News

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, held April 10 as part of National 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...

UC Merced Launches California Government and Policy Certificate Program

March 16, 2026
The inner machinery of democracy in California – from bills and lobbying to courts and elections – is revealed in a professional certification program launched at the University of California, Merced. UC Merced’s Division of Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) offers the Professional...

Ready, Set, Slam: 10 UC Merced Scholars Battle for Champion Title

March 9, 2026
Ten UC Merced graduate researchers are gearing up to deliver the most intense three minutes of their academic careers. Each spring, master’s and Ph.D. students across the campus’s three schools are invited to participate in Grad Slam — a fast‑paced competition that challenges scholars to distill...

Empathy is the Central Theme of Todo Cambia Film Festival

February 25, 2026
em·pa·thy (noun): the ability to recognize, understand and share the thoughts, emotions and perspectives of another person. It is a means of connection, a path to understanding. Can you see where I’m coming from? Walk a mile in my shoes. Empathy is the keyword for the 2026 Todo Cambia Human Rights...

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