Merced College is a public community college located in Merced, CA. It offers 159 programs for degree/certificate.

It is accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.

The 2025 tuition & fees of Merced College is $1,200 for California residents and $8,520 for out-of-state students. Its tuition & fees is cheaper than that of California public community colleges' average ($10,350).

The school has 12,472 students, which is higher than California community collleges' average (5,324). In addition, 5,000 students have enrolled online exclusively. The students to faculty ratio is 28 to 1, which is higher than the average ratio (23 to 1) of California community colleges.


2025 Tuition & Fees

The following table shows the 2024-2025 tuition & fees, books & supplies, and living costs at Merced College. Then, we compare its costs to California community colleges and all U.S. community colleges.

In addition, the chart shows tuition trends over the last 5 years. You can check more comprehensive tuition information on the cost of attendance page.

2025 Cost Of Attendance - Merced
California ResidentsOut-of-State
Tuition & Fees$1,200$8,520
Books & Supplies$938
Off-Campus Living Costs$25,624
Average Financial Aid$5,329
Cost of Attendance$27,762$35,082
After Financial Aid$22,433$29,753
Merced Tuition Comparison to National and State Average
California ResidentsOut-of-State Students
Merced College$1,200$8,520
Public Community Colleges in California$1,672$10,350
Public Community Colleges in U.S.$5,207$8,749

Offered Degrees/Programs By Area of Study

Merced College offers Certificate and Associate's programs. The following table summarizes the number of offered programs by degree types.

Offered Programs and Online Availability
CertificateAssociate'sBachelor's
Online ProgramsNOT OFFEREDNOT OFFEREDNOT OFFERED
Total Programs7386NOT OFFERED

The following tables list each major program along with offered degrees and online availability. The number in each column indicates the number of awarded degrees and/or certificates of the program.

CertificateAssociateBachelor
Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations 30 completers
NOT OFFERED
Agricultural Mechanics and Equipment/Machine Technology48 completers
2 completers
NOT OFFERED
Animal/Livestock Husbandry and Production 17 completers
NOT OFFERED
Crop Production 18 completers
NOT OFFERED
Horse Husbandry/Equine Science and ManagementNOT OFFERED 3 completers
NOT OFFERED
Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations 2 completers
NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
Ethnic StudiesNOT OFFERED 2 completers
NOT OFFERED
Women's StudiesNOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
Speech Communication and RhetoricNOT OFFERED 21 completers
NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
Information Technology7 completers
28 completers
NOT OFFERED
Computer Programming/ProgrammerNOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
Computer Systems Analysis/AnalystNOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
Computer ScienceNOT OFFERED 15 completers
NOT OFFERED
Computer Systems Networking and TelecommunicationsNOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
Cooking and Related Culinary Arts2 completers
2 completers
NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
Pre-EngineeringNOT OFFERED 9 completers
NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
German Language and LiteratureNOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
French Language and LiteratureNOT OFFERED 1 completers
NOT OFFERED
Spanish Language and LiteratureNOT OFFERED 2 completers
NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness StudiesNOT OFFERED 2 completers
NOT OFFERED
Foodservice Systems Administration/ManagementNOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
Family and Community Services NOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
Child Care and Support Services Management2 completers
NOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
Child Care Provider/Assistant6 completers
66 completers
NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
Legal Assistant/ParalegalNOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
English Language and LiteratureNOT OFFERED 19 completers
NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies824 completers
39 completers
NOT OFFERED
Humanities/Humanistic StudiesNOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
Biology/Biological SciencesNOT OFFERED 18 completers
NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
MathematicsNOT OFFERED 24 completers
NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
Health and Physical Education/FitnessNOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
Kinesiology and Exercise ScienceNOT OFFERED 31 completers
NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
PhilosophyNOT OFFERED 4 completers
NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
Physical SciencesNOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
ChemistryNOT OFFERED 10 completers
NOT OFFERED
Geology/Earth ScienceNOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
PhysicsNOT OFFERED 17 completers
NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
Chemical Technology/TechnicianNOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
PsychologyNOT OFFERED 352 completers
NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
Corrections NOT OFFERED
Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration1 completers
88 completers
NOT OFFERED
Criminal Justice/Police Science NOT OFFERED
Fire Prevention and Safety Technology/Technician 5 completers
NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
Human Services1 completers
NOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
Social SciencesNOT OFFERED 142 completers
NOT OFFERED
AnthropologyNOT OFFERED 4 completers
NOT OFFERED
ArcheologyNOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
EconomicsNOT OFFERED 8 completers
NOT OFFERED
GeographyNOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
International Relations and AffairsNOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
Political Science and GovernmentNOT OFFERED 14 completers
NOT OFFERED
SociologyNOT OFFERED 115 completers
NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
Electrician26 completers
5 completers
NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
Welding Technology/Welder 8 completers
NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
Digital ArtsNOT OFFERED 8 completers
NOT OFFERED
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre ArtsNOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
PhotographyNOT OFFERED 5 completers
NOT OFFERED
Art/Art StudiesNOT OFFERED 20 completers
NOT OFFERED
Drawing NOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
MusicNOT OFFERED 8 completers
NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
Business/Commerce3 completers
17 completers
NOT OFFERED
Business Administration and ManagementNOT OFFERED 151 completers
NOT OFFERED
Office Management and Supervision 3 completers
NOT OFFERED
Retail ManagementNOT OFFERED NOT OFFERED
Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping5 completers
23 completers
NOT OFFERED
Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science15 completers
32 completers
NOT OFFERED
Small Business Administration/Management1 completers
6 completers
NOT OFFERED
Real Estate NOT OFFERED
Sales, Distribution, and Marketing Operations 2 completers
NOT OFFERED
CertificateAssociateBachelor
HistoryNOT OFFERED 30 completers
NOT OFFERED

Student Population

There are 12,472 students at Merced College including both full-time and part-time students. By gender, 4,831 male students and 7,004 female students are attending the school.

The following table shows the total number of students by gender and attending status at the school. You can check more enrollment information of the school.

Student Population
TotalFull-TimePart-time
Total11,8354,8476,988
Male Students4,8312,0392,792
Female Students7,0042,8084,196

Distance Learning (Online Degree/Program) Enrollment

Of the 12,472 total students, 9,027 students enrolled through distance learning (5,000 students enrolled exclusively and 4,027 enrolled in some online courses).

Distance Learning Enrollment Distribution
Total Enrollment12,472
Enrolled Exclusively in Online Courses5,000
Enrolled in Some But Not All Online Courses4,027
Not Enrolled In Any Online Courses3,445

School Profile and Academic Overview

The following table shows directory information and summarizes important academic and admission characteristics for Merced College.

Directory Information and Key Academic Statistics
Type2-4 year, public
Address3600 M St, Merced, CA
Phone209-384-6000
Tuition & Fees (2024-2025) »In-State$1,200
Out-of-State$8,520
Student Population »12,472 Total Enrollment
Graduation Rate »36%
Transfer-out Rate7%
Retention Rate63% (Full-time)
33% (Part-time)
Average Financial Aid »$5,329
Students to Faculty28:1 (3.57%)