Student Life

Open Arms, Open Skies: Students Welcomed at Spirited, Soggy Scholars Bridge Crossing

August 26, 2025

Spirits were high and futures bright while all else was soaked in a summer storm that made Tuesday morning’s Scholars Bridge Crossing, UC Merced’s traditional greeting to new students, a welcome unlike any before. Call them Thunder ‘Cats. The ceremony embraced about 2,000...

Center Promotes Student Self-sufficiency

Students who visit the UC Merced Students First Center (SFC) in the lobby of the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library will see it’s different from other student services offices. For one thing, the...

Founders Day Events Highlight Campus's First 10 Years

UC Merced will commemorate the 10th anniversary of its groundbreaking with a series of Founders Day events Oct. 25 through 27. Several events throughout the three-day celebration will recognize...

Robotics Society Navigates Uncharted Courses

Sometimes, all you need is a little push, even if it comes from a mechanical arm. That was the case with the UC Merced Robotics Society, which began in 2008 but languished after its founders...

New Women’s Soccer Team Kicks Off With Home Opener in September

UC Merced’s first NAIA women’s soccer team is going to have a short season – five home games and nine away games. That’s by design. New head coach Megan Atoigue said this is the time to set the...

Yosemite Leadership Program Coordinator to Expand Its Profile

The UC Merced Yosemite Leadership Program’s first full-time leader plans to build on the program’s momentum and expand its visibility. Jacob Croasdale was recently selected to oversee the 3-year-old...

First Group of Recruited Student Athletes Hitting the Courts as Women's Volleyball Team Kicks Off Season

Nine new members of this year’s UC Merced Women’s Volleyball team, from all around the Central Valley, are among the campus’s first group of recruited student athletes. They began practice and...

Academic Year Begins with Sharper Focus on Emerging Fields of Excellence, Graduate Programs and Flexible Growth

The University of California, Merced, begins its eighth academic year today with record enrollment of approximately 5,600 students, a 23 percent increase in graduate-student enrollment and 26 newly...

Campus Brings Urban Dance Troupe to Merced Theatre

UC Merced will bring the acclaimed Lula Washington Dance Theater to Merced on Sept. 29. Renowned for its mix of jazz, ballet and urban street styles, the troupe will perform at the recently-restored...

Events Help New Students Make Transition to Campus Life

This week, UC Merced welcomes more than 1,400 new first-year, transfer and graduate students to campus. Special programs are happening campuswide to provide information and ensure new students have a...