Quad
University of California-MercedMerced, CA · Public

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Research and Experimental Psychology, Other (19% of graduates). 20 students for every faculty member, more than at 90% of colleges. 93% of faculty are full-time. Spends $12,647 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

1,682 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 66% of graduates; 28 programs in 16 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Research and Experimental Psychology, Other 42.279919% 325
  2. Biology/Biological Sciences, General 26.010117% 280
    Graduates in this field earn $59,249 4 years out
  3. Computer Engineering, General 14.090112% 201
    Graduates in this field earn $102,575 4 years out
  4. Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other 52.139911% 191
  5. Mechanical Engineering 14.19016.8% 114
    Graduates in this field earn $95,040 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Engineering, 15% → 23% of graduates since 2014–15 (385 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Computer Engineering$102,575 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $58,835

    4 years after completion$102,575
    National median: $109,015Below typical

    4 years out, Pell: $80,234 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $19,003 · 436 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Mechanical Engineering$95,040 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $67,096

    4 years after completion$95,040
    National median: $92,135About typical

    4 years out, Pell: $78,445 · Non-Pell: $79,394(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $18,498 · 334 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Biomedical/Medical Engineering$88,795 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $57,223

    4 years after completion$88,795
    National median: $93,451Below typical

    4 years out, Pell: $84,693 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $20,816 · 87 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering$83,007 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $47,028

    4 years after completion$83,007
    National median: $81,171About typical

    Median federal debt: $20,619 · 41 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Applied Mathematics$82,156 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $39,138

    4 years after completion$82,156
    National median: $91,532Below typical

    4 years out, Pell: $60,871 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $15,500 · 74 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college20 to 1
20 to 1
← Fewer students per facultymore students per faculty member than 90% of 1,892More students per faculty →

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Full-time faculty93%
National median: 67%Above typical
Average faculty salary

$133,623

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other public colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable. Many public universities' endowments sit mostly in a separate foundation this survey doesn't count, so this likely understates what's actually available.

Instruction spending per student$12,647
$12,647
← Lessmore than 65% of 557More →
Endowment per student$3,508
$3,508
← Lessmore than 12% of 537More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)