Merced highlight
University of California, Merced
The University of California, Merced opened in fall 2005 as the tenth campus in the UC system and the first research university built in the U.S. in the 21st century.
UC Merced was established on September 5, 2005, by the University of California system to serve the growing population of the San Joaquin Valley. The first undergraduate classes began the following day with 706 freshmen, 132 transfer students, and 37 graduate students. The campus was intentionally located on the site of the former Merced Hills Golf Course to minimize environmental impact on the region's natural landscape and vernal pools.
Today the campus spans over 800 acres with multiple colleges serving thousands of students each year. The university has evolved from a small regional institution into a comprehensive research university, achieving R1 research status in 2025 to become the only R1-classified institution in the Central Valley and one of the youngest universities in the country to attain this distinction. Visitors come from throughout the Valley to experience a campus designed for both teaching and groundbreaking research.
A university brings stability to a region: faculty and staff who build careers there, students who settle nearby after graduation, research partnerships that create jobs. For many families in Merced with a member studying at UC or working for the university, planning for income protection means planning for the people who depend on that employment, for the years until retirement or until young dependents become independent—exactly what term life coverage is designed to do.