MERCED COLLEGE M-8

3600 M St.
Merced, CA 95348-2898
Tel: (209)384-6000; Admissions: (209)384-6188; Fax: (209)384-6339; Web Site: http://www.mccd.edu/

Description: State and locally supported, 2-year, coed. Part of California Community College System. Awards transfer associate and terminal associate degrees. Founded 1962. Setting: 168-acre small town campus. Endowment: $1 million. Research spending 2002-03: $65,602. Educational spending 2002-03: $2065 per student. Total enrollment: 8,200. 421 applied. Students come from 30 states and territories, 51% 25 or older. Core. Calendar: semesters. Academic remediation for entering students, ESL program, services for LD students, advanced placement, honors program, summer session for credit, part-time degree program, adult/continuing education programs, co-op programs. Off campus study at several local community colleges. Study abroad program. ROTC: Army (c).

Entrance Requirements: Open admission except for allied health programs or international students. Options: Common Application, early admission. Placement: SAT I or ACT recommended. Entrance: noncompetitive. Application deadline: Rolling. Notification: continuous.

Costs Per Year: State resident tuition: $0 full-time. Nonresident tuition: $3384 full-time, $167 per unit part-time. Mandatory fees: $307 full-time, $18 per unit part-time.

Collegiate Environment: Drama-theater group, choral group, student-run newspaper. Social organizations: 30 open to all. Student services: legal services, health clinic, personal-psychological counseling, women's center. Campus security: 24-hour patrols, late night transport-escort service. College housing not available. Lesher Library with 35,000 books and 400 serials. Operations spending 2002-03: $666,963. 400 computers available on campus for general student use.

Community Environment: Merced is a rural, suburban area with a dry temperate climate. All forms of transportation serve the area. The community has a library, churches, theatres, a symphony, two general hospitals and all national service clubs. Merced is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and near Yosemite National Park, which provides recreational facilities for camping, hiking, fishing, and skiing, the major winter sport. Job opportunities are good during the summer.