New year begins at U.C. Merced

U.C. MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- Thousands of students in the North Valley are headed back to U.C. Merced.

It's an exciting time as they've reached a new enrollment high and that's just the beginning.

U.C. Merced is celebrating a new high in student enrollment with more than 7 thousand students starting classes on Tuesday. In addition to new students, there is a new academic building as well as an expansion plan aimed at nearly double the size of its existing campus. The four year project will allow the campus to grow to 10 thousand students by 2020 as well as accommodate more student housing.

Groundbreaking is planned for October 14th. The first phase of buildings is scheduled for 2018.

Thousands of students in the North Valley are headed back to U.C. Merced.