Undergraduate Students

Neither chilly temperatures nor a thick blanket of dense fog could dampen the smiles and spirits of hundreds of Bobcats as they participated in UC Merced's Fall 2022 Commencement. Nearly 450 graduates took part in three separate ceremonies at the Art Kamangar Center at the Merced Theatre.

Downtown Merced will be covered in a sea of blue and gold over two days as hundreds of UC Merced Bobcats take part in fall commencement. Also, for the first time, graduate students will have their own ceremony to celebrate their achievements.

The pomp and circumstance kick off with the inaugural Graduate Division Commencement Ceremony at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 16.

Almost 1,000 community college students representing 39 different campuses in California came to UC Merced to explore the opportunities for transfer to a University of California school.

The all-day Puente Motivational Conference introduced the students and more than 100 faculty members to admissions counselors from across the University.

UCs Merced and Santa Cruz became the newest campuses in the system to be named an agricultural experiment stations (AES), UC President Michael Drake announced at today’s Regents’ meeting.

They are the first campuses in more than 50 years to earn the designation.

Sociology Professor Charlie Eaton was a recent guest on the "Dr. Phil" talk show, where he discussed President Joe Biden's plan to cancel billions of dollars in federal student loans. Ultimately, Eaton believes it will be "transformative for more than 40 million people who are going to have their debt reduced."

Linda Barreto ('08), Jessica Jaramillo Perez ('14) and Alejandra Tenorio Zurita ('20) all knew at a young age that they wanted to become lawyers. What they didn't know, however, was that UC Merced would play a pivotal role in merging their paths to create a powerhouse that advocates for hundreds of immigrants in the Central Valley.

Researchers and students in the departments of Physics, Mechanical Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering working on quantum physics will have upgraded equipment soon, thanks to a grant from the Department of Defense.

Professor Jay Sharping is refurbishing two dilution refrigerators that are required to perform measurements on samples at temperatures as low as 10 millikelvins (mK) — near absolute zero.

Rising juniors this fall will have an unprecedented opportunity for stem cell research training that could lead directly to careers in stem cell science after graduation.

With the flourish of a pen on Tuesday (Sept. 27), students in the Modesto area gained an expedited pathway to become future Bobcats at the University of California, Merced.

UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz, Modesto City Schools (MCS) Superintendent Sara Noguchi and other educational partners participated in a signing ceremony to bring the Merced Automatic Admission Program (MAAP) to the school district.

An elementary school field trip to UC Merced sealed the deal for Rajanae Jenkins. The sixth-grader liked its newly minted buildings and the easy drive from her Fresno home.

Fast-forward more than six years. Jenkins is gathered with nearly 2,400 first-year or transfer students for UC Merced's Scholars Bridge Crossing. She is majoring in biology. She has already seen many familiar faces.

"This was literally my only choice," she said.