Freshmen: Non-Admitted Students

Why wasn't I admitted to UC Davis?

The extraordinary size and strength of the UC Davis applicant pool means that many qualified candidates are denied admission. For fall quarter 2008, UC Davis received over 40,000 freshman applications competing for approximately 5,000 available enrollment spaces.

I met the UC eligibility criteria, but I wasn't admitted. Why is that?

Meeting the UC eligibility criteria qualifies you for admission to a UC campus, but does not guarantee admission to any specific UC campus. UC Davis uses a comprehensive review process to select students from its applicant pool. Due to limited enrollment space, applicants who were admitted generally exceeded UC eligibility criteria.

Qualified California residents who are not admitted by any UC campus to which they have applied may be offered freshman admission by another UC campus.

How did UC Davis determine which applicants to admit?

Comprehensive review is an admission process used by all UC campuses. It considers a broad variety of criteria to select the entering class of freshmen. Of these factors, the strength of an applicant's high school academic record is the single most important component. Standardized test scores also provide important information about the academic background of an applicant. Other academic considerations include the number of “a-g” courses taken beyond the 15 unit requirement, breadth of coursework completed, Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) and a record of marked academic improvement through the 11th grade. Additional considerations include leadership, special talents and accomplishments, creativity, tenacity and response to life challenges.

At UC Davis, each of the criteria considered in the comprehensive review was assigned a point value, with greater weight for academic factors. Some of the criteria were scored electronically, while specially trained professionals read and scored applications on other factors. The highest-scoring applicants for each college/division are admitted based on the available spaces in the specific college/division. Available admission spaces for each college/division vary each year.

May I apply again for winter or spring quarter admission?

UC Davis only accepts freshman applications for the fall quarter.

What options are available to me since I was not admitted to UC Davis?

You should strongly consider admission offers from other UC campuses or other institutions. You may also consider enrolling at a California community college and reapplying for admission as transfer student.

How can I transfer to UC Davis in the future?

Good news! You have an excellent chance of being admitted to UC Davis as a junior-level transfer student. You can even be guaranteed admission as a junior-level transfer by enrolling in any California community college and signing a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG). This agreement specifies the classes you must take and the grades you must earn to be guaranteed admission as a transfer student.

While we consider junior-level transfer applicants from all colleges and universities, we give special priority to transfers from California community colleges. Attending a community college can be an excellent way to build your skills and prepare for your major, and it’s frequently a good way to save money as well. Plan to reapply to UC Davis as a junior, although the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences accepts some lower-division transfer students.

If you plan to transfer to UC Davis, we strongly encourage you to work with the counseling office at your community college to design an academic program that will prepare you for a successful transfer. See our transfer requirements for more details.

May I appeal my denial of admission?

Please visit MyAdmissions for information about the appeal process.