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GROW 2026

GROW logo in blue and gold print

Graduate Orientation Week (GROW)

Graduate Orientation Week (GROW) includes a variety of workshops, training programs, and events designed to introduce new students to the UC Merced campus community and prepare them for their graduate studies. All incoming students are required to attend in person beginning August 17, 2026. This date is also significant as it marks the deadline by which all new graduate students must be registered and have completed the necessary employment paperwork (further details about the paperwork process will be provided soon).

We encourage you to regularly check the GROW website for the latest information, including the updated schedule, which will be available soon. Many of the GROW sessions will be offered both synchronously and asynchronously. In addition to your in-person training, we will utilize CatCourses, UC Merced's virtual training system for teaching, research, and collaboration. Each student will be assigned specific virtual trainings that are mandatory for all UC Merced graduate students, such as Teaching Assistant training, Sexual Harassment and Prevention training, Office of Research training, and more. Additional sessions specific to your graduate group or school may also be required, so please review the schedule carefully and reach out to your school representatives with any specific questions.

GROW REGISTRATION

Registration will open shortly, please continue to check back for more details.

GROW SCHEDULE

Once available, the schedule will be available via your GROW portal. Between then, please find some important dates below:

August 17th - Mandatory New-Hire Paperwork

August 18th - GROW Day 1 (all students)

August 19th - GROW Day 2 (all students)

August 20th - GROW Day 3 (international students only)

*please note that group specific training will be required and will be mandatory - these dates and times will be released as GROW approaches.

GROW CAMPUS MAP

Once available, a campus map with GROW locations will be found here.

PreGROW Webinar Series

PreGROW is a webinar series designed to provide important information on navigating the transition to graduate school. Below are the dates and sessions that will be held in the months leading up to your arrival on campus. We encourage you to attend as many sessions as possible to ensure that all of your questions are answered. PreGROW registration links will be provided in future email communications. Recordings will also be available if you are unable to attend the live ZOOM sessions.

PreGROW Sessions

Date	Time	Session
TBA	8:00 am PST	Office of International Affairs (OIA) Office Hour Staff from the Office of International Affairs will discuss important action items to help International students prepare for GROW and arrival to campus. Participants will also have the opportunity to connect with staff during Q&A. Watch Here
TBA	1 pm PST	Welcome to UC Merced Office Hour with Graduate Division Staff Join the Graduate Division team during this PreGROW office hour! During this session, our team will briefly go over important action items to help you prepare for GROW and your arrival to campus. We will then open up the chat to answer any questions you may have. Participating team members from Grad Admissions, Grad Funding & Grad Resources will be on the webinar and ready to connect with you! Watch Here
TBA	1 pm PST	New Hire Paperwork and Grad Funding Workshop During this webinar, representatives from UC Merced Payroll Services and Graduate Student Funding will discuss the process for submitting your new hire paperwork, navigating grad funding and preparing for taxes. Watch Here
TBA	1 pm PST	Preparing for GROW Office Hour Log in and connect with the Graduate Division team! Our team will be available to answer any of your last-minute questions before GROW begins. Watch Here