Dave Burk © SOM
UC Merced opened Sept. 5, 2005, as the newest campus in the University of California system and the first American research university of the 21st century. Situated near Yosemite National Park, the campus significantly expands access to the UC system for students throughout the state, with a special mission to increase college-going rates among students in the San Joaquin Valley. It also serves as a major base of advanced research, a model of sustainable design and construction, and a stimulus to economic growth and diversification throughout the region.
UC Merced offers a growing list of majors and minors, and graduate programs taught by more than 250 tenure-track faculty members, visiting professors and lecturers, who have come to us from some of the world's top-ranked universities.
A new chapter began at UC Merced on June 1, 2020 with the completion of the massive $1.2 billion Merced 2020 Project, an extensive expansion of the campus’ physical space and capacity.
The project is the largest public-private partnership social infrastructure project completed in U.S. history and will enable the UC’s newest and fastest-growing campus to accommodate up to 10,000 students.
