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 33 reviews)); "Great benefits, set schedules and no overtime." ((in 28 reviews)); "Amazing work environment and great for developing soft skills." ((in 16 reviews)); "Staff is friendly and is always willing to help." ((in 14 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 21 reviews)); "Lack of established priorities and Leadership" ((in 7 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

(111 total reviews)

Dorothy Leland

75% approve of CEO

50% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (111 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

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Reviews by job title

111 reviews

Reviews about "Compensation"

Return to all reviews

5.0

Aug 17, 2015

Student Fitness Instructor

Student fitness instructor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Very positive environment to work in. Very understanding if you need to request a sub for your class if you had a test coming up. Good pay for a few hours a week.

Cons

Honestly, there was such a good work culture that I can not think of any cons.

4.0

Dec 8, 2014

Good experience and benefits, but lower pay.

Research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits, and good opportunities to gain experience with lab management at this campus. Because UC Merced has an undergraduate population of students, there are a lot of opportunities to train and teach students in the lab.

Cons

I was hired for a position I was over-qualified for (Research Assistant), and executing job functions that were not congruent with the title that I was hired under. Due to the academic funding climate, I did get raises, but they were not substantial. Although I got some good experience under my belt, it was not practical to stay for more than a few years, since there are better paying jobs for doing similar things.

4.0

Jul 27, 2014

Amazing colleagues, pioneering culture

Associate professor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Faculty colleagues are incredible, dynamic, creative people, always going well beyond what is required to help build the first research university in California's Central Valley. There is a pioneering spirit at UC Merced that infuses all elements of faculty life: research, teaching, and service. The low teaching load gives you plenty of time to work on research. Low cost of living means that faculty salaries will actually enable you to buy a nice house and live well.

Cons

Senior administration used to be very poor but has recently gone through a huge turnover. Faculty salaries do not even begin to do justice to the number of hours faculty actually work. Students are not always prepared to be at a UC campus. Infrastructure can be shoddy at times, e.g., power failures in buildings that house research equipment.

Viewing 103 - 105 of 111 Reviews

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UC Merced

UC Merced reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Reviews about "Compensation"

Student Fitness Instructor

Good experience and benefits, but lower pay.

Amazing colleagues, pioneering culture

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Jobs at UC Merced