UC Merced opened Sept. 5, 2005, as the newest campus in the University of California system and the first American research university of the 21st century. The University of California, Merced, has been designated a “doctoral-granting university with higher research activity” — or R2, the second-highest classification for American research universities — in its first appearance on the highly cited Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Situated near Yosemite National Park, the campus significantly expands access to the UC system for students throughout the state, with a special mission to increase college-going rates among students in the San Joaquin Valley. It also serves as a major base of advanced research, a model of sustainable design and construction, and a stimulus to economic growth and diversification throughout the region. In June 2020, UC Merced completed the Merced 2020 Project, a $1.3 billion public-private partnership (P3) that doubled its footprint. The project is the largest public-private partnership social infrastructure project completed in U.S. history and will enable the UC’s newest and fastest-growing campus to accommodate up to 10,000 students.