Admission Requirements
You should prepare for admission to UC Davis by first ensuring that you meet UC eligibility requirements. Our campus reviews and assesses all applications, using UC Davis-specific admission criteria as part of our Comprehensive Review process for freshman applicants. UC Davis typically requires qualifications above and beyond UC eligibility.
Eligibility for UC Admission: California Residents
If you're a California resident applying to UC as a freshman, you have three ways to satisfy the university's minimum admission requirements:
- Eligibility in the Statewide Context,
- Eligibility in the Local Context, or
- Eligibility by Examination Alone.
Eligibility in the Statewide Context
Most students attain UC eligibility through Eligibility in the Statewide Context. To be eligible, you must take the required high school course subjects, receive the required grades and take the required exams. In UC speak, these requirements are known as the subject requirement, scholarship requirement and examination requirement.
Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC)
Under the Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) pathway, the top four percent of graduating students at each participating California high school are designated UC-eligible. To qualify, you must meet certain requirements. The ELC designation remains one of the key criteria considered by selective campuses when the number of applicants exceeds the spaces available. If you are designated UC-eligible through ELC, you will be notified of your status at the beginning of your senior year. You must submit the online UC undergraduate application for admission and scholarships during the November filing period and complete remaining eligibility requirements (including the subject and examination requirements) to enroll.
Eligibility by Examination Alone
To qualify, you must satisfy the same examination requirement as students who are eligible in the statewide context and achieve specified high scores.
Non-California Residents
If you are an out-of-state resident you must attain a 3.40 GPA or higher in the "a-g" required courses and achieve the qualifying UC score total that corresponds to your GPA on the UC Eligibility Index. Use the Index and online calculator at the UC Office of the President Web site to assess your eligibility.
International Students
Non-immigrants studying in the United States must meet the same requirements as domestic California and non-California residents. Students studying outside the United States must complete secondary school, earn superior marks in academic subjects, sit for the UC-required exams and may be required to demonstrate English proficiency. |
