U.C.-Merced is a land-grant public postsecondary institution serving San Joaquin Valley communities and students from across California, the U.S., and around the globe.
U.C.-Merced provides excellent education and research and is known for its outstanding public service.
The school’s founding principles reflect ongoing efforts to expand inclusion and access and to serve the community through lifelong learning opportunities and educational programs at various levels for all community members.
U.C.-Merced opened in 2005 as the University of California’s most recent campus and the first 21st-century research university in the United States.
U.C.-Merced’s mission is to provide outstanding teaching and research and deliver the best possible public service to benefit the local community by serving as an active repository of theoretical and applied knowledge and promoting diversity among all community members.
The school is renowned as one of America’s best universities, not only for academic quality, but also for transforming graduates’ lives.
A Top University
Numerous prestigious publications (including The Princeton Review, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Monthly, Money Magazine, and U.S. News & World Report) have ranked U.C.-Merced highly for its top-notch academic offerings and environmental sustainability programs.
U.S. News & World Report lists U.C.-Merced among America’s top 25 public universities, and Forbes also ranks the school among America’s Top Colleges.
The Wall Street Journal and Money Magazine recognize U.C.-Merced as one of America’s Best 14 Colleges, and Washington Monthly calls it one of the nation’s best colleges for your tax dollars!
Admission requires a high school diploma or GED, and students without a secondary degree can earn a GED quickly by registering for the affordable online course developed by Onsego GED Prep. GED Testing Service recognizes Onsego’s program as fully compliant with the current GED test!
Learning – Discovery – Engagement
U.C.-Merced is a research university engaging its community in learning, discovery, and engagement. The school offers top-notch quality undergraduate academic programs and challenging, student-centered research and graduate programs.
U.C.-Merced encourages cross-disciplinary discovery and inquiry, and linking disciplines stimulates new knowledge, promoting solutions that transcend traditional academic boundaries.
In September 2005, U.C.-Merced welcomed its first undergraduate students, with most on-campus activities taking place in the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library and the Valley Terrace housing complex. The school opened its Office Building and Science & Engineering Building in January 2006.
Over the last two decades, U.C.-Merced’s School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts has become an internationally recognized academic institution that provides in-depth undergraduate and graduate education.
U.C.-Merced Centers
U.C.-Merced not only helps students from across California, the nation, and the world earn prestigious degrees from the University of California system. The school also offers a number of services to Central Valley communities and businesses, including educational programs for everyone.
U.C.-Merced Centers deliver many of these community-centered programs through outreach. These centers play a critical role in fulfilling the school’s important mission to support San Joaquin Valley’s communities.
U.C.-Merced has outreach centers in Merced (Promenade and Downtown Centers), Fresno (Center for Educational Partnerships), and in Atwater (Castle Aviation & Development Center).
The University of California-Merced Campus
5200 N Lake Rd
Merced, CA 95343, Phone: (209) 228-4400
U.C.-Centers
Merced-Promenade
767 E Yosemite Ave, Merced, CA 95340
Merced-Downtown Center
655 W 18th St, Merced, CA 95340
Atwater-Castle Center
4225 N Hospital Rd, Atwater, CA 95301
Fresno-Center for Educational Partnerships
550 E Shaw Ave, Ste 105, Fresno, CA 93710