Quad

Key differences on Students & campus

  1. 1

    California State University-Northridge has 3.9× as many undergrads as U. California-Merced

    Undergrads
  2. 2

    U. California-Merced has 4 pts more first-gen students than California State University-Northridge (57% vs. 54%)

    First-generation students
  3. 3

    U. California-Merced has 3 pts more Pell recipients than California State University-Northridge (59% vs. 56%)

    Pell Grant recipients

Students

Students & campus

Who's on each campus, how many get Pell Grants or are the first in their family, and campus life.

Who's on campus

Undergrads
California State University-Northridge32.7K
U. California-Merced8.4K
Pell Grant share
California State University-Northridge56%
U. California-Merced59%
First-gen share
California State University-Northridge54%
U. California-Merced57%
Diversity index
California State University-Northridge0.62
U. California-Merced0.62

Who they are

Men
California State University-Northridge47%
U. California-Merced55%
Part-time students
California State University-Northridge16%
U. California-Merced2%
Students 25 and older
California State University-Northridge20%
U. California-Merced2%

Race & ethnicity

California State University-Northridge
U. California-Merced
  • White
  • Asian
  • Hispanic/Latino
  • Black
  • Two or more
  • International
  • Other/unknown

Where they're from

First-years from in state
California State University-Northridge97%
U. California-Merced98%
First-years from other states
California State University-Northridge1%
U. California-Merced1%
First-years from abroad
California State University-Northridge2%
U. California-Merced2%
New transfer students this fall
California State University-Northridge4,338
U. California-Merced225
Transfers, share of new undergraduates
California State University-Northridge44%
U. California-Merced10%

Campus

California State University-Northridge
Large cityNCAA D-I · Big West ConferenceROTCStudy abroadUndergrad research
U. California-Merced
Midsize suburbNAIA · California Pacific ConferenceROTCStudy abroadUndergrad research

All student numbers in the table

Sources:College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;College Scorecard, Fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part C, residence of first-time students), Fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part A, enrollment by level), Fall 2024;IPEDS directory (Institutional Characteristics: HD), 2025–26;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why