University of California, Merced is a public research university in Merced, California, with institutional roots dating to 2005. UC Merced is the University of California’s newest campus and the first American research university founded in the 21st century. The campus grew from a 1988 UC Regents decision to plan a new San Joaquin Valley university, a Merced-site selection in 1995, and years of campus development before opening to undergraduates in September 2005. Academically, the institution is shaped by engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, management, public health, data science, environmental systems, and interdisciplinary research. Undergraduate students encounter University of California general education and major requirements combined with early research access, laboratories, fieldwork, design, internships, sustainability, and close faculty interaction. Graduate and professional education extends into master’s and doctoral programs in engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, public health, management, data, and interdisciplinary research. Teaching commonly combines lectures, seminars, laboratories, research, design projects, fieldwork, internships, and project-based learning, allowing students to move from foundational coursework into increasingly specialized academic, professional, creative, or research work. Research at UC Merced is particularly visible in climate, sustainability, water, energy, engineering, materials, computing, public health, environmental systems, cognitive science, and social science. The institution supports this activity through modern science and engineering laboratories, sustainability-focused campus facilities, field sites across the San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada, libraries, research centers, and interdisciplinary institutes. University of California, Merced undergraduates in areas such as Applied Mathematics and Bioengineering can pursue faculty-guided research, projects, fieldwork, studios, clinical experiences, or other experiential formats supported by their programs, while graduate students work within deeper disciplinary or interdisciplinary research settings. Student life includes residence halls, student organizations, research, cultural communities, athletics and recreation, entrepreneurship, public service, and a close-knit residential campus environment. The setting matters because Merced places students in California’s San Joaquin Valley with direct access to agricultural, environmental, water, public-health, energy, and regional-development issues as well as the Sierra Nevada and Yosemite region. At University of California, Merced, advising and student life in Merced complement academics through organizations, cultural programs, athletics, public service, entrepreneurship, and career preparation tied to the campus community. Admissions and affordability are institution-specific. UC Merced does not use SAT or ACT scores for admission or scholarship selection. Incoming students are automatically considered for the UC Regents Scholarship and institutional scholarships through the campus financial-aid process. University of California, Merced tuition can vary by residency, school, degree level, enrollment status, or cohort when the university publishes separate pricing structures. For University of California, Merced graduate students, funding varies by program; areas such as Applied Mathematics and Bioengineering may use assistantships, fellowships, scholarships, research support, or external awards under their published rules. Overall, University of California, Merced combines a young UC research environment, strong student access, sustainability, early research opportunities, and direct engagement with California’s Central Valley. University of California, Merced's academic structure supports choices ranging from Applied Mathematics to Bioengineering, while individual schools retain their own requirements and student communities.