University of California guide · By CalChannel Editorial Team · Updated October 1, 2026
The UC Davis acceptance rate was 45.8% for Fall 2026: UC Davis admitted 48,015 of 104,864 first-year applicants, according to the University of California, and the middle 50% of admits had a 4.00 to 4.25 high school GPA. California residents face tougher odds, with a 37.1% admit rate for Fall 2025. New Californians should budget about $49,009 a year in a residence hall.
UC Davis sits in an interesting spot in the University of California. It’s large, highly ranked and world-famous in agriculture and veterinary medicine, yet it admits nearly half of its applicants and uses its waitlist more generously than most UC campuses. If you’re deciding whether to apply, the details below matter more than the headline rate.
| Fact | UC Davis |
|---|---|
| First-year admit rate, Fall 2026 | 45.8% (48,015 of 104,864) |
| First-year admit rate, Fall 2025 | 44.3% overall; 37.1% California residents |
| Transfer admit rate, Fall 2026 | 58.3% (10,138 of 17,400) |
| GPA of admitted first-years, Fall 2026 (middle 50%) | 4.00 to 4.25 |
| Students, Fall 2025 | 39,414 total; 31,695 undergraduates |
| Cost of attendance, residence hall (2026-27) | $49,009 California residents; $88,279 nonresidents |
| U.S. News 2027 | No. 8 public (tie); No. 34 National Universities (tie) |
| Location | Davis, Yolo County, about 15 miles west of Sacramento |
Sources: University of California admit data for Fall 2026; UC Davis Common Data Set 2025-26 (AggieData); UC Davis Admissions, Cost and Aid; University of California summary of U.S. News 2027 rankings.
In This Article
UC Davis Acceptance Rate
For Fall 2026, 104,864 students applied to UC Davis as first-years and 48,015 were admitted, putting the UC Davis acceptance rate at 45.8%, according to admit data published by the University of California. That’s slightly higher than the year before: for Fall 2025, UC Davis admitted 44.3% of first-year applicants, or 45,674 of 102,988, according to its Common Data Set.
| UC Davis first-year admission | Applicants | Admits | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | 104,864 | 48,015 | 45.8% |
| Fall 2025 | 102,988 | 45,674 | 44.3% |
Sources: University of California, UC Davis first-year admit data (Fall 2026); UC Davis Common Data Set 2025-26 (Fall 2025).
The grades behind the UC Davis acceptance rate are high. The middle 50% of Fall 2026 admits had high school GPAs between 4.00 and 4.25. Among students who enrolled in Fall 2025, the average weighted GPA was 4.03, and about two-thirds had a 4.0 or higher. UC campuses don’t consider SAT or ACT scores, so your A-G grades, course rigor and Personal Insight Questions do the work.
Is UC Davis Hard to Get Into for Californians?
Harder than the overall rate suggests. For Fall 2025, the UC Davis acceptance rate for California residents was 37.1%, compared with 63.2% for out-of-state applicants and 55.9% for international applicants. The University of California’s Fall 2026 snapshot doesn’t break admits down by residency, so Fall 2025 is the most recent split.
| Fall 2025 first-years | Applied | Admitted | Admit rate | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California residents | 68,593 | 25,473 | 37.1% | 5,481 |
| Out-of-state | 13,149 | 8,315 | 63.2% | 417 |
| International | 21,246 | 11,886 | 55.9% | 926 |
| All first-years | 102,988 | 45,674 | 44.3% | 6,824 |
Source: UC Davis Common Data Set 2025-26, items C1 and C2.
The gap comes from yield. About 22% of California admits enrolled, compared with only 5% of out-of-state admits, who face $39,270 a year in extra tuition. UC Davis has to admit many more nonresidents to enroll a few hundred of them. For a California student with a weighted GPA around 4.0, UC Davis is a realistic target, but not a safety. It’s more accessible than UCLA, Berkeley or UC San Diego.
The UC Davis Waitlist
The waitlist is one reason the UC Davis acceptance rate understates your real chances. UC Davis uses its waitlist more than most UC campuses. For Fall 2025, 17,582 students were offered a spot, 9,747 accepted one, and 3,758 were admitted from the waitlist. That’s about 39% of students who opted in, a much better rate than at UCLA or Berkeley. If UC Davis waitlists you, accepting the spot is a reasonable bet while you secure another option.
UC Davis Transfer Admission
UC Davis admitted 58.3% of transfer applicants for Fall 2026, or 10,138 of 17,400, and 93.3% of admitted transfers came from California community colleges, according to the University of California. California residents need at least a 2.4 college GPA to transfer (2.8 for nonresidents), along with UC transferable courses and any major preparation. UC Davis also participates in the UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG), which locks in admission for eligible California community college students.
How Much Does UC Davis Cost?
For students who first enroll in 2026-27, UC Davis estimates a cost of attendance of $49,009 for California residents living in a residence hall. That includes $15,588 in systemwide tuition and fees and $2,490 in campus-based fees. Nonresidents add $39,270 in Nonresident Supplemental Tuition.
| UC Davis, new students 2026-27 (California residents) | Residence hall | Campus apartment | Off campus | At home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition and campus fees | $18,078 | $18,078 | $18,078 | $18,078 |
| Room and board | $22,252 | $19,960 | $16,981 | $8,617 |
| Health insurance (can be waived) | $3,996 | $3,996 | $3,996 | $3,996 |
| Books, personal, transportation and document fee | $4,683 | $5,556 | $5,606 | $7,202 |
| Total, California residents | $49,009 | $47,590 | $44,661 | $37,893 |
| Total, nonresidents | $88,279 | $86,860 | $83,931 | $77,163 |
Source: UC Davis Admissions, Cost and Aid, estimated cost of attendance for students who first enroll in 2026-27.
Davis is one of the few UC towns where living off campus is budgeted well below a residence hall, about $4,300 a year less. Systemwide tuition is locked in for up to six years under the UC Tuition Stability Plan. For California families, UC’s Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan covers UC tuition for most families earning up to $100,000, and Cal Grants, Pell Grants and the Middle Class Scholarship help with the rest. See our UC tuition guide for how campuses compare.
What Is UC Davis Known For?
UC Davis began in 1905 as the University Farm, the agricultural branch of the University of California, and became a general UC campus in 1959. That farm heritage still defines its reputation. It’s known worldwide for:
- Agriculture and plant sciences: through the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
- Veterinary medicine: its School of Veterinary Medicine is consistently ranked among the best in the world
- Viticulture and enology: wine and grape science, with Napa Valley close by
- Food science and environmental science
- Biology and pre-health: through the College of Biological Sciences, with UC Davis Health in Sacramento
In the U.S. News 2027 rankings, UC Davis tied for No. 8 among public universities and No. 34 among national universities. Outcomes are strong: about 93% of first-years return for a second year, 70% of the 2019 entering class graduated in four years and 86% within six. Undergraduates enroll in one of four colleges: Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, or Letters and Science.
Our take: If your interests run toward animals, food, plants, the environment or health, UC Davis deserves a top spot on your list. No other UC campus combines that much land, lab space and professional-school depth in those fields.
Life in Davis
UC Davis is in Davis, a college town in Yolo County about 15 miles west of Sacramento and roughly 70 miles northeast of San Francisco. Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor stops downtown, and the student-run Unitrans bus system, known for its red double-decker buses, serves the city.
The campus covers more than 5,000 acres, the largest land area of any UC campus, including farms, vineyards and the UC Davis Arboretum along Putah Creek. Davis is famously bike-friendly, and bicycles are how most students get around. Campus traditions include Picnic Day, a large student-run open house each spring, and the Aggies compete in NCAA Division I. With 39,414 students in Fall 2025, including 31,695 undergraduates, it’s one of the largest UC campuses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the UC Davis acceptance rate?
The UC Davis acceptance rate was 45.8% for Fall 2026, with 48,015 admits from 104,864 first-year applicants, according to the University of California. For Fall 2025 it was 44.3%, and 37.1% for California residents.
What GPA do you need for UC Davis?
There’s no cutoff beyond the UC minimum of 3.0 for California residents, but the middle 50% of Fall 2026 admits had high school GPAs from 4.00 to 4.25.
Is UC Davis hard to get into?
It’s selective but more accessible than UCLA, Berkeley or UC San Diego. California residents were admitted at 37.1% for Fall 2025, and UC Davis admits many students from its waitlist.
How much does UC Davis cost?
For new California students in 2026-27, UC Davis estimates $49,009 a year in a residence hall, including $18,078 in tuition and campus fees. Nonresidents add $39,270.
Is “UC David” a different school?
No. “UC David” is a common typo for UC Davis, the University of California campus in Davis, California. The official website is ucdavis.edu.
Where is UC Davis located?
UC Davis is in Davis, California, in Yolo County, about 15 miles west of Sacramento.
The Bottom Line on UC Davis
The UC Davis acceptance rate was 45.8% for Fall 2026, but California residents face lower odds, around 37% in Fall 2025, and admitted students usually have weighted GPAs above 4.0. Transfers do better, at 58.3%, and the waitlist is unusually active.
For new California students, plan for about $49,000 a year in a residence hall before aid. Apply by November 30, and compare UC Davis with UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside and other UC campuses on the same application.
Sources
- University of California. “Davis: First-Year Admit Data” and “Transfer Admit Data.” Fall 2026.
- UC Davis AggieData. “Common Data Set 2025-26.” ucdavis.edu.
- UC Davis Admissions. “Cost and Aid.” ucdavis.edu.
- University of California. “U.S. News 2027 Best Colleges Rankings.” universityofcalifornia.edu.
- University of California. “Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan.” universityofcalifornia.edu.
CalChannel Editorial Team California college guides
The CalChannel editorial team researches and writes guides to California colleges, admissions and financial aid. We build our college profiles and aid guides from colleges’ own published data, federal IPEDS data and the California Student Aid Commission. Read our editorial policy.
