The University of California, Merced (also referred to as UC Merced or UCM), is the tenth and newest of the University of California campuses. Located in the San Joaquin Valley in unincorporated Merced County, California, near Merced, UC Merced was the first American research university to be built in the 21st century. The University is also a census-designated place (CDP). that was uninhabited at the 2010 census.