Study: UC Merced Expansion Project Will Pump $700 Million Into Local Economy | Newsroom (2024)

The Merced 2020 Project, which added 13 facilities to UC Merced’s campus and nearly doubled its square footage, has so far contributed $510.9 million to the regional economy through construction costs alone.

Taking into account staffing, ongoing maintenance, additional students and their post-graduation employment, the total impact of the 2020 Project is estimated at $696.7 million through 2030, or $23.7 million per year, according to a study produced by Lightcast, a global market analytics firm.

“UC Merced has indeed risen far since its earliest days in 2003, when a dedicated, visionary group of eight faculty, along with staff and graduate students, labored at the former Castle Air Force Base,” UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz said. “We have amassed a record and reputation truly unparalleled in American higher education — a record of research and teaching, of public service, of social mobility and of economic uplift to our community.”

Lightcast issued a previous report on the annual impact of overall UC Merced operations, looking at the year 2018-2019, before the full realization of the 2020 Project. It found the university’s economic contribution to the San Joaquin Valley to be $514.6 million per year.

Among other findings, Lightcast reported that a student graduating from UC Merced with a bachelor’s degree will earn, on average, $26,900 more each year than the average Valley worker with only a high school diploma.

"UC Merced's 2020 Project is not only expected to expand the San Joaquin Valley economy through the short-term injection of money to construct the 13 new buildings and supporting infrastructure, but also is expected to increasingly grow the regional economy by providing more students with access to quality education and providing regional employers with a skilled and knowledgeable workforce,” said Hannah Ruffridge, an economist and Lightcast’s director of education consulting, who oversaw both studies.

Study: UC Merced Expansion Project Will Pump $700 Million Into Local Economy | Newsroom (2024)

FAQs

Study: UC Merced Expansion Project Will Pump $700 Million Into Local Economy | Newsroom? ›

Study: UC Merced Expansion Project Will Pump $700 Million Into Local Economy. The Merced 2020 Project, which added 13 facilities to UC Merced's campus and nearly doubled its square footage, has so far contributed $510.9 million to the regional economy through...

How much did UC Merced cost to build? ›

The scale of the Merced 2020 Project, a $1.2 billion investment, is unprecedented. With 11 new university buildings constructed in just four years, it demonstrates how public-private partnerships (P3s) can make it possible for major infrastructure investments to be financed and delivered in record time.

Is UC Merced growing? ›

UC Merced saw a double-digit rise in applications from first-year students as well as all residency categories including the Central Valley, out-of-state and international.

What is UC Merced Economics ranked? ›

UC Merced Economics Rankings
Ranking TypeRank
Best Economics Schools311
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Economics354
Best Value Colleges for Economics359
Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Veterans420
16 more rows

How does UC Merced affect the economy? ›

Study: UC Merced Expansion Project Will Pump $700 Million Into Local Economy. The Merced 2020 Project, which added 13 facilities to UC Merced's campus and nearly doubled its square footage, has so far contributed $510.9 million to the regional economy through construction costs alone.

Why is UC Merced ranked so high? ›

From professorial research to graduate training to undergraduate education, UC Merced is quickly setting the standard of what is expected of a 21st century research university--while maintaining faith with the traditions of excellence that have made academia the reliable institution it is.

Why does no one go to UC Merced? ›

The newest UC

Compared with other schools in the UC system, UC Merced has significantly lower enrollment numbers. Multiple campus administrators told SFGATE they believe this is because the university is still “young” but said enrollment numbers are rapidly increasing every year.

Is UC Merced a prestigious school? ›

University of California, Merced Rankings

University of California, Merced is ranked #60 out of 439 National Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.

What major is UC Merced best known for? ›

Most Popular Majors
  • Biology. 316 Graduates.
  • Computer Hardware Engineering. 219 Graduates.
  • Business. 188 Graduates.
  • Research and Experimental Psychology. 187 Graduates.
  • Mechanical Engineering. 184 Graduates.
  • Public Health. 141 Graduates.
  • Psychology. 134 Graduates.
  • Political Science and Government. 116 Graduates.

Is UC Merced a Tier 1 school? ›

Tier 3: UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, and UC Riverside. Although these campuses are considered less prestigious compared to Tier 1 and Tier 2 schools, they still provide robust educational offerings and opportunities. 4. Tier 4: UC Merced.

What is Forbes ranked at UC Merced? ›

Forbes rankings by campus
CampusPublicAll universities
UC Irvine2361
UC Riverside3175
UC Santa Cruz3992
UC Merced79173
5 more rows
Sep 7, 2023

Where does UC Merced rank nationally? ›

Only hours ago, the US News & World Report released its 2024 Best Colleges rankings. From among 435 national universities, UC Merced rose a remarkable 37 spots, to No. 60 in the entire country — No. 28 among all public universities nationally — ahead of two of our sister UC campuses.

How much does the UC Merced Chancellor make? ›

The board approved Muñoz's salary at $425,000. UC chancellors are among the lowest-paid university leaders when compared with their Association of American Universities (AAU) peers. Muñoz is married to Dr. Zenaida Aguirre-Muñoz.

How much did USC cost to build? ›

USC Village was completed in August 2017 and cost a whopping $700 million.

How much did universal cost to build? ›

Now, if you literally just clicked into this post to answer the question “how much does it cost to build a theme park or water park”, here you go: Mega theme parks; i.e. Disney and Universal: $2b to $4b USD. Regional and superregional theme parks: $200-$500m USD.

How much did it cost to build Century City? ›

Artist impression of a new mixed-use development, The Square, is to be built at Century City at a cost of R1 billion. More than R4 billion is being invested in developments at Century City, just 12km from the city centre, which when finished will bring the capital value of projects in the precinct to R21bn.

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