The first exchange student cohort at UC Merced consisted of five students arriving from Chile, China, and South Africa, pictured above.
As UCEAP celebrates its 60th year, fall 2022 marks another important milestone: the 10-year anniversary of UCEAP Reciprocity students’ participation at the UC Merced campus. Seventy-five students from 20 countries have benefited from the warm welcome of the campus community. This group of high achieving students have studied in majors including engineering, economics and management, physical and social sciences, as well as the humanities. Students have cited access to undergraduate research and proximity to some of California’s most spectacular recreational areas and parks as highlights of their study abroad.
Bringing the first exchange students to UC Merced was a years-long effort to lay the foundations, set expectations, provide support, and find the right cohort of students to thrive at a new campus where nearly all students saw themselves as pioneers on a fledgling campus.
These reciprocal exchange students have uniquely enriched the undergraduate experience at UC Merced. UC Merced has had great success in reaching out to and serving Californians, especially from the heart of the Central Valley, but enrolls a relatively small number of international degree-seeking undergraduates. UCEAP reciprocity students bring new energy and diversity to the UC Merced undergraduate population. With each semester they recharge the vitality and enhance the undergraduate educational experience of Californians enrolled at UC Merced who might not otherwise have exposure to such diverse perspectives among their peers. We look forward to welcoming many more decades of UCEAP Reciprocity Bobcats!
Another eight exchange students are studying at UC Merced this fall 2022 term. The largest cohort is coming from Singapore but others are here from Denmark, Japan, and Thailand.
