Merced highlight
University of California, Merced
The University of California, Merced, established in 2005, is the newest campus in the UC system and serves the Central Valley.
UC Merced opened its doors in 2005 as the first research university built in California in the 21st century and the tenth campus of the University of California system. It was designed specifically to serve the educational needs of the San Joaquin Valley and surrounding regions, bringing world-class higher education to an area underserved by research institutions.
The campus has grown to serve thousands of undergraduate and graduate students across engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, and management programs. UC Merced's location at the valley's center makes it accessible to students from Merced, Stanislaus, and surrounding counties, and it functions as an economic and intellectual hub for the region.
For families in Merced, a student's path through UC Merced often means shared household decisions: whether a parent returns to work, whether siblings receive support, how long education funding needs to last. Life insurance on the working members of a household protects those educational plans if the unexpected occurs.