Undergraduate Experience at UC Merced

Student & Alumni Success

Sociology Ph.D. Student Receives Prestigious Dissertation Fellowship

June 3, 2026

Headshot Jarrod L Brown Jr.
Jarrod L. Brown Jr. is the first UC Merced graduate student to be awarded the National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation fellowship, supporting his doctoral research in structural inequality in higher education. The sociology Ph.D. candidate, who is one of 35 recipients selected...
Six UC Merced students pose in front of a University of California, Merced backdrop, smiling and holding blue-and-gold pennants that read “UC Merced Alumni” and “UC Merced.”

Student Philanthropy Month Returns to UC Merced with Focus on Service and Giving

Student Philanthropy Month, now in its fifth consecutive year, gives students opportunities throughout March to better understand philanthropy and its impact on the university, the community and...
Group of individuals attending event with grads student presenting on stage

Ready, Set, Slam: 10 UC Merced Scholars Battle for Champion Title

Ten UC Merced graduate researchers are gearing up to deliver the most intense three minutes of their academic careers. Each spring, master’s and Ph.D. students across the campus’s...
Breyenne Pierce, a utility player on the water polo team, demonstrates her skills.

For Turlock High Grad, UC Merced is Just Far Enough from Home

Breyenne Pierce wasn't sure UC Merced was for her. The Turlock High graduate had followed her passion for water polo to Sierra College in Rocklin. As she was concluding her community college...
Four student standing in front of their poster at the Data Science Challenge

UC Merced Students Invited to Tackle Real-World AI Challenges in 2026 Data Science Program

Applications are open for the 2026 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Data Science Challenge, a two-week summer internship that gives students a firsthand look at national lab research through...
Grad student Abigail Gyamfi

Leadership in STEM: Abigail Gyamfi Honored with 2025 ACS Leader Scholars Award

Chemistry and Biochemistry (CBC) Ph.D. candidate Abigail Gyamfi has earned the 2025 American Chemical Society Leader Scholars Award. The ACS Leader Scholars program recognizes outstanding...
Recent female UC Merced graduates wave to the camera

UC Merced Recognized on Newsweek’s Inaugural ‘America’s Best Colleges for Women’ List

UC Merced has been recognized on Newsweek’s inaugural America’s Best Colleges for Women 2026 list, a national ranking designed to spotlight institutions that support, advance and elevate...
UC Merced students are depicted in front of a poster explaining their project for I2G.

Creative, Problem-Solving Projects Win at I2G

A semi-automated washing system for bins at a tomato-processing facility and a mobile app for hikers earned big wins at the Fall 2025 I2G, or Innovate to Grow, event at UC Merced. I2G is a unique...
graphic with five individuals higlighted; three females and two males with UC Merced and ARCS logos on blue background

Innovative Research Secures Coveted Fellowships for Ph.D. Students

The ARCS Foundation Northern California awarded five UC Merced graduate students with 2025-26 fellowships. ARCS advances science and technology in the United States by providing financial awards to...
Trinidad Quiroz playing soccer

Trinidad Quiroz Signs Professional Contract with Necaxa Femenil

UC Merced women's soccer star Trinidad Quiroz has signed with Necaxa Femenil of Liga BBVA MX Femenil. Quiroz is the first Bobcat to sign a contract with the highest level of women's...

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