Graduates of University of California-Merced earn median 4-year earnings of $65,410, placing University of California-Merced in the 70.1 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $20,891 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 96.1 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks University of California-Merced #394 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program outcomes vary by major. Biology, General reports 316 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $59,249, ranked #89 nationally in its major. Computer Engineering reports 219 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $102,575, ranked #38 nationally in its major. Business Administration, Management and Operations reports 188 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $68,277, ranked #135 nationally in its major. Mechanical Engineering reports 184 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $95,040, ranked #51 nationally in its major.
Graduates of University of California-Merced earn median 4-year earnings of $65,410, placing University of California-Merced in the 70.1 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $20,891 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 96.1 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks University of California-Merced #394 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program outcomes vary by major. Biology, General reports 316 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $59,249, ranked #89 nationally in its major. Computer Engineering reports 219 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $102,575, ranked #38 nationally in its major. Business Administration, Management and Operations reports 188 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $68,277, ranked #135 nationally in its major. Mechanical Engineering reports 184 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $95,040, ranked #51 nationally in its major.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
Lower quartile, 10-year field
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of University of California-Merced earn median 4-year earnings of $65,410, placing University of California-Merced in the 70.1 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $20,891 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 96.1 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks University of California-Merced #394 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program outcomes vary by major. Biology, General reports 316 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $59,249, ranked #89 nationally in its major. Computer Engineering reports 219 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $102,575, ranked #38 nationally in its major. Business Administration, Management and Operations reports 188 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $68,277, ranked #135 nationally in its major. Mechanical Engineering reports 184 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $95,040, ranked #51 nationally in its major.
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of University of California-Merced earn median 4-year earnings of $65,410, placing University of California-Merced in the 70.1 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $20,891 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 96.1 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks University of California-Merced #394 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program outcomes vary by major. Biology, General reports 316 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $59,249, ranked #89 nationally in its major. Computer Engineering reports 219 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $102,575, ranked #38 nationally in its major. Business Administration, Management and Operations reports 188 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $68,277, ranked #135 nationally in its major. Mechanical Engineering reports 184 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $95,040, ranked #51 nationally in its major.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
University of California-Merced's program mix is anchored in Engineering, with meaningful enrollment across biological sciences, social sciences, and psychology. Engineering accounts for 23% of graduates, Social Sciences represents 14%, and Business makes up 9% — a distribution that reflects the university's research-oriented identity and its emphasis on STEM and quantitative fields. Across 24 programs serving roughly 1,977 students annually, 16 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold. The strongest earnings outcomes cluster in engineering and applied-science fields. Azimuth ranks Computer Engineering #28 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 219 graduates earning $102,575. Azimuth ranks Mechanical Engineering #18 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning $95,040, and Azimuth ranks Business Administration #113 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning $68,277. Computer Engineering combines strong enrollment of 316 graduates with median earnings of $59,249, making it a key driver of the institution's overall earnings profile — Azimuth ranks the program #73 nationally per the program-ranking methodology. Computer Engineering (219 graduates) and Business Administration (188 graduates) enroll large cohorts but reflect different career trajectories. Computer Engineering is largely a grad-school-dependent pathway where four-year earnings undercount lifetime trajectory, while engineering subfields like Political Science and Biology, General are high-mobility programs where graduates enter the workforce directly and earnings reflect labor-market outcomes. The supply-demand map provides context for how these fields align with national wage trends. ```
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
