The Graduate Cost of Attendance (GCOA)1 is an estimate and includes all expenses to attend the university for one academic year (9 months). The GCOA includes graduate tuition/fees2, books and supplies, food and housing, personal expenses, transportation expenses, and graduate health insurance. The amounts below are only intended to assist students with financial planning. Your actual expenses may be different and some items are not paid directly to the university.
Academic Year 2025-26:
| Cost Description | Amount |
| Resident Tuition2 | $13,140 |
| Student Services Fee2 | $1,290 |
| Graduate Health Insurance2 | $5,002 |
| Campus Based Fees & Technology Fee2 | $997 |
| Resident Tuition & Fees Total2 | $20,429 |
| Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition2 | $15,102 |
| Non-Resident Tuition & Fees Total2 | $35,531 |
|
Estimated Books, Supplies, Food, |
$27,932 |
|
Resident GCOA Total3 |
$48,361 |
|
Non-Resident GCOA Total3 |
$63,463 |
1.) The Graduate Cost of Attendance (GCOA) is similar to the Financial Aid Cost of Attendance (COA) as they both are attempting to provide students with an estimated cost of attending UC Merced. Please contact the Financial Aid office directly when you have questions about graduate student loans and the COA used for student loans.
2.) Official tuition & fees for UC Merced can be found in the campus catalog and supersede any information provide on this page. Actual tuition and fees are subject to change by the University of California as determined to be necessary or appropriate.
3.) For the purposes of future planning, it is recommended to increase the current Resident GCOA Total or Non-Resident GCOA Total by at least 5% as that estimated increase in total costs will most likely exceed actual cost increases. The GCOA will be updated annually each summer for the upcoming academic year as the official tuition & fees are updated in the campus catalog.
