Freshmen: Prospective Student

Admission Requirements

To ensure that our students are ready to succeed at college-level work, we require specific academic preparation. You must meet subject, scholarship and examination requirements to be minimally eligible for UC admission. If you're not a California resident, you must meet additional non-resident eligibility requirements. Remember, these standards determine whether or not you are eligible for admission. Fulfilling them is not a guarantee that you will be admitted to UC Davis or other selective campuses.

Learn some of the things you can do to become a well-qualified applicant, and see how your exam scores and GPA compare to those of recently admitted and enrolled students at UC Davis.

Application Basics

Get the essential facts on when, where and how to apply to the University of California, and learn more about applying online.

Completing the Application

Get the details on recording your coursework and grades, writing your personal statement and all other aspects of completing the UC application.

Selection Process

Each year, we select our students from a large number of well-qualified applicants. We read all applications carefully as part of our comprehensive review process. In addition to academic criteria such as GPA and test scores, we also consider your extracurricular activities and life experiences in making our admissions decision. The highest-scoring applicants for each college/division are admitted based on the available spaces in the specific college/division. Admission spaces are unique for each college/division and may vary each year.

For complete information about our selection procedure, please visit Application Criteria for Freshman Selection Process.

Pre-College and Educational Opportunity Programs

Will you be the first generation of your family to attend a four-year college? UC Davis and other UC campuses offer a number of programs to help you stay on the right track to college eligibility. We also provide support after you enroll.

Foreign Education

UC Davis requires that you report ALL coursework completed in the U.S. or abroad. Find out how to meet freshman admission requirements with your foreign education.

Special Situations

Has your academic career taken the "road less traveled"? If you're a homeschooled student or a student at an unapproved high school, or if you've skipped or repeated a year of high school or plan to graduate early, find out how our eligibility requirements apply to your situation.