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Community college · Public

Merced College

Merced, CA4,809 online only

Merced College is a public community college in Merced, CA, with about 7,026 students on campus and 4,809 more studying only online.

Visit www.mccd.edu ↗Directions
Students on campus
7,026
plus 4,809 studying only online
Admission rate
Open
open enrollment
Net price a year
$5,040
tuition and fees $1,200; the net price adds housing and food
Graduation rate
36%
lower than at 83% of 2-year colleges
Earnings, 10 yrs later
$37,815
lower than at 60% of U.S. colleges
In brief

Merced College, in brief

Most undergraduates are Hispanic

67% of Merced College’s undergraduates are Hispanic. The students ↓

Most students study part-time

51% of undergraduates attend part-time. The graduation rate counts only first-time, full-time students, so it covers a minority of the people studying here. The students ↓

Rent in Merced is below the state median

Median rent in Merced is $1,393 a month, 32% below the state median. Living in Merced ↓

This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard; price, graduation and earnings include online students; graduation rates count only first-time, full-time students.

★ What stands out · Who goes there

The students

10,001 degree-seeking undergraduates.

By race and ethnicity

White 15%Hispanic 67%Black 4%Asian 7%Two or more 3%

Women and men

Women 58%Men 42%
28 : 1
students per teacher
38%
get Pell grants (lower income)
1%
take federal loans
30%
undergrads 25 or older
51%
study part time
Getting in

How hard is it to get into Merced College?

Open

anyone with a high school diploma can enroll

Test scores of admitted students

No SAT or ACT ranges reported. Merced College is likely test-optional.

What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $14,485 a year

Before any grants · out-of-state tuition $8,520

Tuition & fees (in state) $1,200Books & supplies $938Other costs $12,347

After grants, the average family on aid pays $5,040.

Tuition and fees are $1,200 a year. The net price also counts housing, food and other costs at full price, so a student living at home pays less than it shows.

Your family’s price

Average net price after grants, by family income

$5,562

About $11,124 over 2 years · 62% off the sticker price

Under $30k$30–48k$48–75k$75–110kOver $110k
Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate
36%
within 3 years · Pell students 38%
Come back for year two
63%
full-time first-year students
Earnings, 10 years later
$37,815
median, students on federal aid
Typical debt
—

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).

Earnings by family background

Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment

Lower incomeunder $30k
$36k
Middle income$30–75k
$42k
Higher incomeover $75k
$45k
Majors

What students study, and what it pays

Share of degrees by field

Liberal arts 26%Health professions 15%Psychology 10%Social sciences 9%Business 9%Agriculture 5%Everything else 26%

Associate degree programs with the most graduates

And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).

Psychology, General328 graduates a year
$37k4 yrs out
Social Sciences, General188 graduates a year
$41k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations102 graduates a year
$50k4 yrs out
Sociology92 graduates a year
$41k4 yrs out
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General74 graduates a year
—not reported
Criminal Justice and Corrections72 graduates a year
$45k4 yrs out
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services65 graduates a year
—not reported
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing54 graduates a year
$119k4 yrs out
The town around it

Living in Merced

8% of Merced’s 99,724 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Merced pages.

Merced →
MercedMerced, CA
$1,393/momedian rent · 32% below the state$393Ktypical home valueDSafety Grade38° / 96°January low / July highCHealth GradeAll colleges in and near MercedCompare prices, admissions and outcomes
Nearby

Other colleges within 30 miles

Straight-line distances from Merced College; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.

University of California-MercedUniversity or college · Public · Merced
3.5 mi9,145 students
California State University-StanislausUniversity or college · Public · Turlock
24.5 mi8,551 students

Ask around

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.