August 25, 2026 - By James Leonard - Merced College is welcoming students back for the 2026-27 academic year following several years of substantial enrollment growth and with major projects taking shape across the district.

The college served 21,722 students in 2025-26, an all-time high and an increase of more than 40 percent since 2021-22. That growth has been accompanied by increases in student achievement: Merced College awarded a record 3,416 degrees and certificates in 2024-25, up 17 percent over four years.

As classes begin, 12,096 students are currently registered for the fall semester, a number that will continue to grow as students enroll in open and late-start classes throughout the coming weeks. Merced College is offering 1,381 sections this fall, with face-to-face, hybrid and fully online options designed to provide students flexibility in how they attend.

“There is tremendous momentum at Merced College as we begin this academic year,” President Chris Vitelli said. “We continue to grow and innovate, but everything we are building—from student housing and new facilities to technology and workforce programs—is ultimately about creating more opportunities for students to succeed. As we move forward, it is also important that we stay grounded in the core values that guide how we serve our students and our community.”

AgTEC Expansion Continues

Construction of the approximately 22,000-square-foot AgTEC Innovation Center continues to progress, with completion of the primary facility anticipated in February 2027. The center will include specialized spaces for food processing, sanitation and food-safety training, classrooms and a retail market.

Development is also continuing on the Merced College instructional farm, which is being built as both a working farm and an agricultural technology demonstration site featuring automation, sensors and precision agriculture technology.

In partnership with Reservoir Farms, the college is developing an approximately 6-acre testing area where students can gain exposure to emerging agricultural equipment, robotics, software and other technologies in a real-world environment.

Merced College has also submitted an application to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office seeking approval for its first bachelor’s degree, a proposed Bachelor of Science in Applied Agricultural Technology Systems.

“What makes this especially exciting is that we are not building a facility, a farm or a bachelor’s degree in isolation,” said Cody Jacobsen, Dean of Agriculture and Industrial Technology. “We are creating an interconnected agricultural education ecosystem. Our goal is to build pathways that reflect where agriculture is going and prepare our students to lead that future.”

Promise Housing Opens This Spring

One of the most significant new opportunities for students will come in January, when Merced College students begin moving into Promise Housing at UC Merced.

The project will provide dedicated housing for Merced College students within UC Merced’s student housing community, giving students a new residential option while strengthening the connection between the two institutions and creating a clearer pathway for students considering transfer.

Housing applications are expected to open in October, and Merced College and UC Merced are working to make detailed information available to students in September. College officials say there has already been significant interest from both incoming and continuing students.

“Housing insecurity and the high cost of living are among the biggest barriers our students face today,” said Tylina Burdell, the college’s inaugural Director of Student Housing. “Promise Housing provides an opportunity to alleviate those pressures and opens a clear pathway toward transfer at UC Merced.”

New Investments in Technology and Workforce Training

Merced College is continuing to expand its use of immersive learning through Dreamscape Learn, while exploring how artificial intelligence can support the development of new learning environments more efficiently and at greater scale.

The college is developing an AI-enhanced environment creation tool to support Dreamscape development, while faculty continue to create learning experiences in virtual reality using an updated development kit. The work is part of a broader effort to thoughtfully explore emerging technologies that can improve teaching, learning and student support.

At the Los Banos Campus, planning and design are underway for a new welding building and renovation of the campus quad, part of a broader series of improvements supported by a voter-approved bond. The project is currently in the design-build phase, with the college continuing to evaluate facility needs and design concepts before construction moves forward.

Merced College will also open the new South Merced Education & Workforce Center this fall at the Stephen Leonard Youth Center. In a recent survey of South Merced residents, 75 percent of respondents said they or someone in their household would use the center once it opens, with the strongest areas of interest including job training and skills development, college-credit courses, health and wellness classes, College for Kids, and support services such as financial aid assistance, study space, resume and interview workshops, digital skills training, and career counseling.

The center will strengthen the college’s outreach in South Merced and connect residents with educational advising, career exploration, youth and family programming, technology access and other college resources. Future programming will be shaped by community input, available funding and partnerships.

“These projects represent different needs in different parts of our district, but they share a common purpose,” Vitelli said. “We want students and families throughout our region to see Merced College as a place that is growing with them, responding to their needs and creating new possibilities for their future.”

Registration for Fall 2026 remains available for many classes, including late-start sections. For information about classes, programs and student services, visit mccd.edu/enroll.

Source: Merced College