Economic Impact

UC Merced Injects Over $1 Billion in Economic Vitality into San Joaquin Valley, State

January 20, 2026

UC Merced, a beacon of academic achievement in the San Joaquin Valley, is also a powerful driver of economic growth and prosperity in the region it was created to serve. UC Merced generates $1.12 billion in economic production per year in the Valley, according to an...

Southern California Edison Earns Engineering Vanguard Award

Southern California Edison has been selected as this year’s recipient of the UC Merced School of Engineering Vanguard Margin of Excellence Award. “Southern California Energy’s partnership with UC...

Campus Issues Request for Qualifications for Developers

The University of California, Merced, opened a competitive process on April 17 by issuing a request for qualifications (RFQ) for a development team to be part of its vital plan to further grow the ...

Research Universities Create Economic Spillover, Study Shows

A $1 increase in university spending generates an 89 cent increase in local noneducation labor income — evidence of a measurable spillover effect created by public research institutions, according to...

Campus Begins 2014 with Ambitious Expansion Plans

The University of California, Merced, is searching for a development team that will prove instrumental in financing and significantly expanding the campus’ size and capacity to enroll 10,000 students...

UC Merced Wraps Another Record Year

Between record enrollment and research expenditures, a massive economic impact on the San Joaquin Valley, new buildings and a visit from the new UC president, the University of California, Merced,...

New Big Data Program Draws NSF Funding for UC Merced

As the world continues to amass more digital data everyday, thousands of skilled mathematicians will be needed to slice it into meaningful pieces that can help power the information economy. With the...

Campus's Economic Contribution to Region Approaches $1 Billion

The nearly $1 billion the University of California, Merced, has pumped into the region’s economy since operations began is significantly contributing to the San Joaquin Valley’s economic recovery,...

Research Investment Grows to Record $17.3 Million

Research expenditures at the University of California, Merced, increased by more than 9 percent in the 2012-13 fiscal year, to a record $17.3 million, according to data released today by the...

New Blum Center at UC Merced to Focus on Valley Prosperity

UC Merced has a unique opportunity to help the San Joaquin Valley as the university forges the newest branch of the Blum Center for Developing Economies. The $400,000, two-year seed grant through the...