letter from the director

Dear colleagues,

Several weeks ago, UC Merced students, faculty and staff gathered to welcome the Fall 2019 incoming class. It was exciting to greet the students and think about their time here, experiencing a new university that is rapidly growing and evolving. As a staff member who began working at the newest UC around the same time our first undergraduate class set foot on the campus, I have personally witnessed how much has changed.

There was another big transition this summer as Encarnación Ruiz retired as the Director of Admissions, after many years of dedicated service and passionate leadership. His contribution to the UC Merced campus community cannot be overstated. I joined his team in 2005 as he helped launch a fledgling campus and ushered in a continuously burgeoning student body each year. I am honored to be serving as Interim Director of Admissions, working to pick up where he left off and help his vision come to fruition.

I am perpetually impressed with the physical growth of our campus as new buildings spring up and we move toward completion of the University’s 2020 plan. Last month, a ribbon-cutting marked the opening of the new Academic Quad, where the Sustainability Research and Engineering Building serves as an anchor along with the Arts and Computational Sciences Building. The two buildings are the headliners of the second phase of the project and provide the campus space to expand its interdisciplinary approach to research and teaching.

While UC Merced’s size increases, it also continues to garner more and more national recognition as one of the top universities in the country and for the transformative educational experience it provides for students. The campus received another notable accolade recently, making its first appearance in The Princeton Review’s “Best 385 Colleges” guide.

The fastest-growing public research university in the nation is also the fastest-rising university in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings. UC Merced made the biggest leap of any university, moving from No. 136 to No. 104 overall and from No. 67 to No. 44 among public universities. The university is also ranked No. 1 in the nation for student outcomes, including No. 13 among public universities for best undergraduate teaching, No. 7 overall for social mobility, No. 1 in the nation for the percentage of students receiving need-based aid, and No. 1 in outperforming expected graduation rates. I look forward to working with you this year, as we continue to offer remarkable opportunities for students to excel.

Important news and reminders:

• Beginning with the fall 2020 semester, UC Merced will likely implement a waitlist process, and all students who opt in to the waitlist offer will be guaranteed admission for spring 2021.
• We welcome transfer applicants, and they can now apply for newly approved TAGs (Transfer Admission Guarantees) in two majors in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts: Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, and Philosophy. For more information about majors, eligibility and required preparation, please visit admissions.ucmerced.edu/transfer/tag.
• Would you like UC Merced to visit your school? If so, you can email admissions@ucmerced.edu to request a visit from an Admissions representative.
• We encourage you to bring students to UC Merced so they can explore the campus for themselves. To schedule a tour, visit admissions.ucmerced.edu/visit-us, email tours@ucmerced.edu or call 209-228-6316.

Dustin Noji

Interim Director of Admissions

University of California, Merced