Your application for admission is your one chance to show how you will contribute, academically and personally, to our campus community. Learn how to showcase your accomplishments; find out what our admissions officers are looking for. Please visit our Application Basics for general information about application filing periods, deadlines and fees.
Choosing a Major
You should apply to a major that interests you, rather than to one in which you think you have the best chance of admission. You should be aware that many of our most popular majors have additional coursework and GPA requirements that must be fulfilled before you can enroll. We also suggest that you include an alternate major in a different field-of-study when you apply; we may consider it if you are not admitted in your first-choice major.
The exploratory and undeclared options are closed to junior- and senior-level transfer applicants.
Reporting Foreign Education
When you apply, you must report all coursework from schools, colleges and universities in which you enrolled, regardless of grades or transferability, including coursework from institutions in other countries. Failure to list all schools in which you enrolled will jeopardize your admission.
You must report all foreign course work exactly as it would appear on your foreign academic record. Do not translate foreign grades to U.S. grades or use an evaluation done by a private evaluation company or another school on your application. Our international admission specialists will evaluate your foreign coursework and determine how many credits, if any, are transferable to UC Davis. Learn more about applying to UC Davis with foreign coursework.
Academic Coursework
You must list all of your coursework from all colleges and universities in which you have enrolled, regardless of grades, transferability or withdrawal. Failure to list all institutions and coursework exactly as it appears on your transcripts may jeopardize your admission.
Letters of Recommendation and Other Material
Please do not include letters of recommendation, copies of awards, transcripts or samples of your academic or creative work with your application. They will not be reviewed or returned to you.
Note, however, that letters of recommendation may be required for scholarship purposes —carefully read the instructions for each scholarship. For UC Davis campus-based scholarships, a letter of recommendation is suggested, not required, and a 3.25 college GPA is needed. Transfer applicants who wish to be considered for the Regents Scholarship must submit a letter of recommendation and meet the minimum GPA requirement to be considered. Learn more about applying for scholarships.
Writing Your Personal Statement
We use the personal statement to learn more about you as an individual and to understand the experiences, accomplishments and points of view you would bring to the university's undergraduate student body. The personal statement is your opportunity to discuss attributes and experiences that may not be evident through a review of your academic record. The personal statement format requires your response to two short-answer prompts. Learn more about the personal statement format.
Do’s and Don’ts For Completing Your Application
Application Do's
- DO read and follow all instructions included with the online UC application. Some questions (such as those relating to family size and income) are optional, but a response may be required to apply for special programs or scholarships.
- DO report all coursework. Don't forget to include any courses you have taken or plan to take.
- DO list all your honors and awards with complete explanations.
- DO review our guidelines for writing a successful personal statement.
- DO have someone (a parent, teacher or counselor is best) review and proofread your application and personal statement.
- DO report all Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) examination scores.
Application Don'ts
- DON'T omit academic coursework because you think it doesn't matter or because you've repeated a class. Include all academic information exactly as shown on your transcripts.
- DON'T send additional supporting materials, such as poetry, photos, letters of recommendation or copies of award certificates.
- DON'T exceed 1,000 words in length when writing your personal statement.
- DON'T write any aspect of your personal statement in the form of a poem, using extended metaphors or similes, or as a list of hardships.
Ready to Apply?
You can view the online UC undergraduate application for admission and scholarships and start preparing your application as early as October 1 for fall admission. Submit your completed application between November 1-30. Visit our Apply page today for final tips and to get started!
Check Your Application and Admission Status
Have you already applied for admission? You should receive an e-mail from UC Davis Undergraduate Admissions after a few weeks, confirming that your application has been successfully filed and including your UC Davis student ID number. To get personalized information about your application and admission status, you'll need to set up a MyAdmissions account using your UC Davis student ID number. |
