Students

UC Merced's Study Abroad Program Among the Country's Best

April 1, 2026

Depicted is a collage of UC Merced students taking part in study abroad programs in various locations around the world.

Frida Quinto Ruiz went to Sweden with a curious mind. She came home with a plan. "Studying abroad completely reshaped the direction of my college career in ways I never expected," she said. "I went to Sweden already curious about the world, but I came back with a much clearer...

Commuter Student Finds Belonging at UC Merced

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...

UC Merced student Taliyah Miller poses for photo

Her UC Merced Path Changed But Stockton Student Stays on Track

Taliyah Miller would be the first to tell you she arrived at UC Merced with an unwavering, long-range goal: become an anesthesiologist. What she could not have predicted was that a difficult roommate...

An undergraduate students works on a science experiment with two middle school students during a CalTeach Bobcat Summer STEM Academy camp.

CalTeach and Local Schools Team Up to Energize Learning across Merced County

UC Merced’s CalTeach program is opening new pathways for younger students to experience hands-on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning, academic support and early exposure...

Ripon Student Turning Heart and Heritage into a Path of Healing

As a child of the Central Valley and a member of a Native tribe, Grace Grinder developed an early awareness of health care disparities affecting rural regions and underserved communities. While in...

Alt text: A runner wearing a race bib crosses beneath a blue finish arch with arms outstretched as spectators on both sides hold military and California flags and cheer at the finish line of an outdoor 5K event.

Toloma 5K to Celebrate Native Heritage, Community at UC Merced

UC Merced’s Division of Equity, Justice, and Inclusive Excellence will bring campus and community together Saturday, March 21 for the annual Toloma 5K, a morning run and walk that celebrates...

UC Merced graduate student Reo Maynard studies a carpenter ant from one of his many ant colonies.

Ants, Endurance and a Ph.D. at the Finish Line

On most days, Reo Maynard’s life swings between two ecosystems: the microscopic world inside an ant’s gut and the sprawling one that stretches from Fresno to the Sierra Nevada mountains...

Student stands outdoors on the UC Merced campus holding a notebook and pen, looking off into the distance near a campus walkway lined with leafless trees.

Student Finds Community and Purpose Through Culture and Literature

Between classes at UC Merced, you will often find Padme James under the trees outside the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library. What she studies there isn’t directly correlated to her classwork,...

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...

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...