University of California, Merced

UC Merced is on a 815-acre campus in the small town setting of Merced, California, not far from Fresno.

UC Merced Student Activities

UC Merced has many clubs, organizations, and activities for students to join – including band, chorus, theater groups, a campus newspaper, a radio station and more.

Interested in Greek life? UC Merced has fraternities and sororities.

The UC Merced community comes together each year for Asian Fest, Bobcat Day and Dance Off.

UC Merced Housing

This table offers information on housing at UC Merced.

UC Merced offers housing for students. Students are not required to live on campus. First year students are guaranteed on-campus housing.

Most UC Merced students live off campus. In 2022, 5% of undergrads at UC Merced lived in some kind of on-campus housing and 95% of students lived off-campus or commuted to UC Merced. There are 4,019 spots available in on-campus housing for all 8,276 undergraduates. In the 2021-2022 school year, 413 students chose to live in campus housing. On the weekends, about 50% students stay on-campus. First year students are not allowed to park a car on campus.

UC Merced offers coed housing and housing for students with disabilities.

UC Merced Athletics

At UC Merced there are a variety of athletic options for students interested in joining a sports program.

Intercollegiate sports are the highest tier of college sports and can be very competitive. Intercollegiate teams are regulated by the NCAA, funded by the university, and compete against teams from other universities. The division of a sports team depends on the size of the university, funding, and competition level. An intercollegiate school team will be Division I, II or III, with Division I being the highest level.

Club sports are not regulated by the NCAA and are a great option for students not interested in trying out for an intercollegiate team. Club sports are usually student run but can also be funded by the university.

Intramural sports are the most casual and informal. Intramural sports are often free and require very little time commitment.

Let's take a look at the athletic options available at UC Merced:

Is UC Merced Safe?

College is like a home away from home. Whether you're walking to class or coming back from late-night studying (or partying!), it's important to feel safe on campus.

University of California, Merced is patroled 24 hours a day by trained security. The UC Merced campus has emergency telephones or alarms for students to use anytime of day or night. The school also has student security patrols.

UC Merced offers late-night transportation or safety escorts for students. Dorms can only be accessed with secure key cards so that students can feel confident that they are safe in on-campus housing.

Plan a Visit to UC Merced

Visiting colleges is one of the best ways to get a sense of the campus and student body. If you'd like to visit UC Merced, take Highway 99 to Merced, CA. If you need to fly, book your flight to Fresno Yosemite International airport.

While you're planning, check out other schools in California you may want to visit too. Click the heart at the top of each school's page to save it to your college list.

Want to visit but can't make the trip? Explore UC Merced's campus without leaving home by taking a virtual campus tour

Keep Reading About UC Merced

Choose one of the options below to find out more about about UC Merced:

Overview

Admissions

Academics

Tuition & Aid

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