healthcare professionals. UC Merced's School of Medicine also collaborates with UC San Francisco medical schools, which strengthens educational opportunities available to SJV Prime students and connects them to broader networks of medical professionals. It is an innovative medical education pathway that allows students to complete four years of an undergraduate degree followed by four years of medical school, with a focus on producing healthcare providers who are committed to serving the underserved communities of the San Joaquin Valley.
In early February in 2025, UC Merced earned R1 status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. With the designation UC Merced became the only R1 university in the Central Valley. It was announced by the American Council on Education and came less than twenty years after UC Merced opened in 2005, making it one of the youngest institutes to ever attain the classification.
== Organization and administration ==
=== Governance ===
Being one of the …
