UC Merced Tuition & Fees 2026–27 — The Cheapest UC, Itemized
What UC Merced actually costs in 2026–27 — tuition, campus fees, housing, and why its total cost of attendance beats every other UC.
UC Merced Tuition & Fees 2026–27
UC Merced charges the same systemwide tuition as every UC campus — the difference is in campus fees and, above all, living costs, which make Merced consistently the least expensive UC to attend all-in:
| Charge (undergraduate, entering 2026–27) | CA resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|
| Systemwide tuition & fees | $15,588 | $15,588 |
| Nonresident Supplemental Tuition | — | + $39,270 |
| Campus-based fees (approx.) | + ~$2,500 | + ~$2,500 |
| Tuition & fees total (approx.) | ~$18,100 | ~$57,400 |
Continuing students on earlier cohorts pay their locked (lower) cohort rate under the Tuition Stability Plan. Exact campus-fee line items are published on UC Merced’s financial aid cost-of-attendance page each spring.
The Real Advantage: Merced’s Cost of Living
Merced’s housing market is the cheapest in the UC system. On-campus room and board runs roughly $19,000–$20,000, and off-campus rents in Merced are a fraction of Berkeley, LA, or Santa Barbara — students sharing an apartment commonly pay $600–$900/month versus $1,400–$2,000+ in coastal UC towns. That difference alone can make a UC degree $20,000–$30,000 cheaper over four years at the same sticker tuition. A typical all-in resident cost of attendance lands around $42,000–$46,000 (on campus), against $50,000–$55,000+ at the priciest campuses.
Aid: Where Merced Over-Delivers
UC Merced enrolls one of the highest shares of Pell Grant and first-generation students in the UC system, and California residents with family income under the Blue & Gold Opportunity Plan threshold pay no systemwide tuition at all. Between Cal Grants, the Middle Class Scholarship, and institutional aid, the net price most resident families pay at Merced is far below sticker — always run the campus net price calculator before ruling a UC out on cost. Comparing systems? See Cal State tuition and the UC vs CSU vs community college comparison.