University of California, Merced
| Motto | Fiat lux (Latin) |
|---|---|
Motto in English | Let there be light |
| Type | Public land-grant research university |
| Established | September 5, 2005 |
Parent institution | University of California |
| Accreditation | WSCUC |
| Endowment | $32.9 million (2024) |
| Budget | $399.4 million (2022–23) |
| Chancellor | Juan Sánchez Muñoz |
| Provost | Betsy Dumont |
Academic staff | 463 (April 2025) |
Administrative staff | 1,330 (April 2025) |
| Students | 9,110 (fall 2024) |
| Undergraduates | 8,372 (fall 2024) |
| Postgraduates | 738 (fall 2024) |
| Location | , , United States 37°21′58″N 120°25′25″W / 37.366°N 120.4235°W |
| Campus | Fringe rural Core Campus: 245 acres (99 ha) Total: 8,195 acres (3,316 ha), 1,026 acres (415 ha) |
| Other campuses | |
| Newspaper | The Prodigy |
| Colors | Bobcat Blue Bobcat Gold |
| Nickname | Golden Bobcats |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division II – CCAA |
| Mascot | Rufus the Bobcat |
| Website | ucmerced.edu |
The University of California, Merced (UC Merced or colloquially, UCM) is a public land-grant research university in Merced County, California, United States. Established in 2005, UC Merced is the tenth and newest campus in the University of California (UC) system. The primary campus is located around 5 miles (8.0 km) north of the city of Merced and sits adjacent to Lake Yosemite. The main campus is around 1,026 acres (415 hectares) in size and is adjacent to large swaths of protected natural grasslands and vernal pools, which have shaped its development, capital planning, and research.
UC Merced offers over 60 undergraduate degrees and 18 graduate and professional degrees and roughly 8,000 undergraduates and 700 graduate students were enrolled at UCM as of fall 2023. In 2025 the university was classified as an R1 Carnegie research institution.