Table of Contents
About
The room and board rate billed to students will depend on their contract type, room type, and meal plan.
- Contract type: We offer two type of undergraduate housing contracts in 2025-2026, the Academic Year contract and the Spring-only contract. The academic year contract encompasses both the fall academic term and spring academic term. Thanksgiving and spring break are included. Winter intersession is not included. Click here for the Academic Year 2025-2026 contract. Students applying for housing for only spring term will sign the spring-only contract, which will be available in the housing portal October 2025. There is no option for fall-only housing on campus.
- Room type: single, double, triple, and quad. Please click here to browse residence halls and housing options.
- Meal plan: All residents must have a meal plan. Meal plans do not include meal service during times excluded by the contract. excluded times are defined in the housing contract, and include thanksgiving holiday, winter intersession, and spring break. See the contract for exact dates of dining servivce closures.
During the application process, students choose their meal plan and their room preferences. Please note that although you may indicate a room preference in your application, you are not guaranteed that room type.
Residents are expected to maintain full-time enrollment status to be eligible to live on campus as a part of the housing contract. Housing and Residence Education staff will follow up with students who fall below full-time status at any time. Please email housing@ucmerced.edu or call 209-228-2293 if you have further questions about the policy.
For information about renter's insurance, please click here.
2025-2026 Housing Rates
Housing rates for 2025-2026 will not be finalized until spring semester 2025. Rates published below are 2024-2025 rates and they will be updated as soon as the new rates are adopted.
Room rates are based on room type. Rates include furnishings and provided utilities, WiFi and amenities. Food and housing fees are billed prior to each semester. There is an additional $20 housing association fee per semester.
Note: Room types are categorized by the number of beds, not number of occupants. For example, if you are the only occupant in a room with three beds, you will still be billed for the Triple rate.
Spring-only housing will pay the price-per-semester for assigned housing type and selected meal plan options. For a full review of estimated cost of attendance, please visit https://financialaid.ucmerced.edu/cost-attendance.
| Price per Semester | Price per year (Fall and Spring semester) | |
|
On-campus single room |
$9,001/semester* | $18,002/year |
|
On-campus double room |
$7,509/semester* | $15,018/year |
|
On-campus triple room |
$7,010/semester* | $14,020/year |
|
On-campus quad room |
$6,370/semester* | $12,740/year |
*Proposed rates; subject to revision
2025-2026 Meal Plan Rates
Meal plans and meal plan rates for 2025-2026 will not be finalized until spring semester 2025. Rates & plans published below are from 2024-2025 and they will be updated as soon as the new plans and rates are adopted.
About Meal Plan Rates
- All residents must have a meal plan.
- Unlimited means unlimited swipes in any given day when the dining hall is opened.
- All you care to eat means students can choose any food items of their choice when the dining hall is opened.
- Students may use their unlimited all-you-care-to-eat meal plan in the Pavilion or Yablokoff-Wallace Dining Centers. Every meal plan comes with unlimited access to the all-you-care-to-eat dining halls for the meal plan holder during dining hours.
- Unlimited swipes and guest swipes are not transferable and may be used only by the card-holder. All Unlimited plans come with 3 guest meal passes per semester. Guest swipes can be used by the card holder to admit other persons into the dining centers as their guests.
- CAT Dollars are flexible spending funds that can be used for food locations on campus, campus store purchases and printing.
- CAT Dollar funds are loaded prior to each semester. CAT dollars carry over from semester to semester and year to year.
- CAT dollars are only refunded when you separate from the university.
For a full review of estimated cost of attendance, please visit https://financialaid.ucmerced.edu/cost-attendance
Academic Year Meal Plan Contract Pricing
| Plan Name | Meal Swipes at Dining Halls |
Included Cat Dollars per Semester |
Total Price per Semester | Total Price per Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited 85* | Unlimited |
$85 |
$2,815 | $5,630 |
| Unlimited 250* | Unlimited |
$250 |
$2,980 | $5,960 |
| Unlimited 400* | Unlimited |
$400 |
$3,130 | $6,260 |
| Unlimited 500* | Unlimited |
$500 |
$3,230 | $6,460 |
| Unlimited 600* | Unlimited | $600 | $3,330 | $6,660 |
Proposed rates; subject to revision; *"Unlimited" access is defined as one entry per hour to the all-you-care to-eat dining halls per hour for the patron, during hours of operation*
2025 Summer Session Rates
In order to qualify for summer housing, a resident must be a regularly enrolled, registered student at UC Merced or be a student affiliated to a UC Merced department or programs.
| Session | Housing Cost | Meal Cost | Total Cost | Daily Rate** |
| Summer A | $1387 | $646 | $2033 | $49.57 |
| Summer B | $1861 | $867 | $2728 | $49.57 |
|
Summer C
|
$1387 | $646 | $2033 | $49.57 |
| Summer D | $2808 | $1308 | $4116 | $49.57 |
For more information about summer housing, please click here.
For more details about summer sessions, please click here.
For more information about the summer billing cycle, please click here. If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact 209-228-2293 or housing@ucmerced.edu. For a full review of estimated cost of attendance, please visit https://financialaid.ucmerced.edu/cost-attendance
