The University of California, Merced (UC Merced or UCM), is a public land-grant research university located in Merced, California. It is the youngest of the ten campuses in the University of California (UC) system, having been established in 2005. Situated about five miles north of downtown Merced, the campus spans approximately 1,026 acres (415 hectares) and is bordered by Lake Yosemite and vast protected natural grasslands.
UC Merced was founded to address the San Joaquin Valley's growing population and to expand access to higher education in the region. The university comprises three schools offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, including over 60 undergraduate degrees and 18 graduate and professional degrees. A medical school, being developed in collaboration with UCSF and UCSF Fresno, is among its upcoming additions. As of fall 2023, UC Merced enrolled around 8,000 undergraduate and 700 graduate students. It is classified as an "R2: Doctoral University – High research activity" institution and reported $45.9 million in research and development expenditures in 2021.
What is the University of California, Merced US News National Rankings 2025?
University of California, Merced ranks 58 according to the US News National Rankings 2025.
Academics
UC Merced offers 27 undergraduate majors and 25 minors across its three schools: the School of Engineering, the School of Natural Sciences, and the School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts. Accredited by WASC in 2011, the university achieved another milestone in 2014 when its School of Engineering received ABET accreditation for the Mechanical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering programs. Unlike most other University of California campuses, UC Merced operates on a semester system, a structure shared only with UC Berkeley.
The university is also home to innovative programs like the CCBM Summer Internship Program, an undergraduate research fellowship for non-UC Merced students sponsored by the NSF CREST Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Machines. Located in California’s Central Valley, UC Merced leverages its unique environment to focus on pressing issues related to environmental systems in the region and the Sierra Nevada. The university also conducts cutting-edge genetic research in state-of-the-art labs and benefits from its proximity to Silicon Valley and other leading academic institutions. Additionally, its research in fields such as language acquisition and cultural studies is enriched by the region’s ethnically diverse population.
University of California, Merced Global Ranking
The University is still awaiting its official rankings from prominent organisations such as QS, Times Higher Education, and US News and World Report. Despite its growing reputation and contributions to academia, the university has not yet been featured in the rankings published by these influential bodies. But it has been ranked at #58 in national universities of the U.S. News and #401-500 in THE World Rankings in 2025.
Although the University continues to develop its academic programs and research initiatives, it remains unranked by these major international ranking institutions. The absence of a ranking from QS, Times Higher Education, and US News does not reflect the quality of education or research output but simply indicates that the university has not been formally assessed by these specific agencies.
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Frequently asked questions on University of California, Merced Ranking 2025
1: When can someone apply to UC Merced?
A: The filing period for admission to UC Merced is Nov. 1 through 30 every year for the following fall semester. The filing period for the spring semester is July 1 through Aug. 31.
2: Will one be able to graduate in 4 years?
A: There are many factors that contribute to the time it takes for an individual to graduate; including but not limited to: major, study habits and time management skills, major preparation, etc.