University of California-Merced
Public Research University in Merced, CA. Six-year graduation rate 69%. Median 10-year earnings $64,368.
Students who entered University of California-Merced reach a median of $64,368 ten years later, which puts this school in the upper band of undergraduate earnings outcomes. The six-year graduation rate of 69% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Median debt at graduation is $16,144, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.25 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
University of California-Merced admits 91% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. With 31,928 applications received, this is a school operating at national scale. Only 7% of admitted students enroll — the great majority of admits go elsewhere or nowhere.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at University of California-Merced →Academics
Six-year completion runs to 69% — students who start here overwhelmingly finish here. Retention is strong at 82%, and first-year attrition is where most degrees are lost. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. Retention drops to 42% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. A 20:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 8,372 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $13,690 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Aid is steeply need-based: families in the $0–30k band pay $7,945 while those at $110k+ pay $28,734. 85% of students get grant aid averaging $24,780, so the published price is a poor guide to what most pay. About 29% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 2,400 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $7,945 |
| $30–48k | $8,465 |
| $48–75k | $11,557 |
| $75–110k | $14,828 |
| $110k+ | $28,734 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 2,390 of these 8,372 students, totalling $12,902,416 — an average of $5,399 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Merced County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)