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See More Graduate Apartment Photos Here
*Click here for Transitional Graduate Housing(July 15-August 10)
Acadmemic Year Housing at UC Merced (process closed)
Graduate student apartments are located on the first floor of El Portal residence hall. The apartments include two bedrooms and two bathrooms with a shared kitchen and living room. Each apartment is designed to be shared by two graduate students. One graduate student will have his/her own room and bathroom, while the other full bathroom opens into the shared suite.
Rates
The room rate for bedrooms with en suite bathrooms is $1000.00/month.
The rate for the bedroom without en suite bathroom is $800.00/month.
The rate includes the furnished apartment, as well as water, sewer, electricity, trash and high-speed internet services.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible, a resident must be enrolled in at least 8 credit hours per semester or be otherwise considered enrolled as full time. Graduate students living in UC Merced graduate campus housing are limited to one academic year contact and one summer term contract, or one year contact. Campus graduate housing is intended to be transitional, not for long-term occupancy.
Priority
Graduate housing has 25 bed spaces in 13 apartments in El Portal. Housing is granted on a first-come, first-serve basis, with priority as follows:
- International graduate students
- New graduate students (Admission after January 1, 2025)
- Continuing Graduate students
How to Apply:
Applications for graduate housing can be found on the Housing Portal. Housing Services will review applications and will offer or deny housing to applicants based on priority, eligibility, and space available. Those offered housing will receive an email in their UC Merced email account and will need to sign a 2025-2026 academic year graduate housing contract within five to seven business days from the day the student received the housing offer in their UC Merced email. Students will then be assigned to an apartment and will be given information about move in.
| Date | Event |
| March 1, 1:00pm | Graduate academic year housing application opens online at portal |
| May 7, 11:59pm* | Priority application sign deadline for first year grads and first-year internation graduate students. |
| May 1, 5:00pm | Graduate housing summer renewals close for current Graduate housing residents. Applications are online in the housing portal |
| May 1 | Offers begin for priority groups. |
| May 8 | Offers begin for all graduate applicants, based on remaining space available. Graduate students not offered housing will be placed on a waitlist for housing vacancies that may occur. |
*priority deadline extended by the Graduate School on 4/22/2025
The graduate housing application will remain open while there is space available.
Please note that the 2025-2026 academic year graduate housing contract is from Aug. 9, 2025 to May 31, 2026
If you have questions about the Housing Portal, housing application, rates, housing contract or billing, please contact housing@ucmerced.edu or call 209-228-2293 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday (excluding holidays).
Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an email to confirm your submission.
Housing Services will review your submission. Housing Services will send an email to your UC Merced email address to:
1. Offer housing. You can then go back to the Housing Portal to sign a contract within five to seven business days. If you have decided you do not want the housing contract, you can then go to the cancellation form tab in the Housing Portal to cancel or email your cancellation to housing@ucmerced.edu. We will move you to the waitlist once the deadline to sign is past. Once you signed your contract, you will receive an email to confirm your contract is signed. The next step is housing assignment. Housing will assign you to an apartment with move-in information.
2. Waitlist - We are not able to offer you housing immediately. We will let you know when housing is available in the future.
Apartment Amenities
Bedroom – a twin long bed and mattress, desk, chair and two dressers
Kitchen – a dining table with four chairs, a microwave, a full-size refrigerator, a stove and a dishwasher
Living Room – a couch and a soft chair
Residents are not permitted to bring their own furniture or to remove any university furniture or appliances from the apartment.
There are community laundry facilities in El Portal (Room 135). Residents have 24-hour access to the laundry facilities located within their building. Laundry rooms are for resident use only. Clothes left in the room for more than 48 hours will be removed as abandoned property. Instructions on how to use the app are posted in the laundry facilities. There is no cost to campus residents for use of the laundry facilities.
For more information on additional amenities available to on-campus residents, please visit: https://housing.ucmerced.edu/housing/services-amenities.
Meal Plans
Graduate residents are not required to purchase a meal plan; however, if you are interested in meal plan options, you can select on in your housing application OR you can email housing@ucmerced.edu and request a meal plan.
Parking
Residential parking is available for graduate students living on campus. Please contact UC Merced Transportation and Parking Services at taps@ucmerced.edu for more information.
Housing Handbook
Please review your rights and responsibilities as a resident, and be sure to read the Housing Handbook on University policies: https://housing.ucmerced.edu/housing-handbook.
https://housing.ucmerced.edu/ABC-policies
https://housing.ucmerced.edu/current-residents/safety-and-emergency-procedures
https://studentaffairs.ucmerced.edu/dean-students/emergency-funds
https://basicneeds.ucmerced.edu/
Billing Schedule
Housing fees will be processed and posted to your university student account according to the following billing schedule. We encourage students to pay your housing fees on time to avoid University Business Services late fees. Please visit https://bfs.ucmerced.edu/departments/student-business-services to see UC Merced Student Business Services Payment Policies and Guidelines. Rates are pro-rated for months with partial occupancy.
| Period | Payment Deadline | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 1 through Aug. 31 | Aug. 1 | $800 |
| Sept. 1 through Sept. 30 | Sept. 1 | $800 |
| Oct. 1 through Oct. 31 | Oct. 1 | $800 |
| Nov. 1 through Nov. 30 | Nov. 1 | $800 |
| Dec. 1 through Dec. 31 | Dec. 1 | $800 |
| Jan. 1 through Jan. 31 | Jan. 1 | $800 |
| Feb. 1 through Feb. 28 | Feb. 1 | $800 |
| March 1 through March 31 | March 1 | $800 |
| April 1 through April 30 | April 1 | $800 |
| May 1 through May 31 | May 1 | $800 |
| *June 1 through June 30 | June 1 | $800 |
| *July 1 through July 31 | July 1 | $800 |
Summer Housing
*Summer contracts are separate from standard graduate housing. If you are interested in staying on campus during the summer, please contact housing@ucmerced.edu or call 209-228-2293 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Renter’s Insurance
https://housing.ucmerced.edu/current-residents/contracts-policies/renters-insurance
Work Orders
https://jcifmaz.swgasp.com/QFMliveJCIMerced
https://housing.ucmerced.edu/node/1811
For information on off-campus housing, please visit: https://och.ucmerced.edu/.
Graduate Transitional Housing (Not yet defined for 2025-2026)
Graduate transtional housing is offered on a space-available basis for graduate students transitioning into off-campus housing in the Merced community.
Availability
This housing is offered only between July 15-August 10 and is purchased per occupant, per day.
Eligibility
Transitional housing is limited to graduate students enrolled in 8 or more gradute hours for fall 2023 or otherwise in full-time status for fall 2023 term. Priority is given to international students.
Cost
Transitional housing is billed at $68.00/day and includes access to the dining hall. Students pay for their reservation online prior to arrival, similar to booking a hotel.
How to request
Temporary housing is available for incoming students and eligibility is verifed by the graduate division. Click here to request temporary housing: https://graduatedivision.ucmerced.edu/form/temporary-housing-request-form
