MERCED, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – UC Merced was named the top university in the nation for “social mobility” by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
According to officials with UC Merced, the ranking was due to their success and commitment to attracting, retaining, and helping students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds complete their degrees and graduate into fruitful careers.
“At UC Merced, we routinely say that we don’t do what we do for rankings, but when you excel others will always take notice,” Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz said. “We hope this recent acknowledgment will be yet another opportunity for people to learn about the exceptional culture of student success that has taken root at UC Merced.”
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When compiling the annual report, the WSJ, along with research partners from College Pulse and Statista, say they examined several factors including student outcomes, the learning environment, and student diversity.
The rankings also take into account the proportion of students from lower-income families, graduation rates, impact on graduate salaries, and affordability.
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“UC Merced is redefining post-secondary opportunity and excellence,” Muñoz said. “For far too long, lower-income students, including those from our region, were told that a UC education was unattainable. But thanks to the tireless work of our faculty and staff, as well as our partners and supporters, that is no longer the case.”
According to the university, almost 60% of their student body is Pell-Grant eligible and 65% are first-generation.
UC Merced said it is able to help these students move up the socio-economic ladder by providing them with readily accessible resources and getting in contact with prospective students prior to their arrival on campus.
To help accomplish the later, the university says it works with K-12 campuses throughout the Central Valley to advance college and career readiness at middle and high schools.
Once these students become Bobcats, the university says fostering a connection to the campus and fellow students is stressed to instill a sense of belonging, and regular check-ins are conducted to measure student progress.
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