Now considered one of the top 10 public universities in the nation, UC Davis has begun to approach the level of acclaim more traditionally reserved for its fellow University of California campuses like UC Berkeley and UCLA. With strong programs in engineering, and computer science, and biology, UC Davis is a magnet for highly-qualified STEM majors—in fact 55% of current undergrads are pursuing a STEM degree.Given the desirability of receiving a top-notch undergraduate education at a ridiculously low price (by today’s market standards), the UC Davis acceptance rate has dropped to all-time lows in recent years.
Therefore, it is vital for aspiring Aggies to know:
- UC Davis acceptance rate
- UC Davis in-state vs. out-of-state acceptance rate
- SAT/ACT policy and GPAs of admitted applicants
- Admissions trends from the Class of 2027
- The demographics of current UC Davis undergraduates
- UC Davis’s yield rate
- How Davis admissions officers evaluate candidates
- Tips for applying to UC Davis
- How to approach the UC Personal Insight essays
- How to assess whether applying to UC Davis is even worth the $70 application fee (for you)
Let’s begin with an examination of the most recent University of California, Davis admissions data.
UC Davis Acceptance Rate – Class of 2027
There were 94,635 freshman applicants for the Class of 2027 and 39,601 were admitted. This translates to a 41.8% acceptance rate.
Historical UC Davis acceptance rates are as follows:
| Applicants | Admits | Acceptance Rate | |
| Class of 2026 | 94,748 | 35,377 | 37% |
| Class of 2025 | 87,136 | 42,474 | 49% |
| Class of 2024 | 76,903 | 35,645 | 46% |
UC Davis In-State vs. Out-of-State Acceptance Rate
If you are a California resident, your road to UC Davis will actually be more difficult than it will be if you live out of state or are an international student:
In-State
- Applicants: 65,011
- Admits: 23,565
- Acceptance Rate: 36%
Out-of-State/International
- Applicants: 29,616
- Admits: 15,834
- Acceptance Rate: 53%
What GPA do you need to get into UC Davis?
The University of California System has adopted a test-blind policy (more on that below). Class rank is not considered, either. As such, performance inside the classroom is paramount. Freshmen in 2023-24 had an average unweighted GPA of 4.03-4.27. Roughly 73% earned perfect GPAs and another 20% earned between a 3.75 and 3.99.
Moreover, UC Davis has minimum GPA requirements. California residents must have at least a 3.0 GPA while out-of-state students must have a 3.4 or above.
Admissions Trends & Notes
- All University of California schools have adopted a test-blind policy moving forward.
- Freshman applications have been increasing approximately 5+% every year.
- 34% of freshmen are from a historically underrepresented group, up from 31% the year prior.
- 41% of freshmen are the first in their families to attend college, an all-time high.
- 49% of enrolled freshmen had taken between 5-10 honors/AP/IB courses, while 29% had taken more than 10.
Who Gets In?
Let’s look at the demographics of UC Davis undergraduates:
Most students hailed from the Golden State and paid in-state tuition. The total geographic breakdown of the Class of 2027 is as follows:
- Percent California (residents): 69%
- Other U.S. States (non-residents): 12%
- Other countries (non-resident, international): 19%
Looking at ethnic identity, the breakdown of the Class of 2027 is as follows:
- Asian: 36%
- Hispanic: 25%
- African American: 4%
- White: 18%
Incoming freshmen came in the greatest numbers from the following school types:
- CA Public: 73%
- CA Private: 7%
- Non-CA: 7%
- Foreign Institution: 12%
The breakdown by gender of the entire Aggie student body shows far more women than men:
- Male: 37%
- Female: 58%
Yield Rate
UC Davis’s yield rate—the percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted—is 17%. This number has dropped in recent years. To compare this school to other UC schools, UC Berkeley has a 45% yield, UCLA is 52%, and UC San Diego comes in at 22%.
How UC Davis Rates Applicants
There are only three factors that UC Davis ranks as being “very important” to their admissions process: rigor of secondary school record, GPA, and application essays. Factors viewed as “important” are: talent/ability, extracurricular activities, volunteer experience, and character/personal qualities.
Davis, along with all other University of California campuses, dropped all standardized testing requirements starting with the Class of 2025. This makes the traditionally holistic review process at UC Davis even more pronounced.
In the words of the admissions office:
- “UC Davis uses a holistic review process in which every application is reviewed according to 14 faculty-approved criteria designed to select applicants who have an excellent prospect of success, are likely to thrive on the campus, and will enhance UC Davis’ intellectual and cultural diversity.”
- “Quality of your senior-year program as measured by the type and number of academic courses in progress or planned.”
- Davis also considers: “Special talents, achievements and awards in a particular field, such as visual and performing arts, communication or athletic endeavors; special skills, such as demonstrated written and oral proficiency in other languages; special interests, such as intensive study and exploration of other cultures; experiences that demonstrate unusual promise for leadership, such as significant community service or significant participation in student government…”
Tips for Applying to UC Davis
If you plan on joining the 94,000+ Anteater hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:
- As mentioned previously, UC Davis is test-blind, meaning that your ACT or SAT scores will not be considered, even if you submit them.
- While a holistic process, this school does not offer interviews.
- UC Davis does not consider “demonstrated interest” in the admissions process.
- Davis does closely evaluate the number of UC-approved honors courses, AP courses, IB courses, or dual enrollment courses a student has taken.
- Make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the supplemental essays required by UC Davis. In the 2024-25 cycle, there were eight total prompts, of which applicants are instructed to choose four. Each response is limited to a maximum of 350 words.
UC Essay Prompts
1) Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.
2) Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
3) What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
4) Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
5) Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
6) Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
7) What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
8) Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?
The best approach here is to select the four prompts that are the best fit for you and elicit the most compelling and personal responses. For detailed advice, visit our blog entitledHow to Master the UC Personal Insight Prompts.
Should I apply to UC Davis?
If you are in the top 10% of your high school class, you are a viable candidate to gain admission into this university. Without standardized test scores entering the equation, your essays will also be extremely important to your admissions prospects.
UC Davis Acceptance Rate 2024 — Final Thoughts
With very few students able to consider UC Davis as a “safety” these days, all students need to make sure that they formulate anappropriate college list, containing a complement of “reach,” “target,” and “safety” schools. You’ll definitely want to do this in collaboration with an admissions professional who is aware of the latest trends and strategies associated with your prospective colleges.
Ready to begin crafting your UC applications? Consider checking out the following:
- Should You Start College Applications in the Summer?
- What is Demonstrated Interest?
- Do Colleges Look at Social Media?
- College Fair Advice for High School Students
- How to Write the UC Activities List
- The Best UC Schools Ranked
- 25 Inspiring College Essay Topic Ideas
