UC Merced enrollment climbs past 9,000 students, as many colleges nationwide see declines
UC Merced announced its enrollment has surpassed 9,000 students for the first time since the university opened up in 2005.
UC Merced has 9,018 students enrolled for the fall 2020 semester, with classes being administered through remote learning due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The student population includes 8,276 undergraduate students and 742 graduate students, which are both the highest numbers for each group in the university’s history.
The total number of students at UC Merced is up from 8,847 total enrollment from Fall of 2019.
“Obviously we’re very pleased and encouraged of the trajectory of the university,” said UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sanchez Muñoz.
UC Merced’s increase in enrollment comes at a time where most colleges in the United States are seeing enrollment declines.The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reports that many schools are seeing a 2.5% drop in enrollment in undergraduate students.
Muñoz pointed out many factors that make UC Merced an attractive option for potential students.
“I think the culture of support, the quality of the faculty, the modernity of our facilities and the growing national reputation of the institution, as well as of course, the general reputation of the University of California,” Muñoz said.
“All of those things and of course the high ambition of the local and regional students.”
Growing campus
The university’s goal is to increase the student population from the current 9,000 students to 15,000 students in 2030, according to Muñoz.
UC Merced just recently completed its $1.3 billion 2020 Project that helped double the size of the campus the past four years.
The project added 13 structures, including an eight-lane competitive swimming pool. There are new classrooms, student wellness, and counseling facilities, student housing, recreational areas, and more space for research at the university.
Muñoz says students have noticed the changes.
“They are aware of the increase of the size of campus, increase in some facilities, but obviously they are not as familiar with all the technical aspects of the new buildings that have been put on the campus,” Muñoz said.
“But what they know is it’s a campus on the move, they know that it’s a campus that is growing, and they know it’s a campus that is rising in the rankings and the caliber of faculty that continue to accept appointments here”.
UC Merced’s reputation is growing
UC Merced is building a national reputation. It was ranked No. 76 in Money magazine’s latest “Best Colleges” list, which is based off of the value its education.
The magazine looked for schools that combine quality and affordability based off criteria like tuition fees, money borrowed and career earnings.
UC Merced also made Monday’s list of Most Transformative Colleges, which is based on value-added scores for graduation rates, earnings, and student loan repayment. UC Merced was ranked No. 12 on the list, which was the highest rank of any UC campus.
U.S. News & World Report placed UC Merced in the top 100 universities in the U.S. — 40th among all public institutions. Times Higher Education ranked it as the No. 3 “young university” in the country.
“What is encouraging to me not just the enrollment of the undergraduates, but what I think is equally important is to recognize the increase for transfer students, which is an important sector of our educational continuum in the Valley and California,” Muñoz said.
Due to COVID-19, there are only 350 to 370 students currently living in the dorms at UC Merced, according to Muñoz. The hope is to bring a few more students back on campus in the spring, if possible.
“As of now, we have a very low rate of positive tests,” Muñoz said. “As are most campuses, we hope should conditions remain as they are at this moment, we would hope to bring back a few more students in the spring.”
This story was originally published September 26, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
