Campus Life

UC Merced Earns Perfect Score, Ranks 7th in Nation on Princeton Review’s ‘Top 50 Green Colleges’ List

November 9, 2025

UC Merced was recognized again as a national leader in sustainability, earning a perfect Green Rating score and ranking No. 7 in the nation on The Princeton Review’s 2025 list of Top 50 Green Colleges. The ranking highlights universities that set the standard for environmental stewardship...

Record-Breaking Class Pushes UC Merced Enrollment Near 8,000

The University of California, Merced, received the largest incoming class of students in its 13-year history this semester, as total enrollment neared 8,000 for the first time. The fastest-growing...

A man holds a bright purple instrument in his hands while talking into a microphone headset.

‘Genius’ Award Winner and TED Lecturer to Speak at UC Merced

On Sept. 22, MacArthur "Genius" Award winner and Stanford University bioengineering Professor Manu Prakash will deliver the keynote lecture at the first annual open house for UC Merced...

Professor Roland Winston and his student researchers

Our First Campus Was a Castle

The University of California, Merced, was established in 2005 — or so the story goes. The main campus officially opened in September of that year, but that particular reading of history elides...

Rufus is the real-life iteration of the UC Merced bobcat.

What’s In a Name? The Strength of Bobcats

Five years before it opened, UC Merced held a mascot-naming contest for local elementary school students. Among the nominees: the Marmots, the Hawks and the Black-Tailed Hares “There was an...

Aerial photo from the early days of the UC Merced campus.

Postcards, Persistence Paid Off for Merced

Yazil Navarro might have played a bigger role in the founding of UC Merced than she realizes. As a Merced County second-grader, Navarro — now the learning and professional development manager...

The UC Merced Journey 5K Fund Run is Sept. 9.

Journey 5K Fund Run Honors Late Cross Country Coach

Saturday’s annual Journey 5K Fund Run has special meaning for the UC Merced community. Last November, the campus lost Ryan Nunez — head coach of the men’s and women’s cross...

New Academic Year Brings New Faces, Opportunities

More than 2,200 students — many entering their first year at UC Merced — arrived last weekend in cars, trucks and minivans packed to the gills with living essentials from clothing and...

Campus Named a Top-50 ‘Cool School’ for Sustainability

UC Merced checks in at No. 50 in the Sierra Club’s 2017 "Cool Schools" list, rising more than 30 spots from its previous position in the ranking of sustainable colleges and...

Sun setting in red-orange sky over darkened mountain range as seen from UC Merced's Kolligian Library.

Professors Demystify Eclipse for Merced Skygazers

As the frenzy surrounding the Aug. 21 solar eclipse begins to peak, physics Professor Wil van Breugel is using the opportunity to give Merced stargazers a crash course in the science and history of...

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