UC Davis
加州大学戴维斯- Tier 3
- Davis, CA
- UC system
- TAG agreement
- Data last checked 2026-10
UC Davis admits about 44% of first-year applicants. It does not consider SAT / ACT, and the GPA reference is 3.60 (UC capped weighted). International admission ignores financial need, but UC gives no need-based aid to international students. A year costs about $49,009 in-state and $88,279 out-of-state (2026-27).
Admit rate by applicant pool
At the same school, admit rates can differ a lot depending on who is applying.
Source: Fall 2025 · UC Information Center
Flagship Majors and Admit Data
| Major | Admit rate | vs overall | One-liner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business★ Flagship | 26% | 0.59× | |
| Computer Science★ Flagship | 19% | 0.44× | |
| Biological Sciences / Animal Science★ Flagship | ≈ overall 44% | ≈ overall | |
| Engineering - Any★ Flagship | ≈ overall 44% | ≈ overall | |
| Environmental Science | ≈ overall 44% | ≈ overall |
Where no official major admit rate is published, difficulty is estimated from the school's public information.
Two years CC + transfer to UC Davis
UCD 参加 TAG：UC GPA 3.2+（工院 3.5+；CS / 商科 / 数据科学不开 TAG）。Fall 2026 转学录取率 58.3%（17,400 申 / 10,138 录，93% 来自 CCC）。兽医 / 农业 TAG 最好走（UC 官方 2026-09 核）
US applicants
- Overall admit rate
- 44%. The actual number for the domestic pool (which holds most seats) is roughly aligned with the official figure.
- Financial aid / FAFSA
- Need-blind for domestic; FAFSA aid applications don't affect admission (international admission doesn't consider financial need either, but UC offers no need-based aid to international students).
- Privates have no in-state preference
- Domestic applications don't differentiate by state, but schools care about state representation (over-concentrated areas face competitive squeeze).
- Test policy
- UC system-wide Test-Blind, SAT/ACT not considered (since 2021). Official policy ›
- Application timing
- ED/EA deadlines early November, RD January. Domestic families typically begin college visits at the end of 11th grade.
International (F-1) applicants
- International friendliness 2 / 3
- Normal international pool (most schools), admit rate 30-60% lower than domestic
- Need-blind for international
- Admission doesn't consider financial need, but no need-based aid is offered to international students
- UC international
- System-wide international admit rate 5-8% (much lower than CA in-state) with almost no aid.
Cost per year
Published cost of attendance for 2026-27 (tuition, housing, food, books and fees): about $49,009 in-state and $88,279 out-of-state.
This is the published sticker price; what a family actually pays depends on financial aid and scholarships.
Waitlist
| Cycle | Accepted a waitlist spot | Admitted from waitlist | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | 9,747 | 3,758 | 39% |
| Fall 2024 | 9,609 | 4,309 | 45% |
- Extra materials
- The school states it does not consider extra materials
- Confirming your spot
- Accept your spot on the waitlist in MyAdmissions by April 15
- When you'll hear
- Offers go out after May 1 as spots open up; if you are admitted, you have 7 days to decide
- Other rules
- Accepting a spot on the waitlist doesn't stop you from first accepting another school's offer
Numbers are from the school's Common Data Set (section C2), checked 2026-10. They can change a lot from year to year; the school's latest release is authoritative. Official waitlist policy ›
Already on a waitlist? The Application Rescue Kit lays out the timeline and real cost of four paths: waitlist, gap year, transfer and spring admission ›Transfer
Fall transfer, Fall 2025: 17,211 applied and 9,684 were admitted (about 56%).
Requirements:TAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee) is only for California community college students, and engineering majors can use it too. Business, computer science and data science are not open to TAG; they go through the regular application and must meet selective major requirements.
Are popular majors open to external transfers?
- Computer scienceLimitedComputer science is a selective major and is not open to TAG; you must finish the screening prerequisites by spring; UC Information Center: in fall 2025, the computer science category had 1,418 transfer applicants and 274 admits (about 19%).
- EngineeringLimitedCollege of Engineering majors are selective majors and can use TAG (GPA 3.5 or higher); UC Information Center: in fall 2025, the engineering category had 1,961 transfer applicants and 707 admits (about 36%).
- BusinessLimitedThe school says business majors are not open to TAG and must meet selective major requirements; managerial economics is on the selective major list and can use TAG; UC Information Center: in fall 2025, the business category had 748 transfer applicants and 506 admits (about 68%).
UC Davis · US College Application Deep Read · Chinese-American Lens
In the Chinese-American US college application pool, UC Davis sits in the High-caliber private / LAC (often-underestimated tier) layer. Overall admit rate is 44%, but the flagship major UC IC 学科大类 Business runs at a tighter 26% — a "within-major selectivity tax" that generic chatbots saying "reach for Top 30" can't see.
UC Davis is part of the University of California (UC) system — test-blind (SAT/ACT ignored), evaluating UC-capped weighted GPA against a 3.60 25th-percentile floor. For international applicants, UC Davis doesn't consider financial need in admission, but offers no need-based aid to international students, which means F1 applicants should plan for the full cost. California Community College (CC) transfer has a TAG guarantee path at 58% admit — a common low-cost route into UC for local Chinese-American families.
If you or a parent is evaluating whether UC Davis is a reach, match, or safety in this US college application cycle, the "I have 4.0 / 1500, can I get in?" question is not answerable from public forums alone — real judgment requires layering this season's admissions policy, your high-school competitive density, within-major selectivity, and ED/EA timing into one model. UC has no ED/EA — single Nov 30 RD deadline, but UC PIQs need at least 6-8 weeks of drafting. The Kaiso engine assigns UC Davis to a tier based on your real profile, and every judgment is auditable.
What parents ask about UC Davis
What is UC Davis's undergraduate admit rate?
UC Davis (加州大学戴维斯) overall undergraduate admit rate is about 44% (UC system). SAT mid-range (25-75 percentile) Test-Blind policy, no test scores considered. GPA threshold reference 3.60 (UC capped weighted). Data last verified 2026-10.
Does UC Davis require the SAT or ACT?
UC system-wide Test-Blind, SAT/ACT not considered (since 2021).
What early rounds does UC Davis offer?
2026-27 cycle: no early round, regular decision only.
What are UC Davis's admit rates for in-state, out-of-state and international applicants?
In-state applicants 37%, Out-of-state applicants 63%, International applicants 56%. Source: Fall 2025 · UC Information Center.
How much does a year at UC Davis cost?
Published cost of attendance for 2026-27 (tuition, housing, food, books and fees): about $49,009 in-state and $88,279 out-of-state. This is the published sticker price; what a family actually pays depends on financial aid and scholarships.
How hard is it to transfer into UC Davis?
Fall transfer, Fall 2025: 17,211 applied and 9,684 were admitted (about 56%). TAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee) is only for California community college students, and engineering majors can use it too. Business, computer science and data science are not open to TAG; they go through the regular application and must meet selective major requirements.
How many students get in from UC Davis's waitlist?
Fall 2025: 9,747 accepted a waitlist spot and 3,758 were admitted (about 39%); Fall 2024: 9,609 accepted a waitlist spot and 4,309 were admitted (about 45%). These numbers can change a lot from year to year; the school's latest release is authoritative.
What are UC Davis's flagship majors?
UC Davis flagship majors: Business, Computer Science, Biological Sciences / Animal Science, Engineering - Any. v7.39 · 官方公布的专业录取率(Fall 2025)
Is UC Davis friendly to international (F1) applicants?
UC Davis doesn't consider financial need in admission, but offers no need-based aid to international students — F1 applicants should plan for the full cost. UC system international admit rate is about 5-8% (much lower than CA in-state 15-20%). International friendliness 2/3.
How is UC Davis's community college (CC) transfer path?
UC Davis's CC transfer admit rate is about 58%, joins TAG — meeting GPA in CC essentially guarantees admission. Suggested UC GPA during CC ≥ 3.2. UCD 参加 TAG：UC GPA 3.2+（工院 3.5+；CS / 商科 / 数据科学不开 TAG）。Fall 2026 转学录取率 58.3%（17,400 申 / 10,138 录，93% 来自 CCC）。兽医 / 农业 TAG 最好走（UC 官方 2026-09 核）