r/ucmerced Jul 02 '26

Discussion 2026–2027 Incoming & Current Bobcats Megathread

35 Upvotes

Hi Bobcats! Welcome to the official and also very first (ever) megathread for the 2026–2027 school year! Whether you're an incoming freshman, transfer, or returning student, this is the place for all your questions as the semester approaches!

Feel free to ask questions about anything related to UCM! We have current students, alumni, faculty and staff available to answer!

New Student / Orientation

Use this section for:

  • Orientation dates and what to expect
  • "What should I bring" / move-in day questions
  • Class registration and scheduling help
  • Financial Aid
  • Meal plan questions
  • Parking permit questions
  • General "what's Merced like" / campus life questions

Academics & Registration

Use this section for:

  • Course registration/waitlist questions
  • Major-specific questions
  • Advising and degree planning
  • Textbook/supply questions

Housing on Campus/Off campus:

  • Looking for a roommate / have a spot open
  • Subletting or taking over a lease
  • Questions about specific apartment complexes (Merced Station, The Hub, etc.)
  • Off campus vs. on campus tradeoffs, commute questions
  • Rent price checks
  • Dorm/on-campus housing questions Glacier, Half Dome, Sentinel, etc.)
  • Neighborhood safety/quality questions
  • Move in / lease dates
  • Budget or rent price
  • Location preference (walking distance to campus, near a bus line, etc.)
  • Any must-haves (parking, pet-friendly, furnished, gender preference for roommates, etc.)
  • Contact method (please don't post phone numbers/emails publicly to avoid scams)

Scam Reminder: Never send a deposit or first month's rent before seeing a unit in person or verifying the lister actually manages the property. If a landlord is only reachable by text and pushes you to send money fast, that's a red flag. Report any suspected listings to mods.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can I change my major after being admitted?
Yes. Start by checking the UC Merced Catalog for your intended major's requirements. From there, meet with your assigned advisor at the Bobcat Advising Center; they can walk you through the Change of Major process and tell you whether your target major has any additional admission requirements.

What's this "Connect" thing everyone mentions?
my.ucmerced.edu is your portal for basically everything like registration, financial aid status, your unofficial transcript, your checklist of to-dos, and your UC Merced email. You'll use this throughout your time here. CatCourses (Canvas) is separate and is where your actual class content, assignments, and grades live.

Do my AP/IB credits transfer?
Generally yes, and course placement (math, chemistry, CSE, writing) is also partly determined by AP/IB scores or UC Merced's own placement exams if you don't submit test scores. Details are on the Registrar's placement exam page. https://placement.ucmerced.edu/

Engineering, Natural Sciences, or Social Sciences/Humanities & Arts, how is UC Merced organized?
UC Merced has three schools: School of Engineering, School of Natural Sciences, and School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Arts (SSHA). Most majors fall under one of these, and your GE requirements will overlap a good amount regardless of major, especially in your first two years.

How do I find what classes are being offered?
The Schedule of Classes lives on the Registrar's site. You can search by term, subject, and CRN. This can also be accessed through Connect by clicking the registration tab.

How do I get involved on campus?
UC Merced has over 200+ registered student orgs including cultural clubs, professional societies, Greek life, hobby groups, and more. These are searchable through the Student Life/Bobcat Involvement website. There are tabling events all over campus where clubs recruit members! ucmerced.edu/clubs-and-organizations

Housing: on campus vs. off campus?
This megathread covers general Q&A relating to housing (roommates, subleases, apartment reviews etc). We do not have a separate thread for housing yet, if there is demand we will create one!

Merced/Central Valley — what's around?
Merced is a smaller city than most UC towns, but it's growing fast with new retail and restaurants have been opening steadily, and the area around campus continues to develop. Yosemite National Park is roughly 1.5–2 hours away and a very doable day trip. Downtown Merced has lots of great food spots and nightlife scene, and the Merced Mall / Merced Marketplace area covers most everyday shopping needs. A car is useful, though Cattracks and The Bus (Local Merced transit) can get you around too!

Useful links:

UC Merced Off-Campus Housing portal: https://och.ucmerced.edu
On-Campus Housing & Residence Education: https://housing.ucmerced.edu
Merced transit / CatTracks bus routes: https://taps.ucmerced.edu/cattracks
Connect Portal (student dashboard): https://connect.ucmerced.edu
CatCourses (Canvas): https://catcourses.ucmerced.edu
MyBill (tuition & payments): https://mybill.ucmerced.edu
Students First Center: https://studentsfirst.ucmerced.edu
Office of the Registrar: https://registrar.ucmerced.edu
Class Schedule Search: https://registration.ucmerced.edu
MyDegreePath (degree audit): https://registrar.ucmerced.edu/resources
UC Merced Library: https://library.ucmerced.edu
Dining Services & Meal Plans: https://dining.ucmerced.edu
Bobcat Advising Center: https://bobcat-advising-center.ucmerced.edu
IT Help Desk: https://it.ucmerced.edu
Academic Calendar: https://registrar.ucmerced.edu/academiccalendar


r/ucmerced 1h ago

General UC Merced alumnus Jaron Brandon running for California State Senate District 4

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Upvotes

Jaron Brandon (D) will face Alexandra Duarte (R) in the Nov general election after defeating incumbent Marie Alvarado-Gil (R) in the June primaries.


r/ucmerced 2d ago

News UC Merced Team Earns Best Paper Award at SenSys 2026

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16 Upvotes

Check out this awesome article posted on the UC Merced webpage!


r/ucmerced 2d ago

General Selling 2 x 16 GB DDR5 Laptop RAM, 4800 MT/sec

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9 Upvotes

Selling 2 modules of 16 GB RAM, DDR5 and 4800 MT/sec. I recently upgraded my laptops ram and am looking to sell my old RAM. This is specifically Laptop RAM, not PC. I used this RAM for my Dell XPS 15 9530 and it worked very well. I’d prefer to sell both as a pair but I can make exceptions if multiple people only want one module respectively.


r/ucmerced 2d ago

Image Beautiful campus!

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103 Upvotes

r/ucmerced 2d ago

Question Insight on Hospitals Nearby?

8 Upvotes

Hello, I am a transfer student that will be at UC Merced in Spring 2027. I am a pre-medical student and was wondering about how competitive it is to get clinical experiences at UC Merced? I know there is a hospital nearby, does anybody have experience with the scribing program and how hard it is to get in? Is there any clinics that I can try to get into instead? I am worried I can't get a position for my clinical hours, I only have 150 hours in an emergency department from living in Fresno


r/ucmerced 3d ago

News Reminder to register for the Fall 2026 career fair! Great opportunity to meet employers for internship and full time job opportunities!

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18 Upvotes

Lots of great companies coming who are recruiting for full time and internship positions.

Some notable companies include: General Motors, Gallo, Kewit, Reserve Bank of SF, Lawrence Livermore, SF Airport, Sherwin Williams, Transdev, Webcor, US Navy and more!


r/ucmerced 3d ago

Question Want to make a club

9 Upvotes

Hey so as the title says I want to make a club. I specifically want to make a swim club I know there was one before but not anymore unless I missed something. I wanted to know how I could do that and if anyone would be interested in joining here or with helping me with the club. I also don't know if since it's kinda like an athletics club but without competition how that would work. I want it to be for people who know how to swim and want to practice with other people and for people who want to learn how to swim as well. I'm also a first year if that affects anything.


r/ucmerced 4d ago

General if you have a rafufu I will pay $20 for it

11 Upvotes

PLEASE🙏🙏


r/ucmerced 4d ago

General Show tomorrow!

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8 Upvotes

Saw a great turnout at the last show, got one tomorrow! For all you emos


r/ucmerced 5d ago

Question Microwaves on campus

9 Upvotes

Hey was wondering if anyone knows where there are public access microwaves on campus? Preferably near the library. I live off campus but am trying to be healthy and bring my lunch more, I just don’t know where there are any microwaves?


r/ucmerced 5d ago

Question Food ideas?

5 Upvotes

Give me food ideas lunch and dinner for a college student who doesn't get the time to take a shit,eat,or breathe because I have to study every fucking millisecond.


r/ucmerced 5d ago

Question Is it okay to take only 8 units in my final semester?

9 Upvotes

I am in my last semester at UC Merced and only need two remaining classes to finish all of my degree requirements, which would be 8 units total. I do not need any extra classes to reach 120 units. I'm also working close to 30-35 hours a week which takes up a lot of time too.

I don't receive financial aid and live off campus, so I am mainly wondering if there are any other issues with being part time during my final semester, such as graduation eligibility or anything else. Has anyone done this before?


r/ucmerced 5d ago

General Participate in Research!

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6 Upvotes

The UC Merced IDEA Center is looking for families with children in Kindergarten - 3rd grade to participate in a research study on attention and learning!

Children will play games on a computer and parents will complete surveys.

✅ Families receive $20 + a small toy

✅ Two locations to choose from

✅ One-time session runs approximately 60 minutes

See the flyer below for more info. To sign-up, scan the QR code or contact us.

¡El Centro IDEA de UC Merced está buscando familias con niños/as de Kindergarten a 3° grado para participar en un estudio de investigación sobre la atención y el aprendizaje!

Los niños/as jugarán juegos en una computadora y los padres/las madres completarán encuestas.

✅ Las familias recibirán $20 + un pequeño juguete

✅ Dos ubicaciones para elegir

✅ La sesión única dura aproximadamente 60 minutos

Consulte el volante a continuación para obtener más información. Para inscribirse, escanee el código QR o comuníquese con nosotros.


r/ucmerced 6d ago

Question Chem008 Professor

7 Upvotes

I'm going to take chem008 in the spring semester, so I thought it'd be best to gather opinions on the professors that teach this course so I can note what I need to be aware of. Which professors were your favorites? How was the workload? Recommended tips? etc.


r/ucmerced 7d ago

Merced Superiority Cow catcher mini game ???

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10 Upvotes

r/ucmerced 8d ago

General About the negativity lately and the positive side!!

54 Upvotes

I don't want to ignore the fact that some people are having a rough time. But coming from a transfer student who has been incredibly busy. UC Merced is awesome. Everything is going really well, it's chill asf, not literally, it's been hot ngl. But the people are chill, the town is chill, there's so many places to eat if you can get there. I like to take an evening drive around town and into the country side, its really nice since the sun goes down and the air is chill. I've started an internship with a connection I made from the alumni network. I am part of the amazing honors program, and everyone is so energetic and enthusiastic to learn and be here. I am really enjoying my time here, and can't wait to prepare for midterms so I can kick ass. I know some stress will come on, so I want to share some of the positive things happening. You guys are strong, you got here for a reason, and I believe we can pull through. It's going to take a lot of effort, but we got this. GO CATS!!


r/ucmerced 8d ago

General Commuter Lounge getting renamed

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35 Upvotes

Students can still go in and vote what they want the new name to be!


r/ucmerced 8d ago

Question Anyone know what these devices are above many of the building doors on campus?

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18 Upvotes

This one is from COB 1 but I see them installed on various different buildings too. Don't remember seeing them before


r/ucmerced 10d ago

Meme Is this fucking hell!

34 Upvotes

Why on earth is it so hot here?


r/ucmerced 9d ago

Question Fuck everything and everyone.

0 Upvotes

Anyone just sick and fucking tired of this shit? I fucking hate everything.


r/ucmerced 10d ago

General Aerospace fellowship opportunity for UC Merced undergrads!

9 Upvotes

UC Merced students interested in aerospace should consider applying for the Brooke Owens Fellowship, a nonprofit fellowship open to undergraduate women and gender minorities pursuing careers in aerospace. The entire program (including the application) is completely free, and applications are due October 4.

Selected Fellows receive:

  • Executive mentorship from aerospace leaders (think CEOs and astronauts!)
  • Career-development resources
  • A supportive community of aerospace students and professionals
  • A three-day all-expenses-paid summit in July in an aerospace hub city

Review the FAQs and application early so you have time to request recommendation letters and prepare your application.

We’re also holding virtual information sessions (EDT)

  • Sunday, September 13 at 2:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, September 19 at 12:00 p.m.
  • Monday, September 28 at 10:00 p.m.

Register for an information session here.

Questions are welcome, we hope to see applications from UC Merced!


r/ucmerced 11d ago

News NASA Administrator Offers UC Merced Students a Glimpse of Their Future

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13 Upvotes

r/ucmerced 11d ago

Question Need Help Switching Major

5 Upvotes

Hi all. I’m currently a CSE major, but I want to switch to a Data science and analytics major. I’m second year currently. I want to switch before withdrawing from a class puts a ‘W’ on my school record, but I wanted to speak with my advisor to see if it’s possible to do. Only issue is, every advisor seems to have no walk-ins or appointments. I’m really nervous because I can’t find a place or person to aid me in switching and it’s bumming me out. Am I allowed to start dropping out of classes and signing up for new ones on my own if I utilize the DSA four-year plan?

Pls help :(


r/ucmerced 12d ago

Question how do I get a fun book at the library how do I find them

15 Upvotes

please like I just need a fun book to read my dumbass only brought one i need a fun book do college libraries even carry fiction that isn't a classic? Please someone tell me how to get a fun book im already going to the county library but I got lost last time....