University of California, Merced

University of California, Merced is a public research university founded in 2005 as the tenth UC campus, serving roughly 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students across 25 majors and 18 graduate programs. It emphasizes sustainability, holds the first carbon-neutral public research university certification, and operates research institutes spanning health, climate, agriculture, and biotechnology for California's Central Valley.

Company typePublic
Founded2005
HeadquartersMerced, United States
Headcount1,001–5,000
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What University of California, Merced does

University of California, Merced is a public research university founded in 2005 as the tenth and newest campus of the University of California system, and the first American research university built in the 21st century. The institution serves roughly 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students as of the 2025-26 academic year, employing approximately 1,900 staff and more than 450 faculty members across three schools (Engineering; Natural Sciences; Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts) offering 25 undergraduate majors, 25 minors, and 18 graduate programs. Its academic and research infrastructure centers on a portfolio of institutes and centers: the Health Sciences Research Institute, Sierra Nevada Research Institute, UC Solar, CITRIS, MACES, CREST Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Machines, Center for Climate Communication, INSITE, and the Community and Labor Center.

UC Merced's core physical and technology differentiator is a sustainability-anchored campus: the first U.S. public research university certified carbon-neutral, the only American university with every building environmentally certified, and home to 11 LEED Platinum buildings delivered under the $1.3 billion Merced 2020 public-private partnership completed in 2020. The campus sits within 25,000 acres of conserved grassland including the 6,500-acre Vernal Pools-Grasslands Nature Reserve, adjoining Sierra Nevada and San Joaquin Valley ecosystems that serve as living laboratories for climate, water, energy, and agriculture research. Recent federally supported initiatives include Project Nexus (a $20 million state-funded solar-over-canals pilot with Turlock Irrigation District and Solar AquaGrid) and the Farms Food Future agtech program channeling $65 million of American Rescue Plan funding through the Valley Institute for Sustainability, Technology and Agriculture.

The university operates as a public, state-chartered institution under The Regents of the University of California, a 26-member constitutional board, with Juan Sánchez Muñoz, Ph.D. serving as fourth chancellor since July 2020. Revenue is sourced from four streams: tuition and fees (with 84 percent of undergraduates receiving financial aid in 2022-23 and the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan covering systemwide fees for California residents earning under $80,000/year), state appropriations, federal and state research grants (NIH, NSF, NASA, DOJ), and private gifts and donations ($29.7 million in 2020-21). Go-to-market for students is direct-to-consumer via the standard UC application system (opening August 1, with first-year/transfer windows October 1 to December 1 and TAG September 1 to 30) plus campus tours, regional outreach centers in Fresno and Bakersfield serving 144 Valley high schools, and partnerships such as Bobcat Day events.

University of California, Merced firmographics

Firmographics

Name: University of California, Merced
Legal name: University of California, Merced
Website: https://ucmerced.edu
Company type: Public
Founded year: 2005
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1,001–5,000 employees
Short description: University of California, Merced is a public research university founded in 2005 as the tenth UC campus, serving roughly 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students across 25 majors and 18 graduate programs. It emphasizes sustainability, holds the first carbon-neutral public research university certification, and operates research institutes spanning health, climate, agriculture, and biotechnology for California's Central Valley.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

University of California, Merced industry classification

Industry

Product category: Higher Education
NAICS: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)
SIC: Services-Educational Services (8200)
akta.pro primary industry: Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI)
akta.pro secondary industries: Public Research Universities with Engineering/Polytechnic Emphasis (EDAHAAAD), Technical Universities with Energy, Materials & Sustainability Focus (EDAHAEAL)

Keywords

Higher education
Undergraduate programs
Graduate research
Sustainability research
Public research university

Where University of California, Merced is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Merced
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

University of California, Merced business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate student tuition and fees from enrolled students
State Appropriations: State of California funding as part of the University of California system
Research Grants and Contracts: Federal and state research grants, NIH funding, NSF grants, NASA grants ($5M for MACES), California Department of Justice grants ($1.2M for HSRI)
Private Gifts and Donations: Private gift and grant support recorded at $29.7 million in 2020-21

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Annual	In-state tuition with Blue and Gold support

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

University of California, Merced product offering

Product offering

Core offering

UC Merced delivers undergraduate and graduate education through three academic schools (Engineering, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts), offering 25 undergraduate majors and 25 minors plus 18 graduate programs leading to Master's and Ph.D. degrees. The university also operates multiple research institutes and centers producing federally and privately funded research in sustainability, health sciences, advanced solar technology, nanomaterials, cellular and biomolecular machines, climate communication, and rural labor. Services are delivered primarily through the main Merced campus and regional centers in Fresno, Bakersfield, and surrounding communities.

Product overview

University of California, Merced is a public research university offering a portfolio of educational products and services including undergraduate programs (25 majors, 25 minors), graduate programs (18 programs leading to Master's and Ph.D. degrees), and numerous specialized research institutes and centers. The institution operates three academic schools (Engineering, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts) along with research powerhouses including the Health Sciences Research Institute, Sierra Nevada Research Institute, UC Solar, CITRIS, and specialized centers such as MACES (Merced Nanomaterials Center for Energy and Sensing), the Community and Labor Center, and CREST Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Machines. UC Merced positions itself as a leader in sustainability with carbon-neutral certification and LEED-certified campus buildings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Undergraduate Programs
Graduate Programs
UC Extension (Professional and Continuing Education)
Summer Session
Study Abroad

Quantifiable outcome

30+ years ahead of schedule on carbon neutrality goal
+3 more outcomes

Companies that use University of California, Merced

Customer profile

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

University of California, Merced technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

University of California, Merced partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

Turlock Irrigation DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Project Nexus pilot program testing solar panels installed over irrigation canals in Turlock. The 1.6-megawatt installations are funded by $20 million in state funds. UC Merced researchers contributing expertise on solar energy and water conservation studies.
Solar AquaGridcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper partner for Project Nexus solar-over-canals pilot program. UC Merced researchers provide research support while Solar AquaGrid handles development of solar panel installations over irrigation infrastructure.
Lawrence Livermore National LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partnership between UC Merced and national laboratory for advanced research initiatives in science and engineering.
National Park ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partnership for studies involving national park resources, ecology, and environmental research in Sierra Nevada region.
Central Valley Higher Education ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership with other higher education institutions in the Central Valley to advance regional educational goals and research capabilities.
National Security Commission on Emerging BiotechnologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSCEB's Biotech Across America Roadshow visited UC Merced and Modesto examining the region's biotechnology innovation ecosystem for national food security and biomanufacturing capabilities.
BEAM CircularminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal biotech company meeting with commissioners during NSCEB roadshow to discuss biotech solutions for farmers and food security.
Caribou BioFuelsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiotech company participating in biotech ecosystem discussions during National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology roadshow at UC Merced.
VOLT InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional institute meeting with NSCEB commissioners to discuss biotech workforce development and training needs for Central Valley biotech sector.
Farms Food Future (F3)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit funded by $65 million federal grant from 2021 American Rescue Plan supporting UC Merced's Valley Institute for Sustainability, Technology and Agriculture research transforming Central Valley into agtech hub.
Kashia Band of Pomo IndiansminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in discovery of sunflower sea stars off Sonoma County coast - collaborative marine research with multiple organizations.
Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine SanctuariesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal marine sanctuary agencies collaborating on sea star discovery research with UC Merced scientists.
The Nature ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization participating in marine research discovery of sunflower sea stars off California coast.
Sonoma State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity research partner in collaborative sea star discovery and marine biology research project.
Professor Reza EhsanicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUC Merced professor developing low-cost sensor for irrigation recommendations as part of Farms Food Future initiative supporting Central Valley agriculture.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

University of California, Merced competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

University of California, Riverside: Newest UC campus before Merced and most direct structural peer: a public research university within the UC multi-campus system with a comparable access mission, growing research enterprise, and regional anchor role in Inland Southern California.
University of California, Santa Cruz: UC system peer with a similar newer-tier public research profile, strong interdisciplinary sciences, and a comparable trajectory of scaling graduate research and selectivity within the multi-campus UC system.
University of California, Davis: UC system peer with overlapping research strengths in agriculture, environmental science, and sustainability; serves California regions and offers a directly comparable model for translating place-based research into federal and industry funding.
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo: California public polytechnic with a learn-by-doing, applied-research mission that overlaps UC Merced's School of Engineering emphasis and STEM/sustainability positioning, including ABET-accredited programs.

Regional players

California State University, Fresno (Fresno State): Public university serving the same Central Valley geography and competing for the same regional student pool, offering broader-access undergraduate programs that complement UC Merced's research-university tier.
California State University, Bakersfield: Regional public university in Kern County where UC Merced also operates an educational outreach center; comparable Central Valley access mission and serving similar first-generation, low-income student populations.

Broad incumbents

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA): Established UC research powerhouse operating broadly across disciplines; competes with UC Merced within the UC system for faculty, federal grants, and high-achieving in-state applicants.
University of California, San Diego: Larger, more established UC research university with strong STEM, biotech, and climate-science portfolios that intersects with UC Merced's research growth ambitions in engineering and life sciences.
University of California, Berkeley: Flagship UC campus and global research leader; sets the bar for federal grant capture, Nobel-caliber faculty, and national ranking positioning against which UC Merced's growth is benchmarked within the system.
University of California, Irvine: UC system peer that scaled rapidly from a newer-campus base into a top-tier research university, providing a closely watched growth and reputation trajectory benchmark for UC Merced.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

University of California, Merced compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance4 records

University of California, Merced financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

University of California, Merced leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

University of California, Merced funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

University of California, Merced M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about University of California, Merced

What does University of California, Merced do?

Is University of California, Merced a public or private company?

University of California, Merced is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was University of California, Merced founded?

University of California, Merced was founded in 2005. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.

Where is University of California, Merced based?

University of California, Merced is headquartered in Merced, United States, in the North America region.

How does University of California, Merced make money?

Four revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Fees are the primary driver. The others are state Appropriations, research Grants and Contracts and private Gifts and Donations.

Who are University of California, Merced's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are University of California, Riverside, University of California, Santa Cruz, University of California, Davis and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Regional players are California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) and California State University, Bakersfield. Broad incumbents are University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of California, San Diego, University of California, Berkeley and University of California, Irvine.

Does University of California, Merced have an API?

No public API is recorded for University of California, Merced.

What industry is University of California, Merced in?

University of California, Merced's product category is Higher Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHAAAI, Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems, with a secondary code of EDAHAAAD, Public Research Universities with Engineering/Polytechnic Emphasis. Its NAICS code is 6113 and its SIC code is 8200.