn from Experts in Electronic Structure at Physics Conference Hosted on Campus

Faculty members from the departments of Physics and Chemistry and Biochemistry recently co-hosted a conference that drew about 100 faculty members, researchers and students from around the country...

Members of the UC Merced team at the Design/Build/Fly drone competition in Tucson, Arizona.

UC Merced Drone Team Soars to New Heights in Global Competition

After seven months of working for hours each weekend to design, build and fly a drone, it all came down to a nervous moment for UC Merced students taking part in a worldwide competition. Their...

Environmental Research, Working Toward Saving the Planet Among New Bobcat’s Plans

Incoming Bobcat Benji Thier already knows what he wants to do with his college degree: Save the planet. “I am planning to study Environmental Systems Science because I did some environmental...

Incoming first-year student Preston Nguyen knows how to balance academics and soccer.

Soccer Standout Heads to UC Merced this Fall

Since age 5, Preston Nguyen has been kicking around a soccer ball. “I have been consumed by the sport ever since,” the Turlock native said. “I can play any role in the midfield,...

UC Merced, Yosemite Community College District Launch Transfer Program

UC Merced and the Yosemite Community College District (YCCD) have partnered to further extend access for transfer students in the Central Valley. By signing the Merced Promise Pathway Program...

Luis Rubén González Marquez is conducting research this summer in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala thanks to funding from a ASA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant

Sociology Student Receives Campus’s First NSF-funded Dissertation Award

UC Merced doctoral student Luis Rubén González Marquez was awarded the American Sociological Association Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant (ASA DDRIG), funded by the National...

Hayden Elliott of Turlock will start at UC Merced in the fall.

New Bobcat Brings Wealth of Experience to College Career

Incoming first-year student Hayden Elliott will hit the UC Merced campus this fall with quite a bit of college already under his belt. A 2023 graduate of Turlock High School, Elliott has earned...

SoCal Student Says UC Merced Will Be a ‘Breath of Fresh Air’

UC Merced is highlighting incoming students for fall 2023 — a dynamic, diverse and accomplished cohort of new Bobcats. It's the change of pace that Kayla Lopez has been craving. In...

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