Students

First-generation Students Shine at UC Merced. This Week Celebrates Them

November 3, 2025

UC Merced Professor Rose Scott, student Narciso Martinez Solorio

More than six in 10 UC Merced undergraduates are the first in their families to attend a university. The national average for four-year universities is about two in 10. Opening doors to opportunity for first-generation students is infused into UC Merced’s DNA. Young people who had little...

An example showing a chiral molecule and 'handedness.'

UC Merced Leads National Effort to Unlock Quantum Secrets of Twisty Molecules

A team of scientists led by UC Merced is embarking on a project to understand how the twisted shapes of specific molecules can influence the spin of electrons — a phenomenon that could...

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

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...

UC Merced a National Finalist for Student Success Award

UC Merced, recognized nationwide for providing access to a world-class education and transforming young scholars’ lives, is a finalist for the inaugural Excellence in Student Success Award...

Photo depicts a graduation cap with writing on it in Spanish at UC Merced's commencement.

UC Merced Celebrates 15 Years as a Hispanic-serving Institution

Fifteen years ago, UC Merced was designated as a Hispanic-serving institution. And though recent developments at the federal government have left what that designation means in limbo, the mission of...

UC Merced to Host Stargazing Night with Director of UC Observatories

UC Merced invites the public to an evening of cosmic discovery on Thursday, Oct. 23, featuring a free lecture by Bruce Macintosh, director of the University of California Observatories, followed by...

This summer's cohort of Data Science Challenge students and Professor Suzanne Sindi (red scarf)

Two Weeks, One Challenge, Lifelong Impact: Bobcats Dive into Data Science Challenge

Kathy Chau believed she knew what her future would look like. The first in her family to attend college, she had long been advised to aim for a safe and stable job — one that might not light a...

UCM letters in blue and yellow on Pavilion lawn

Prospective Graduate Students Invited to Diversity Forum at UC Merced

For students considering a master’s or doctoral degree, the 2025 California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education is the place to be on Oct. 18. Eight hundred undergraduate and master...

UC Merced Named the 14th Best College in the Nation by Wall Street Journal

Following recognition as a Top 25 university by U.S. News & World Report, UC Merced has once again earned national acclaim, this time from the Wall Street Journal. In its 2026 report of the Best...

UC Merced Named Top 25 Public University by U.S. News & World Report

UC Merced’s upward trajectory shows no signs of slowing as the university has cracked the Top 25 of U.S. News & World Report’s best public schools in the nation. The annual survey...