Spotlight on the University of California at Merced

Today's spotlight takes us to California's San Joaquin Valley where we find the University of California at Merced. If you've never heard of the school, that's probably because it didn't exist a decade ago. The first classes were held in 2005 -- UC Merced was the first American research university built in the 21st century. The Regents of the University of California chose the San Joaquin Valley region for a new campus because of pressures on other UC campuses, and because the region was underrepresented in the University of California system.

So far, UC Merced's greatest strengths are in science and engineering, but the university is expanding and has schools of management and medicine in the works. For the moment, it has the lowest admissions bar of all the UC campuses, but that could quickly change in the coming years. For students with a sense of adventure, UC Merced provides an environment where they can help define the future of this emerging and promising university.

The campus sits by Lake Yosemite about seven miles from downtown Merced, and designers have worked to have a minimal impact on the environment. The student body at UC Merced is remarkably diverse.

Every week I spotlight a great college that might be off the radar of college applicants. If you'd like to recommend a school for a future spotlight, please do so here in the College Admissions forum. And if you're familiar with the University of California at Merced, please share your impressions below.

To learn more about the University of California at Merced, be sure to check out the UC Merced profile and visit the school's official website.

Related Links:

• Colleges Featured in the Weekly Spotlights
• The University of California System
• A Side-By-Side Comparison of the UC Campuses
• SAT Scores for the UC Campuses