Transferring from Community College to UC Merced Just Got Easier

A new agreement will provide a seamless transition for community college students across the state to continue their education at UC Merced - with money to help pay for it.

The California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, in partnership with UC Merced, announced the university is now participating in the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) program.

Camp Provides Growth Opportunities, Connection with Livermore Lab

Joshua Edmon-Macias spent two weeks trying to figure out what was wrong with a small 3D-printed aerospace part.

"They didn't tell us what they are used for," said Edmon-Macias, a recent graduate of UC Merced. "We just know that on the inside they're not solid and there's a repeated pattern on the inside. … They are asking us to define the systems to see the defects that are inside the part."

UC Merced Pilots Summer Investment Academy to Help Students Build Skills, Connections

Key points:

  • UC Merced launched the Summer Investment Academy to help students build financial literacy, professional networks and pathways into finance careers before their first semester.

  • Participants explored investing, entrepreneurship, personal finance and venture capital through hands-on instruction and mentorship from finance professionals.

  • The academy builds on the success of the UC Investments Academy, which has engaged more than 4,500 students across the University of California system.

Just Taking Classes She Liked Points UC Merced Student to Graduate at 19

Areesha Tariq didn't intend to fly through college in two years.

As a student at El Capitan High School in Merced, Tariq enjoyed taking math and science classes. When she ran out of options there, she took courses through dual enrollment at Merced College. She earned associate's degrees in chemistry and biology.

She enrolled at UC Merced as a freshman, but the university had news for her: she would enter as a third-year student.

UC Merced Gets Down to Business at HSI Battle of the Brains

Seven hand-chosen, whip-smart UC Merced students descend on Austin, Texas, this week to pit their teamwork and business skills against representatives of other Hispanic-serving institutions in a high-pressure — and potentially highly rewarding — competition.

First, there’s the contest. Every team in the HSI Battle of the Brains gets the same brief about something a company needs. Squads then have 24 hours to assemble an imaginative, airtight and technically sound solution.

UC Merced Named the 30th Best Public University in the Nation

In recognition of its growing national reputation, UC Merced has been named the 30th best public university in the country by U.S. News & World Report. The announcement was made today as part of USNWR’s 2027 Best Colleges list, the esteemed annual report that tabulates more than 1,700 public and private colleges and universities.

The university also ranked No. 4 for social mobility, placing it among the nation's best institutions for helping students from all backgrounds achieve greater economic success.

UC Merced Signs Automatic Admission Agreements with Shasta County School Districts

UC Merced is expanding its Merced Automatic Admission Program (MAAP) to students in Shasta County, creating a direct pathway for eligible students to secure guaranteed admission.

Through new agreements with Shasta Union High School District and Fall River Joint Unified School District, students who meet the program's academic requirements can receive an early guarantee of admission to UC Merced. Leaders from UC Merced and both districts formally signed the agreements during a ceremony in Redding.

New Dean of Students Reflects on Art of Listening, Power of Family

UCLA was a huge change for Jose León. The college transfer student from a small town and a tight-knit extended family struggled to relate to classmates from bigger cities.

Then, at a student resource fair, León met Robin Bueno, the coordinator of a UCLA-based program that helped Native American college students stay on course in their studies. She invited him and other students to a family barbecue.

Study Highlights Hidden Labor Market Facing California’s Most Vulnerable Workers

When farmworkers decide conditions are so harsh they have to leave the fields, the story doesn’t end there — it moves to another corner of the labor market.

Alumna Brings Behavioral Science to the Front Lines of Sleep Innovation

For Holly Rus, ’17, a passion for health psychology and real-world impact has led to a career at the forefront of consumer sleep research. She is head of scientific research at Sleep.ai, where she directs studies designed to improve health and wellness through better sleep.

“I lead a team of researchers and serve as principal investigator on longitudinal behavioral health intervention studies testing consumer sleep products,” said Rus, who earned a Ph.D. in Psychological Sciences.