Scholarships

Management and business economics major Christopher Bernal is leaving a legacy at UC Merced, as the first student to establish an endowed s

This year’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process has two major changes aimed at making it easier for students to apply for financial aid.

The FAFSA for the 2017-18 academic year is available beginning Oct. 1, allowing students to apply three months earlier than previous years. 

More than 300 participants, including students, alumni, faculty and staff members and friends of the campus, gathered for the second annual UC Merced Jour

The GoodCall 2016 Best Schools for Scholarships Report has ranked UC Merced No. 8 out of 4,000 U.S. public colleges and universities for earning scholarships.

The report examined the amount of scholarship and fellowship dollars available to students. UC Merced students received an average of $7,944 during the 2014 survey period. 

Students from across California and their family members will converge on the UC Merced campus April 16 for Bobcat Day.

Campus supporters, administrative and academic leadership, faculty members, students and alumni gathered for UC Merced’s Celebration of Philanthropic Leaders event, held March 19 to recognize the campus’s annual giving and leadership donors.

The UC Merced Foundation Board of Trustees recently honored the University Friends Circle (

Some undocumented students struggling with financial aid restrictions are receiving up to $25,000 for their educations through TheDream.US, a scholarship program designed to help highly motivated, low-income students.

The program is particularly helpful to UC Merced, which has over 300 undocumented students enrolled this spring. Three students on campus won scholarships last year: Mariela Arceo Madriz, Paul Chavez and Flor Aquino.

UC Merced employees and alumni were loud and proud supporters of the #GiveTueUCM campaign, part of the international day of charity known as Giving Tuesday on Dec. 1.

Including matching funds, the university raised more than $310,000 for undergraduate scholarships and $316,000 total. Last year’s inaugural effort raised just over $40,000.

UC Merced staff and administrators encouraged about 400 Le Grand High School ninth- through 12th-grade students to aim for a University of California education. The visit on Nov. 19 was part of Achieve UC, a systemwide effort to deliver a simple message to students: College, and a UC education, is within reach.

UC Merced’s interim Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Life Brian O’Bruba urged the students to see themselves as college material.