News

 UC Merced Students, Directed by Jenni Samuelson, to Perform Letters from War

April 23, 2026
Jenni Samuelson watched intently as a handful of students rehearsed a final scene. The lines were brief, bouncing from actor to actor, several voices working as one. Samuelson leaned forward, smiling, her eyes willing them on. When they finished, she threw up her hands, sprang from her chair and...

Author Mark Arax Wraps Up Residency with Lecture on California’s ‘Last Extraction’

April 20, 2026
Spending an hour with one of California’s most accomplished storytellers left a mark on Rowan Alcocer. “I was impressed by his ability to find a metaphor in almost anything,” the UC Merced student said. “He made his points in a way that was easy to understand.” Alcocer, a first-year political...

At Bobcat Day, Students Explore Opportunities, Picture Their Futures

April 20, 2026
A throng of people came to UC Merced on a crisp, blue-sky Saturday for Bobcat Day. More than 7,000 were registered to attend the April 18 event for admitted and prospective first-year and transfer students, along with their families. The day was an opportunity for people to meet professors,...

From Classrooms to Communities, UC Merced Symposium Tackles Public Health Challenges

April 17, 2026
Community voices, student research and cross-sector partnerships took center stage at the UC Merced’s Public Health Symposium, where speakers emphasized equity, access and connection as urgent priorities in the Central Valley and beyond. The symposium was co-organized by the Departments of Public...

Turlock Student Blends Public Health, Advocacy to Support Underserved Communities

April 16, 2026
Simone Samra’s dedication to education and community work is influenced by her mother's experience immigrating from India and her belief in the power of education for immigrant women. Samra is keenly aware of the barriers immigrants face when attempting to transfer their education or degrees, often...

New Liberal Studies Major Expands Paths for Degree Completion and Future Teachers

April 13, 2026
A highly customizable degree that rewards curiosity, reaches out to a diverse set of learners and prepares scholars for people-centered careers has arrived at UC Merced. Liberal studies, a bachelor’s program that taps into disciplines in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, debuts in...

UC Merced Sees Strong Gains in U.S. News Grad School Rankings

April 7, 2026
UC Merced saw broad gains in the U.S. News and World Report 2026 Best Graduate Schools rankings with graduate programs rising in national standing, reflecting the campus’s growing academic and research profile. UC Merced’s School of Engineering broke into the top 100 in the rankings, securing No....

Her UC Merced Path Changed But Stockton Student Stays on Track

March 25, 2026
Taliyah Miller would be the first to tell you she arrived at UC Merced with an unwavering, long-range goal: become an anesthesiologist. What she could not have predicted was that a difficult roommate, a therapist’s question and a job she forgot she applied for would upend that goal and leave her...

Ripon Student Turning Heart and Heritage into a Path of Healing

March 19, 2026
As a child of the Central Valley and a member of a Native tribe, Grace Grinder developed an early awareness of health care disparities affecting rural regions and underserved communities. While in third grade, Grinder lost her grandmother to what she described as too few physicians nearby to...

Delhi Student Made the Leap to UC Merced and Hasn’t Looked Back

March 17, 2026
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. A few more taps and Nayelyi Salazar would be a community college student — a big step for the high-schooler from Delhi, a town of 10,000 that hugs California’s Highway 99. She hesitated. Days earlier, she received an acceptance letter from a University of...

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