University of California, Merced
What UC Merced says
Exact quotes from UC Merced’s official pages, checked word for word on Oct 22, 2026.
Applications should be filed no later than the 15th day of instruction, although exceptions can be made for medical or emergency reasons.
— web.archive.org ↗The maximum Educational Leave is one full academic year.
— web.archive.org ↗Reinstatement for Educational Leaves initiated prior to the first day of the semester are guaranteed.
— web.archive.org ↗Use the Leaving UC Merced form to initiate the process of leaving UC Merced.
— web.archive.org ↗Any registered student on the UC Merced campus, undergraduate or graduate, is eligible to enroll in the Educational Leave Program
— web.archive.org ↗Written by AI from the quotes and pages we read. It may be incomplete or wrong; the school’s own pages win.
- Stepping away seems to work through the Educational Leave Program, filed with the Office of the Registrar.
- Applications look due by the 15th instruction day; guaranteed return seems to need filing before the semester starts.
- Details come from archived 2025-26 pages, so confirm the current form and deadline with your registrar.
- Reasons accepted: any personal reason (International students are excluded by the catalog; ISS page says to consult OIA first).
- Time away allowed: Up to 1 academic year.
- Classes start Jan 19.
Before you decide
Check on the following…
- Will my spot be held?Check how long your school keeps your place and whether you have to apply to come back.Ask: Registrar
- Will I graduate later?A term off can push back your graduation. Ask which required classes only run in the spring.Ask: Academic advisor
- Is there a deadline to ask?Some schools want your leave request before January. Find out the exact date and the form.Ask: Dean’s office or registrar
- What happens to my scholarships and aid?Ask whether your scholarships and grants pause while you’re away or end, and what you need to do to get them back.Ask: Financial aid office
- When would I have to start repaying loans?Student loans usually stop being deferred when you’re not enrolled. After a short grace period, often six months, payments can start.Ask: Financial aid office
- Will I still have health insurance?A student health plan usually needs you to be enrolled. Make sure you’re covered from January to April.Ask: Student health office
- What about my housing?Ask whether you can leave your housing contract without a penalty and whether you’ll get housing when you come back.Ask: Housing office
- I’m on a student visa. Does this affect it?For F-1 students, not enrolling usually ends your visa status. Talk to this office before anything else.Ask: International student office
Hackathon
- HackMerced ↗UC Merced's student-run hackathon (HackMerced XI); listed on the STEM Center's student organizations page.
Hard-tech team
- Robotics Society ↗Student robotics club listed on the STEM Center's organizations page (CatLife/Presence profile).
- Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) at UC Merced ↗Vehicle-design engineering club listed on the STEM Center's organizations page.
CS club
- Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) at UC Merced ↗Computing student chapter listed on the UC Merced STEM Center student organizations page.
- Machine Learning Club ↗ML-focused student club listed on the STEM Center's organizations page.
Why 81
Spend the winter building. Southbound runs Jan 11 to Apr 11, 2027 in Miami. Acceptance is rolling.
What we could find (checked Oct 22, 2026). Not final: confirm dates and aid with your school before you act. Some source pages show no date or blocked our automated check. Confirm the details with your school. We date pages from server timestamps, page metadata, “last updated” text, PDF dates and the Wayback Machine.