Student Life

Commuter Student Finds Belonging at UC Merced

March 31, 2026

Most weekdays, civil engineering major Jacqueline Garcia travels 45 minutes each way from her hometown of Hughson to attend classes at UC Merced. “The perk is being able to pursue my undergraduate degree while still having a tie to home. It's been great having the campus here in the...

On-Campus Housing Accommodates 2,100 Students This Year

Although the UC Merced campus is entering its ninth academic year, the campus is still in a constant state of expansion. To fill a demand for more housing, the newest residence hall — Half Dome — was...

Management Major Takes Leadership Experience to South Africa

UC Merced senior Alexandra Hamilton is spending five months at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, studying global markets and business. Hamilton, a management major and San Diego native,...

Interactive Tour Provides Unique View of Campus

The best way to explore what UC Merced has to offer is to visit the campus and see it firsthand. However, for prospective students and their family members who can’t make the trip, there is a new...

Computer Major Looks Forward to Job at Microsoft

On his ﬁrst tour of UC Merced almost five years ago, Andy Luhrs decided the campus was the right place for him. “The tour guide made an impression,” said Luhrs, who is from Danville. “Everyone I...

UC Merced Sends Off Class of 2013 with Twin Ceremonies

This year isn’t the first time Maxine Umeh-Garcia has walked across the commencement stage at the University of California, Merced. She was part of the campus's graduating class in 2010. But this...

Bobcat Art Show Highlights Campus Talent

UC Merced artists are sharing their best work this semester in the eighth annual Bobcat Art Show. The exhibit runs from April 1 to May 2 and entries can be seen at the Leo and Dottie Kolligian...

Campus Community Service Officers Get Jobs and Much More

A couple years ago, Alejandra Vazquez signed up to be a community service officer on the UC Merced campus. She thought she was just taking an interesting job, but for her and others, the experience...

Russian Student Gives U.S. a Second Chance, Finds Niche at UC Merced

Vadim Gassiy was in eighth grade when his mother encouraged him to leave Russia for a taste of American life, culture and education. But the small town of Niceville, Fla. proved too sharp a contrast...

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...