University of California, Merced: insights

University of California, Merced

What UC Merced's own numbers say, from its Common Data Set 2024-25.

Who says yesUC Merced

Only 7% of admits enroll, so UC Merced admits far more students than it has seats.

Enroll7%

Go elsewhere93%

Source: UC Merced's Common Data Set 2024-25

The share of women in the first-year class has fallen from 55% to 41% since 2018-19, about 2.5 points a year.
7% of admitted students chose to enroll, lower than every similar college.
The share of international students in the first-year class has fallen from 7% to 4% since 2018-19, about 0.6 points a year.
Applications rose 27% from 2018-19 to 2024-25 (25,121 to 31,928).

From students' own posts on Reddit and admissions forums: self-reported, unverified, never used in your odds.

Computer science and engineering were the top intended majors, and many such admits showed building skills, like apps with 1,000+ users, published games, competitive programming or robotics.
Many admits had research or publications, like a published paper, a university lab, manuscript or conference-submitted AI work.
Many admits posted high scores for a UC, with SAT scores of 1450 to 1600 and GPAs from 3.7 to 4.0.
Many led clubs or started nonprofits, like a computing nonprofit, a mental health chapter, a 350-member group or a service club.
Several first-generation admits showed family or work commitments, such as caregiving, translation, peer tutoring and part-time jobs.
Students report applicants eligible by local context who are not admitted to their chosen UC are referred to Merced, which some see as a safety, and local MAAP students are said to be guaranteed.