U.C. Merced kicks off their 10th year with record enrollment

U.C. MERCED (KFSN) -- More than 6,000 U.C. Merced students are heading back to class on Thursday.

This year marks the tenth operational year for the U.C. campus, which is growing every year.

The University of California, Merced, marks a major milestone on Thursday with the start of the 2014-15 academic year - its tenth since opening its doors in 2005 as the first new U.C. campus in 40 years.

"We begin the year with our strongest class of incoming freshmen and the largest and most diverse student body in our history," said U.C. Merced Chancellor Dorothy Leland. "The hopes and aspirations of these talented young scholars serve as a poignant reminder of why U.C. Merced was established and the promise it holds for many generations to come."

The freshman class of 2018 is expected to total approximately 1,550 students when the final tally is announced this fall, pushing total enrollment to about 6,360 students. That compares with total enrollment of 6,195 last year and just 875 in U.C. Merced's inaugural year. Graduate students are expected to make up roughly 400 of the total, up from 358 in 2013-2014.

"We continue to see strong demand for admission from all over the state, despite an uneven rebound in the California economy," said Leland. "Our students enjoy the many benefits of a UC-caliber education in an intimate, personalized environment unlike any other in the UC system. It's a formula that resonates with young men and women who want to be more involved in shaping their education and the campus they'll call home for the next four years."

U.C. Merced is also celebrating the opening of a new facility. The "Science and Engineering Building Two" has both classroom space and labs. The building is designed to be extremely energy efficient, with a solar collector on the roof that can supply the whole building with hot water. It also has a special covering on the front windows that generates 52 kilowatts of solar energy.

Administrators say the new addition provides much needed educational, research, and office space to the crowded campus.