UC Merced and Fresno Unified Launch Guaranteed Admission Path with Scholarship Opportunity

A new program between UC Merced and the Fresno Unified School District guarantees admission to UC Merced for qualified high school juniors and offers each student the chance to earn up to $12,000 in scholarships.

The Merced Automatic Admission Program (MAAP) agreement notes that both UC Merced and Fresno Unified "recognize the importance of higher education and its transformative impact on Fresno and neighboring communities."

UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz and Fresno Unified Superintendent Misty Her made the agreement official at a signing ceremony Sept. 19 at McLane High School in Fresno.

"We are deeply committed to our Valley neighbors, to their families and their success, and we know that the best path to social mobility is through higher education," Muñoz said. "We want local students to join our community. We want to show them the universe. We want them to know that UC Merced is a place where there are no limits on your intellectual and professional journeys."

Her leads the third-largest school district in California, serving about 71,000 students.

"This new guaranteed admissions partnership will pave the way for more of our students to pursue their education at UC Merced, enhancing opportunities for a rich college experience," Her said.

Muñoz also announced an exciting expansion of college access for Fresno Unified students: those who meet the program's requirements will be eligible to receive a $3,000-per-year scholarship, renewable for up to four years for a total of $12,000.

To be eligible for automatic admission, students must meet requirements such as completing the minimum of 15 A-G courses required for freshman UC admissions with a weighted GPA of 3.0, submitting the Guarantee Admissions Application starting March of a student's junior year, and submitting the University of California Undergraduate Application for Admission and Scholarships during the Oct. 1 --Nov. 30 priority filing period.

Fresno Unified is the latest of dozens of school districts across California that have partnered with UC Merced for the MAAP partnership.

For more information on the MAAP partnership and to learn more about the program's complete requirements, visit the MAAP webpage.

Alyssa Johansen