find your Strengths and form bonds

create your own real-life success story at uc merced

UC Merced is like a start-up business, where the opportunities are endless and the journey is completely what you make of it. Resources are limitless, and benefits apply long down the road after you have graduated.

- Alexandra Hamilton, '14, Management and Business Economics

As you pick up new skills, learn modern concepts and collaborate in teams at UC Merced, you’ll discover what you’re capable of. We’ll foster those strengths and help you make valuable connections that will give you a competitive edge when you enter the job market or apply for graduate school.

get your name out there

Our career center brings in reps from companies like Yelp! and Google for info sessions, and takes students on trips to companies like Twitter for tours. Plus, they offer résumé help, interview prep, graduate school exploration and more.

land an internship

Boeing, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Gamma Scientific, LEGO Robotics, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, NASA, Paypal, Sandia National Laboratories, Siemens Corp. and the U.S. Attorney’s Office hire UC Merced students to intern, to name a few.

execute and pitch ideas

Students in UC Merced’s Mobile App Challenge team up to design and prototype ideas for apps that address a need in society, then pitch those ideas to professionals in multiple fields. Apps in the 2019 competition included Kidsview, an effort to implement an eye exam through a computer to provide better access for low socioeconomic status communities (with Valley Children’s Hospital) and Project Penguin, which is working to develop a sensor that can detect and count the number of people walking in front of it for the UC Merced library.

4.2 years

First-Time Freshmen

average time to degree

2.2 years

Transfer Students

make your mark as an undergrad

Alumna Asmaa Mohamed made a remarkable impact as an undergraduate in the Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Machines by developing STEM education and outreach resources in the Merced community. Asmaa was part of the Student Success Internship (SSI) program, which creates internship positions for undergraduate students who complete professional projects. She is now earning her P.h.D. in the Molecular & Cellular Biology (MCB) graduate program at Dartmouth College.

gain real-world experience

Regardless of your major, you can learn to lead, advocate, make informed decisions and create social change while working in a national park in the Yosemite Leadership Program. Or earn a UC Merced bachelor’s degree and a teaching credential from UC Berkeley through CalTeach. Interested in providing solutions for public policy issues? The Maddy Institute Legislative Internship Program might be for you.

Want to pursue a career in medicine? Learn about our pre-health advising designed to help get you there!

collaborate on solutions

Through Engineering Service Learning, undergraduates in all majors work with community organizations on their challenges. For example, Project Protect is working on an app to improve access to healthcare for the multi-ethnic communities in Merced County and the Unmanned Aerial Systems Engineering Service Learning Team is partnering with the Kearney Agricultural Research & Extension Center to reduce the effects of nematode infestations on walnut orchards using thermal imaging.

88%

of UC Merced graduates are employed

a positive outlook after graduation

48%

are attending/have attended graduate, professional or technical school

our graduates

timothy trisnadi '18

Degree: B.S., Applied Mathematical Sciences

Hometown: La Verne, Calif.

Employer: Analyst, Goldman Sachs

President, UC Merced Investment Club
Director of Finance and Strategy, Student Sustainability Council
Philanthropy chairman, Sigma Chi
Student associate, Center for Career and Professional Development
Philanthropy service projects for the Huntsman Cancer Foundation and Service or Sight
Research projects with Data Enabled Sciences, Computational Analysis, Research, Training, and Education for Students (DESCARTES) and Merced Nanomaterials Center for Energy and Sensing (MACES)
Internships with Worknet Merced County and the Sierra Nevada Research Institute

UC Merced is ... surrounded with endless opportunities budding from the ground – a place to sprout your interests, nurture your leadership and grow to your fullest potential.

What is your dream for the future of UC Merced? I dream of a future where students can grow without limitations at an institution that will continue to support and foster opportunities, opening doors for generations to come. A future where we will continue to bridge the gap between the campus and the community, building a legacy in the heart of California.

The academic curriculum at UC Merced provided me with an impeccable work ethic, and the ability to learn quickly, manage multiple deadlines and build meaningful relationships.”