{"id":4780,"date":"2023-04-13T18:15:46","date_gmt":"2023-04-13T18:15:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/college-track.test\/?post_type=press&p=4780"},"modified":"2026-06-13T03:50:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T03:50:38","slug":"uc-merced-and-college-track-announce-official-partnership-to-democratize-potential","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/collegetrack.org\/es\/articles\/uc-merced-and-college-track-announce-official-partnership-to-democratize-potential\/","title":{"rendered":"UC Merced and College Track Announce Official Partnership to Democratize Potential"},"template":"","community_tax":[],"article_type":[142],"partner":[],"program":[],"class_list":["post-4780","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","article_type-press-releases-and-statements"],"acf":{"details":{"featured_image":4784,"authors":null,"abstract":"","helper_taxonomies":{"article_type":[142],"community_tax":false,"partner":false,"program":false,"role":false,"region":false}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_wysiwyg":{"content":"

UC Merced and College Track Partner to Democratize Potential through Higher Education<\/strong><\/h4>\r\nMerced, CA (April 13)<\/strong> \u2014 The University of California, Merced, and College Track are pleased to announce a new partnership focused on ensuring that college students from under-resourced communities who want to be the first in their families to graduate from college are provided the tools, guidance, and environment to do so.\r\n\r\nUC Merced has the highest percentage of Pell Grant recipients in the UC system, with 60 percent of its undergraduate students benefitting from the federal financial aid program for under-resourced families. More than 70 percent of UC Merced students are first-generation, and over 80 percent are members of historically under-represented groups.\r\n\r\n\u201cUC Merced is proud to partner with College Track to provide more students, no matter their backgrounds or other circumstances, with access to a first-class education in the heart of California\u2019s Central Valley,\u201d said UC Merced Chancellor Juan S\u00e1nchez Mu\u00f1oz, Ph.D. \u201cWe share College Track\u2019s mission to empower students from under-resourced communities to graduate from college and look forward to help prepare these students for success in a world that desperately needs their ideas and problem-solving skills.\u201d\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_4787\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"731\"]\"\" College Track Boyle Heights scholars gathered to celebrate the new partnership on April 12, 2023.[\/caption]\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nFounded 25 years ago in East Palo Alto, CA, College Track is a comprehensive college-completion nonprofit whose mission is to equip students confronting systemic barriers to earn a bachelor\u2019s degree in pursuit of a life of opportunity, choice, and power. College Track begins working with students in ninth grade and makes a 10-year commitment to accompanying them on their journey to, through, and beyond college. College Track scholars graduate at more than 2.5 times the rates of their first-generation peers from similar backgrounds.\r\n\r\n\u201cThis is a powerful moment for College Track and for UC Merced, as we formalize a partnership that reflects our shared commitment to educational equity and to the vibrant communities we are honored to be a part of,\u201d said College Track President & CEO Shirley M. Collado, Ph.D. \u201cFor 25 years, College Track has been dedicated to democratizing potential by equipping first-generation scholars to earn a bachelor\u2019s degree and pursue a life of opportunity, choice, and power. This partnership represents the next chapter of this work, as we formalize connections that affirm an educational ecosystem that centers student success.\u201d\r\n\r\nUC Merced has been a top destination for College Track scholars since the campus opened in 2005: Since 2015, 52 have graduated from UC Merced, and 72 are currently enrolled. The new alliance will formalize the two organizations\u2019 shared vision of the importance of a holistic, affirming, and asset-based approach to working with first-generation college scholars. Key elements of the partnership include:\r\n\r\nStrength in numbers:<\/strong> UC Merced will admit College Track scholars through the UC admission process, with a minimum annual target of 25 eligible students. Having a network of peers from similar backgrounds has been shown to increase graduation rates. UC Merced will use the financial aid award process to cover tuition and fees for each College Track scholar who is a California resident and enrolled full time. Financial aid will also be offered to Western Undergraduate Exchange-eligible College Track scholars who are not California residents.\r\n\r\nCollege Track scholars who are income-eligible may be invited to UC Merced\u2019s Fiat Lux Scholars Program<\/a>, which provides:\r\n