University of California, Merced
Academics

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How strong are the academics at University of California, Merced?

Let's cover class sizes, graduation rates, and outcomes.

21:1
Student to faculty ratio
41
Average class size
49%
4-year grad rate

Class Sizes

Class sizes likely stayed the same for you through high school. You'll find that college is much different. Some of the largest universities have classes that can seat hundreds of students in giant lecture halls. Conversely, as they progress and their focus narrows, higher-level courses can sometimes have just a handful of students.

UC Merced has an average student-to-faculty ratio of 21:1. The typical school is 14:1. While this ratio is important, what’s more important is how big a typical class is.

Class Sizes
2-9
35
10-19
122
20-29
251
30-39
57
40-49
22
50-99
118
100+
85

Outcomes

It’s critical to understand a school’s outcomes to understand if your four (or more) years at the school will be worth it. Here are some key statistics about the outcomes of students who enroll at University of California, Merced:

83%
First-year retention rate
49%
4-year grad rate
69%
6-year grad rate

Majors

Many students choose a school largely based on the what they want to study. The are University of California, Merced's most popular majors, ranked by how many people graduated with the concentration in the most recent year:

Research and Experimental Psychology, Other
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Computer Engineering, General
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other
Mechanical Engineering
112.4
157.52
202.64
247.76
292.88
338

The Full List

Major Graduates
Area
  • Ethnic Studies 10
  • Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies 10
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General 307
Business
  • Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other 181
  • Business Administration and Management, General 1
  • Management Science 0
Engineering
  • Computer Engineering, General 215
  • Mechanical Engineering 150
  • Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 50
  • Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering 19
  • Materials Engineering 8
English Language And Literature/Letters
  • English Language and Literature, General 24
Foreign Languages
  • Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 5
  • Comparative Literature 1
Health Professions And Related Programs
  • Public Health, General 106
History
  • History, General 14
  • History, Other 0
Mathematics And Statistics
  • Applied Mathematics, General 33
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Cognitive Science, General 47
Philosophy And Religious Studies
  • Philosophy 4
Physical Sciences
  • Chemistry, General 31
  • Geology/Earth Science, General 16
  • Physics, General 5
Psychology
  • Research and Experimental Psychology, Other 338
  • Psychology, General 0
Social Sciences
  • Political Science and Government, General 100
  • Sociology, General 87
  • Economics, General 25
  • Anthropology, General 21
  • Social Sciences, General 0
Visual And Performing Arts
  • Visual and Performing Arts, General 6

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