Public · Community college
Merced College
Merced, California · Small city
- 7%
- Transfer rate
- $5,040
- Avg net price
- 36%
- Grad / completion
- $37,815
- Median earnings
Merced College is a public certificate-granting institution in Merced, California (small city setting), enrolling 10,001 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.
About Merced, California
Merced is a city in and the county seat of Merced County, California, United States, in the San Joaquin Valley. During World War II, the Merced County fairgrounds were the site of a temporary "assembly center" where Japanese Americans were detained after being removed from their West Coast homes under Executive Order 9066. 4,669 men, women and children from central California (with most coming from Merced County) were confined in the Merced Assembly Center from May 6 to September 15, 1942, when they were transferred to the more permanent Granada internment camp in Colorado. In the summer of 2014, the Castle Commerce Center's call center closed, subtracting 400 jobs from AT&T's share of employment. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 56 miles to Fresno, CA
- To the ocean
- 70 miles
- Nearest airport
- 4 miles to Merced Regional Macready Field (MCE)
How Merced College compares
Higher than 20% · #326 of 382 in California
Higher than 30%
Higher than 59% · #185 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 91% · #34 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 7%
Larger than 96%
Percentiles compare Merced College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in California.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women5,68457%
- Men4,31743%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White15%
- Black4.0%
- Hispanic67%
- Asian6.8%
- Other or multiracial6.6%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 10,001
- Student–faculty ratio
- 28 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 38%
- First-generation students
- 59%
- Students over 25
- 30%
- Median family income
- $18,008
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $93,771
- Endowment
- $10,536,256
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 2,299 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From California97%
- Other U.S. states1.8%
- International1.0%
Most first-years stay in state — Merced College draws overwhelmingly from California.
1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $1,200
- Out-of-state tuition
- $8,520
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $938
- Total cost of attendance
- $14,485
- Average net price
- $5,040
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated
- 36%
- First-year retention
- 63%
- Transferred to another college
- 7%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $31,468
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $37,815
- Median debt at graduation
- —
- Students with federal loans
- 1%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- CCCAA
- Varsity athletes
- 287 (182 men · 105 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (9)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.2 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 7
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (12,472 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Merced College funds essentially no grants of its own — almost all aid here comes from federal (Pell), state, or outside sources rather than the school's own discount. Its sticker price is what it is.
Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid, 2022–23 full-time first-year undergraduates.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $37,815
- Typical debt at graduation
- —
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- —
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 32%
The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $11,051 (34%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 95°F
- Winter low
- 36°F
- Annual rain
- 12.5″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Merced, CA US station (3.9 mi from campus).
What Merced College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Merced College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Merced College side by side →
Grossmont College
El Cajon, California · Large suburb · 11 mi to San Diego
- Students
- 12,163
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 11%
- Earnings
- $40k
Antelope Valley Community College District
Lancaster, California · Large suburb · 43 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 11,534
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 6%
- Earnings
- $37k
Butte College
Oroville, California · Distant rural · 74 mi to Sacramento
- Students
- 8,890
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 9%
- Earnings
- $42k
Mt San Jacinto Community College District
San Jacinto, California · Midsize suburb · 26 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 15,259
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 8%
- Earnings
- $38k
Citrus College
Glendora, California · Large suburb · 21 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 8,286
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 9%
- Earnings
- $42k
Folsom Lake College
Folsom, California · Small city · 21 mi to Sacramento
- Students
- 9,414
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 13%
- Earnings
- $43k
Colleges near Merced College
Milan Institute-Merced
Merced, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 359 students
Sierra College of Beauty
Merced, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 220 students
University of California-Merced
Merced, CA · Public · Bachelor's · 8,372 students
California State University-Stanislaus
Turlock, CA · Public · Bachelor's · 8,385 students
California Beauty College
Modesto, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 122 students
Modesto Junior College
Modesto, CA · Public · Associate · 15,109 students
North Adrian's College of Beauty Inc
Modesto, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 207 students
Paul Mitchell the School-Modesto
Modesto, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 218 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.