UC Davis Transfer Acceptance Rate and Requirements — 2024
December 18, 2023
California residents have no shortage of phenomenal public institutions within the borders of their home state. UC Davis, for example, ranks in the top 40 national universities and the top 10 public universities in the country. Of course, with all of this esteem and recognition comes an endless line of applicants. As a result, getting into a school like UC Davis has never been more challenging than in 2024. On the plus side, if you don’t end up becoming an Aggie as a freshman, another chance may await. In fact, over 9,000 transfer applicants are offered that opportunity every year. This blog will share the UC Davis transfer acceptance rate as well as other essential pieces of information like the UC Davis transfer deadline, the requirements for applicants, the UC Davis transfer decision date, and much more.
UC Davis Transfer Acceptance Rate
Below we present the most current available UC Davis transfer acceptance rate as well as historical data.
For entry in the fall of 2023, UC Davis received 14,747 applications and accepted 9,530 students. This means that the UC Davis transfer acceptance rate is 64.6%.
When trying to get the complete picture of how difficult it is to transfer into a given school, it is important to also look at historical data. Many schools have wild fluctuations in transfer acceptance rates from year to year. As you can see, UC Davis has remained within a tight 50%-58% range over the past few years. However, this year, the acceptance rate jumped several percentage points.
Historical transfer rates are as follows:
| Year | Acceptance Rate |
| 2022 | 58% |
| 2021 | 50.4% |
| 2020 | 55.4% |
| 2019 | 57.4% |
UC Davis Transfer Acceptance by Major
At a school of UC Davis’s size, it’s also essential to consider acceptance rates by major. Here are some of the transfer acceptance rates for some of the most popular majors at the University of California Davis:
| Major | Acceptance Rate |
| Biology | 54% |
| Psychology | 53% |
| Economics | 60% |
| Sociology | 79% |
| Communication | 76% |
| Computer Science | 38% |
UC Davis Transfer Deadline
For every academic program, the UC Davis transfer deadline is November 30. The application window opens on August 1, so you can begin completing all materials at that time. The FAFSA deadline is March 2.
UC Davis Transfer Requirements
All students must submit the following items as part of their UC Davis application:
- A University of California Application
- Personal insight questions
- Supplemental materials (for some majors)
Official transcripts and letters of recommendation are not part of the UC Davis transfer requirements. In fact, they are not even accepted during the admissions process. That said, by January 31, all applicants will need to complete a Transfer Academic Update (TAU) that provides their fall grades and planned spring coursework. If accepted, you will then need to provide final, official transcripts.
In addition to meeting the aforementioned requirements, you’ll need to have achieved/earned the following:
- Excellent grades at your previous academic institution.
- Minimum 60 UC-transferable semester credits (90 UC-transferable quarter units). To clarify, this school only admits transfer students at the junior level.
- Selective Major Required Courses
- Completed Transfer General Education Requirements
- Attended a California community college. 92.7% of accepted transfer students hailed from CA community colleges.
We recommend thoroughly reviewing the UC Transfer Application Guide.
If you are a student at a California community college, we recommend thoroughly exploring ASSIST for articulation agreements between UC Davis and your current school.
UC Davis Transfer GPA
According to the university: “UC Davis requires a minimum 2.80 GPA to be selected for admission, and many of our most popular programs may require a higher GPA. Strive to achieve your highest possible GPA in order to be most competitive.” Furthermore, it is important to understand that the mid-50% GPA range for enrolled students last year was 3.44-3.89.
University of California Davis Essays
Required UC Davis Essay:
Please describe how you have prepared for your intended major, including your readiness to succeed in your upper-division courses once you enroll at the university.
Choose 3 of the following 7 questions (in addition to the mandatory prompt above):
- Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.
- Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
- What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
- Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
- Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
- What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
- Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?
All essays have a 350-word maximum, and applicants are encouraged to answer the three that align most closely with their individual experiences and circumstances.
Transfer Decision Date
The UC Davis transfer decision will be communicated in late April.
Final Thoughts – UC Davis University Transfer Acceptance Rate
UC Davis does allow students to enter via the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG). A minimum 3.2-3.5 GPA (depending on major) is a prerequisite for this program. However, the following programs are not accessible through TAG:
- Computer Science
- Data Science
Directly from the admissions office, the “primary basis of our admission decision is your academic preparation and achievement. We will review your transferable GPA and courses—including those completed, in progress, and planned—as required by your major.”
If you are looking for information on how to apply to UC Davis as a first-year student, you may find the following blog to be of interest:
Those searching for application info on other institutions may wish to visit our Dataverse pages/blogs:
