Academic Comparison between Whittier and UC Merced

Whittier College and University of California-Merced are frequently compared when students or parents prepare college admissions. Whittier is a four-year, private (not-for-profit) school located in Whittier, CA and UC Merced is a four-year, public school located in Merced, CA.

Comparison at a Glance

The following list compares two colleges briefly in important perspectives. You can compare them with comprehensive information on full comparison page.

  • Whittier is a private (not-for-profit) and UC Merced is a public school and both are four-year schools.
  • Whittier has more expensive tuition & fees ($51,350) than UC Merced ($46,541).
  • It is harder to admit to Whittier than UC Merced.
  • UC Merced has more students with 9,110 students while Whittier has 795 students.
  • Whittier has a lower number of students per faculty with 8 to 1 while UC Merced's ratio is 20 to 1.
  • UC Merced has more full-time faculties with 428 faculties while Whittier has 96 full-time faculties.
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Comparison Table with important Academic Factors

Whittier Collegevs.University of California-Merced
Whittier, CaliforniaLocationMerced, California
Four-year, Private (not-for-profit)School Typefour-year, Public
Master's degreeHighest Degree OfferedDoctor's degree
Baccalaureate College - Arts & SciencesCarnegie ClassificationResearch University (high research activity)
$51,3502025 Tuition & Fees
In-State$14,653
Out-Of-State$46,541
93%% Receiving Financial Aid85%
$32,501Average Amount of Financial Aid$24,780
80.79 %Acceptance Rates90.53 %
5.41 %Yield (Enrollment Rates)7.24 %
-SAT Score-
-ACT Score-
60 %Graduation Rate69 %
24 %Transfer-out Rate11 %
66 %Retention Rate82 %
795Student Population9,110
96Number of Faculties428
8 to 1Students to Faculty Ratio20 to 1
Distance Learning (Online Classes), ROTC, Study Abroad, Teacher CertificationSpecial Learning OpportunitiesDistance Learning (Online Classes), ROTC, Study Abroad
Academic/career counseling service, Employment services, Placement servicesOn Campus Student ServicesAcademic/career counseling service, Employment services, On-campus daycare