In fall 2025, 49,366 freshmen applied to UC Merced and 46,565 (94%) were admitted. The hardest major area to get into was Arts & Humanities (91% of 1,625 applicants admitted); the most accessible was Engineering (97%).
Fall 2025 freshman results by major area
| Major area | Applied | Admitted | Admit rate | Admitted GPA (middle 50%) | Enrolled | 2021 → 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arts & Humanities | 1,625 | 1,476 | 91% | 3.50–4.08 | 47 | 84% → 89% → 85% → 86% → 91% |
| Undeclared | 5,013 | 4,576 | 91% | 3.40–4.02 | 259 | 81% → 87% → 90% → 90% → 91% |
| Other/Interdisciplinary | 3,176 | 2,909 | 92% | 3.48–4.11 | 75 | 89% → 95% → 94% → 95% → 92% |
| Business | 3,674 | 3,382 | 92% | 3.45–4.06 | 123 | 84% → 85% → 84% → 89% → 92% |
| Physical Sciences/Math | 3,227 | 3,008 | 93% | 3.66–4.20 | 97 | 88% → 90% → 86% → 90% → 93% |
| Social Sciences | 8,622 | 8,049 | 93% | 3.47–4.08 | 249 | 85% → 89% → 85% → 88% → 93% |
| Public Health | 2,452 | 2,313 | 94% | 3.45–4.08 | 91 | 86% → 90% → 85% → 89% → 94% |
| Life Sciences | 10,012 | 9,646 | 96% | 3.62–4.18 | 438 | 91% → 93% → 91% → 94% → 96% |
| Engineering | 11,565 | 11,206 | 97% | 3.69–4.21 | 603 | 89% → 92% → 90% → 93% → 97% |
| All major areas | 49,366 | 46,565 | 94% | — | 1,982 |
Sorted from most to least selective. The GPA range is the 25th to 75th percentile of admitted freshmen’s weighted, capped UC GPA.
Most popular transfer majors
| Major | Applied | Admitted | Admit rate | Admitted GPA (middle 50%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 951 | 847 | 89% | 3.23–3.79 |
| Computer Science & Engineering | 445 | 223 | 50% | 3.33–3.81 |
| Management and Business Economics | 428 | 261 | 61% | 3.16–3.77 |
| Political Science | 407 | 369 | 91% | 3.25–3.82 |
| Sociology | 399 | 322 | 81% | 3.20–3.78 |
| Biological Sciences | 330 | 207 | 63% | 3.12–3.61 |
| Economics | 272 | 192 | 71% | 3.27–3.79 |
| Applied Mathematics | 226 | 118 | 52% | 3.34–3.85 |
| Global Arts Studies | 200 | 166 | 83% | 3.30–3.84 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 165 | 104 | 63% | 3.12–3.60 |
| Undeclared | 163 | 131 | 80% | 3.09–3.75 |
| Anthropology | 119 | 111 | 93% | 3.23–3.79 |
| History | 109 | 91 | 83% | 3.17–3.75 |
| Electrical Engineering – BS | 100 | 62 | 62% | 3.18–3.73 |
| Public Health | 91 | 61 | 67% | 3.16–3.59 |
Other campuses
Source: University of California Office of the President, UC Information Center: Freshman admissions by discipline and Transfers by major. UC reports freshman results by broad discipline (the major area students applied to, such as Engineering), not by individual major; transfer results are by individual major. GPA ranges are the 25th–75th percentile of admitted students (freshman: weighted, capped UC GPA; transfer: UC-transferable GPA). Counts include all applicants (California, out-of-state and international). Small counts are suppressed by UC. This site is independent and not affiliated with the University of California. Admit rates describe past applicants, not any individual student’s chances.