Accolades | University of California, Merced

2019

U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges rankings

No. 1 in the nation for student outcomes
No. 1 in the nation for outperforming expected graduation rates
No. 7 in the nation for social mobility
No. 13 among public universities for Best Undergraduate Teaching
No. 44 in Top Public Schools and No. 104 in National Universities
No. 11 among public universities and No. 1 in the UC for student participation in undergraduate research and creative projects
No. 27 among public universities for alumni giving rate

AASHE Sustainable Campus Index

No. 1 in the nation for sustainable buildings
Tied for No. 1 in the nation for sustainable research
Tied for No. 5 in nation for sustainability investment and finance
No. 10 in the nation in sustainable waste operations
No. 6 overall among doctoral institutions

Sierra Club's Cool Schools

No. 6 in the nation for sustainability

Washington Monthly College Guide

No. 8 in the nation for performance of sudents who receive Pell Grants
No. 8 in the nation for performance of first-generation students

The Princeton Review's Best 385 Colleges 2020 edition

Selected to "Best Western" and "Green Colleges" lists
Maximum score of 99 for Green Rating

Times Higher Education Young University rankings

Debuted at No. 60 in the world
Tied for No. 4 among U.S. universities

U.S. News & World Report’s Best Grad Schools

School of Engineering ranks No. 134
Computer Engineering debuts at No. 105 in the nation
Mechanical Engineering is No. 121 in the nation

2018

Education Dive's Dive Awards

Named University of the Year (honors the industry’s top disruptors and innovators)

U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings

No. 2 in the nation for outperforming graduation rate expectations
No. 15 in the nation for social mobility
No. 17 among public universities for best undergraduate teaching
No. 67 in top public schools
No. 136 in national univeristies
No. 44 among public universities for alumni giving rate

U.S. News & World Report’s Best Grad Schools

Chemistry debuts at No. 122 in the nation
Mathematics debuts at No. 144 in the nation
Physics debuts at No. 146 in the nation
Biology debuts at No. 175 in the nation
School of Engineering ranks No. 132 in its third appearance on the list
No. 76 in the nation in Environmental Engineering
Mechanical Engineering debuts at No. 126 in the nation

Washington Monthly College Guide

No. 7 in the nation for performance of sudents who receive Pell Grants
No. 13 in the nation for performance of first-generation students
No. 14 in the nation for social mobility

2017

U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings

No. 1 public university for financial aid given to first-year students
No. 11 in the nation for outperforming graduation rate expectations
No. 15 public university for least debt upon graduation
No. 87 in the nation among public schools and No. 165 overall

U.S. News & World Report’s Best Grad Schools

No. 70 in the nation in Environmental Engineering
School of Engineering rises to No. 127 overall
No. 90 in the nation in Psychology

Washington Monthly College Guide

No. 3 for graduation rate of Pell Grant recipients
No. 5 for social mobility
No. 10 for graduation rate of first-generation students
No. 22 for earnings performance among graduates

Sierra Club’s Cool Schools

No. 50 in the nation for sustainability

Thomson Reuters Project Finance International Awards

Americas P3 Deal of the Year (for the Merced 2020 Project)

College Raptor

No. 12 among Hispanic-Serving Institutions

2016

U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings

No. 8 in the nation for outperforming graduation rate expectations
Debuted at No. 78 in the nation among public schools and No. 152 overall

Washington Monthly College Guide

No. 5 in the nation for social mobility
No. 8 in Best Bang for the Buck: Western Colleges
No. 41 among all universities in the nation

Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

Received R2 designation, the second-highest for American research institutions

Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges

Appeared for the second consecutive year, scoring 93 out of 99 possible points

Sierra Club’s Cool Schools

Fourth appearance in five years on the sustainability rankings

Niche College Rankings

No. 15 in the state for best professors
No. 17 in the state for safest campus
No. 84 in the nation for best dorms

GoodCall Best Schools for Scholarships Report

No. 8 out of 4,000 colleges for scholarships received

Educate to Career

No. 12 in the nation for workforce preparedness, employability and income

2015

Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement

Campus recognized for institutional commitment to community engagement

U.S. News & World Report

Engineering and Psychological Sciences ranked among best graduate programs

Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges

First appearance in sustainability rankings

Sierra Club’s Cool Schools

Ranked No. 51 for sustainability

Educate to Career

No. 16 in the nation for workforce preparedness, employability and income

BestColleges.com

Ranked among top 50 most diverse campuses in the U.S.

Best Value Schools

No. 38 for best value among California colleges and universities