Acceptance Rate History
University of California-Merced Acceptance Rate: 90.5% in 2024 (2013–2024 history)
CA · Current rate: 90.5%
What is University of California-Merced's acceptance rate in 2024?
University of California-Merced's acceptance rate in 2024 is 90.5%, up from 39.2% in 2023.
College Scorecard 2024
What is University of California-Merced's out-of-state acceptance rate?
- In-state: 96.5% (41,849 admitted of 43,388 applicants)
- Out-of-state: 85.9% (1,172 admitted of 1,365 applicants)
- International: 81.4% (3,571 admitted of 4,386 applicants)
Out-of-state applicants were admitted at a lower rate than in-state applicants. International applicants were admitted at a lower rate than in-state applicants.
Fall 2025 · University of California-Merced Common Data Set (2025-26), section C1. Rates are our calculation from the counts the college reported.
Year-by-Year Data
| Year | Acceptance Rate | Applicants | Admitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 90.5% | 31,928 | 28,906 |
| 2023 | 39.2% | 67,891 | 26,598 |
| 2022 | 89.5% | 29,920 | 26,766 |
| 2021 | 86.6% | 27,793 | 24,068 |
| 2020 | 84.8% | 25,923 | 21,982 |
| 2019 | 72.0% | 25,424 | 18,294 |
| 2018 | 66.2% | 25,131 | 16,628 |
| 2017 | 69.8% | 22,574 | 15,754 |
| 2016 | 74.2% | 20,888 | 15,492 |
| 2015 | 60.7% | 18,862 | 11,447 |
| 2014 | 67.2% | 16,268 | 10,929 |
| 2013 | 75.5% | 14,056 | 10,613 |
Source: IPEDS Admissions Survey (NCES) · College Scorecard
Cost
The same school, two different prices
Family income under $30k: $7,945/yr · Family income over $110k: $28,734/yr (AY 2023–24)
Average paid by students receiving federal aid, by family income (College Scorecard). In-state students only. International students are not eligible for U.S. federal aid, so they are not in this cohort and typically pay closer to the sticker price.
High-income families typically pay closer to sticker.
How to read these numbers
- The 2024 rate covers University of California-Merced's whole applicant pool — early and regular applications counted together in one figure. It is not the rate of any single round.
- The table above holds 12 reported years, 2013 through 2024. Across them University of California-Merced's rate ranged from 39.2% to 90.5%, so any single year is one point inside that range.
Each figure above describes a class a school already admitted in a completed cycle. It is a record of who was admitted, not a measurement of any one application.
Source: College Scorecard · IPEDS Admissions Survey (NCES) · U.S. Dept. of Education
Where do you stand?
School
University of California-Merced
University of California-Merced
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Trend Analysis
University of California-Merced's acceptance rate has increased from 75.5% in 2013 to 90.5% in 2024. The most notable shift occurred in 2024.
Analysis compiled from official data trends.
Similar Schools — Acceptance Rate History
California State University-Fullerton
CA · 90.5%
Carson-Newman University
TN · 90.5%
Central Washington University
WA · 90.6%
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus
NJ · 90.7%
Dominican University
IL · 90.3%
Eastern Washington University
WA · 90.8%
Data sourced from IPEDS and College Scorecard. Does not represent endorsements or guarantee admission outcomes.