Is UC Merced a good company to work for?

UC Merced has an overall rating of 4.0 out of 5, based on over 704 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 79% of employees would recommend working at UC Merced to a friend and 50% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about UC Merced have been left by employees working as Undergraduate Research Assistant , Student Assistant and Graduate Student Researcher .

Does UC Merced pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, UC Merced employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.5 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at UC Merced. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at UC Merced?

79% of UC Merced employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated UC Merced 3.9 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.8 for culture and values and 3.5 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at UC Merced?

Teaching Assistant (26) , Student Assistant (20) , Graduate Teaching Assistant (18) , Graduate Research Assistant (17) , Research Assistant (15) , Graduate Student (12) , Postdoctoral Fellow (12) , Undergraduate Research Assistant (12) , Graduate Student Researcher (10) , Lecturer (9) , Learning Assistant (7) , Student Technology Consultant (7) , Student Worker (7) , Administrative Assistant (6) , Postdoctoral Researcher (6)

What are the pros of working at UC Merced according to real employee reviews?

"Friendly people at a growing campus" ((in 32 reviews)); "Great benefits, set schedules and no overtime." ((in 27 reviews)); "Staff is friendly and is always willing to help." ((in 14 reviews)); "Good work environment" ((in 13 reviews)); "Nice campus" ((in 12 reviews))

What are the cons of working at UC Merced according to real employee reviews?

"DO not promote internal and low pay." ((in 24 reviews)); "Low salary but it will increase because of the recent strike" ((in 6 reviews)); "Lack of established priorities and Leadership" ((in 6 reviews)); "Scheduling and upper management not understanding needs of team" ((in 5 reviews)); "Lack of communication, Mainly virtual" ((in 5 reviews))

What are employees saying about UC Merced layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about UC Merced layoffs and their outlook for job security at UC Merced in 2026.

What are the top reviewed UC Merced locations?

Merced , Houston , Atwater , Burbank , Los Angeles , Modesto , Patterson , Riverside , San Diego , Discovery Bay , San Jose , Tracy , Boulder , University Place , Calif City

UC Merced reviews

4.0

79% would recommend to a friend

(649 total reviews)

Dorothy Leland

75% approve of CEO

50% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.3

Diversity & inclusion

3.9

Work/Life balance

3.8

Culture & values

3.5

Compensation and benefits

3.5

Career opportunities

3.4

Senior management

UC Merced has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 649 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The UC Merced employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

649 reviews

1.0

Jun 30, 2019

Not a team enviroment. Beware the small town mentality!

Public relations specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great faculty and environmentally-conscious campus.

Cons

Small-town mentality, hostile coworkers, poor management and leadership. Bias and hostility abound with no recourse or action according to policies. Bad workplace for LGBTQ persons. Not a team-oriented environment.

5.0

Apr 28, 2017

Academic Advisor

Academic advisor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Autonomy, creative challenges, student-centered, opportunities for innovation, social justice oriented This is a very young campus with many opportunities to build programs and policies from ground up. Adaptable leadership who are ready to change things that are not working. It's not a 100-year old campus with a culture and leadership who won't budge the status quo. For the most part, UCM has no status quo when it comes to policy--I think leadership is constantly searching and striving for improvement in workflow, equity, and removing unnecessary barriers for students.

Cons

Not many opportunities for advancement (especial until the 2020 project has concluded) Rural location makes it difficult to: - meet people when you're single - find good health practitioners (e.g. women physicians, specialists, mental health providers) - find nightlife that is not overrun by students - get involved in the community - find liberal/progressive places of worship

1.0

Nov 1, 2016

Avoid Student Affairs

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good benefits on a growing campus. Union representation.

Cons

Parking is terrible and expensive. Employees are treated as a commodity.

Viewing 7 - 9 of 649 Reviews

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Jobs at UC Merced

Postdoctoral Scholar Positions in Phase-Change Heat Transfer in Mechanical Engineering (Multiple Hire Recruitment)

Postdoctoral Scholar Positions in Nanoscale Heat Transfer in Mechanical Engineering (Multiple Hire Recruitment)

Teaching Assistant in Chemistry & Chemical Biology / Natural Sciences: AY 26-27, Includes Summer 2026 (Anticipated)

Undergraduate Tutor for University Writing Center, Summer 2026/AY 2026-2027

Grant Writer (Academic Coordinator II)

UC Merced

UC Merced reviews

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Ratings by demographic groups

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Not a team enviroment. Beware the small town mentality!

Academic Advisor

Avoid Student Affairs

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