Why is UC Merced one of the nation’s top schools for low-income students?

UC Merced’s popularity among first-generation and low-income students who go on to graduate has the university climbing a social mobility list.

The school ranked high for social mobility, placing No. 3 in the nation for getting Pell Grant recipients to graduate at higher-than-predicted rates, according to Washington Monthly’s 2017 College Rankings.

UC Merced ranked No. 5 last year for social mobility. Pell Grants are often used as a marker to count low-income students.

In the overall National Universities rankings, UC Merced placed No. 43 out of 303.

The university is also No. 10 in the nation for students who are the first in their families to go to college, which account for 71 percent of the campus’s total enrollment.

Chancellor Dorothy Leland said the school takes pride in giving students an affordable education and the support they need to succeed. “In one of the most under-served regions in the state, we are providing students with a transformative, life-changing experience,” she said in a statement.

For the second-straight year, the university landed in the top 10 in the “Best Bang for the Buck Western Colleges” list, at No. 9.

“UC Merced is rapidly growing and maturing into a pillar of the San Joaquin Valley and the University of California,” Leland said. “We’re building a strong foundation for the future of our region, state and nation.”

This story was originally published August 29, 2017 at 8:38 AM with the headline "Why is UC Merced one of the nation’s top schools for low-income students?."