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 35 reviews)); "Great benefits, set schedules and no overtime." ((in 27 reviews)); "Amazing work environment and great for developing soft skills." ((in 14 reviews)); "Many opportunities to expand current research and conduct STEM outreach to the greater California Central Valley." ((in 13 reviews)); "Staff is friendly and is always willing to help." ((in 13 reviews))

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

"DO not promote internal and low pay." ((in 25 reviews)); "Lack of established priorities and Leadership" ((in 8 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

5.0

Oct 12, 2023

Good to work

Student cook

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Very flexible and relatively simple job Provides training

Cons

None that I could think of

2.0

Oct 5, 2023

Not what you think or expect as a public school

Graduate student

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

They say it has the most diverse student population that matches the population in California.

Cons

They say it has the most diverse student population that matches the population in California, but how is that possible? It's possible because they still use raced based admission profiling, and they're rigging the percentages of students admitted based on race contrary to our laws. They're even proud of their "undocumented" students, who number nearly 600 out of over 8000 students (by 2020). That's nearly 7.5% of the total. Meanwhile I've seen Hispanic students who migrated here legally at Merced College, which is a community college nearby, because they can't get into the UC. Just the sheer, illogical insanity seen here is indescribable.

4.0

Oct 4, 2023

UC Merced Graduate Student Review

Phd candidate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Diverse community. Many opportunities to expand current research and conduct STEM outreach to the greater California Central Valley.

Cons

Isolated area, not many amenities surrounding the area. Purchasing departments and EH&S can be extremely slow.

Viewing 172 - 174 of 649 Reviews

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Jobs at UC Merced

Communications & Outreach Coordinator (Academic Coordinator 1)

Postdoctoral Scholar UC Merced’s Public Health Department

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

Learning Assistant/Remedial Tutor/Tutor in Bioengineering: Academic Year 2026-2027 (Anticipated)

Learning Assistant/Remedial Tutor/Tutor in Computer Science and Engineering: Academic Year 2026-2027 (Anticipated)

UC Merced

UC Merced reviews

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Good to work

Not what you think or expect as a public school

UC Merced Graduate Student Review

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