The student population at University of California-Merced is 9,110 (8,372 undergraduate and 738 graduate students) . The number of students has increased by 2,425 (36.28%) over the past decade.
- Class Level: The percentage of undergraduate students at UC Merced is 91.90% which is increased by 2,135 over last 10 years. The graduate student population increased by 290 and it has been increasing.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 122 male students for every 100 female students, up from 97 in 2015.
- 2 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has decreased by -99.98% since 2015. (Note: The high increase/decrease may be due to the pandemic)
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 8,485 where 9,110 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 8 year-over-year increases and 1 decrease. It peaked at 9,147 students in 2024 and was lowest at 6,685 in 2016. Overall, enrollment rose from 6,685 to 9,110 students, a net gain of 2,425 (36.3%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at University of California-Merced since 2015.
Undergraduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 7,814 where 8,372 students are attending the Undergraduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Undergraduate enrollment by attending status and gender at University of California-Merced since 2015.
Graduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 671 where 738 students are attending the Graduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Graduate enrollment by attending status and gender at University of California-Merced since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 10.04% and the percentage of black students is 4.92% at University of California-Merced. 22.58% of enrolled students is Asian. Hispanic students comprise 52.54% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 14.26% to 10.04%. Asian enrollment grew from 22.27% to 22.58%. Black student enrollment increased from 4.62% to 4.92%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 46.24% to 52.54%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.6585 which indicates that moderately diverse. This decreased from 0.7126 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has declined.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at University of California-Merced over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
2 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 0% of total students. The number of online students has decreased -99.98% since 2020. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at University of California-Merced from 2015 to 2025.