Freshman admission requirements

To be competitive for freshman admission to UC Davis, prospective students must be on track to earn a high school diploma (or equivalent) and meet all UC freshman admission requirements. Our campus then reviews and assesses all applications as part of our UC Davis freshman application review process.

students hanging out on top of a parking structure

 

“A-G” subject requirements

A. History/social science = 2 years
B. English (or language of instruction) = 4 years
C. Mathematics = 3 years (4 years recommended)
D. Laboratory science = 2 years (3 years recommended)
E. Language other than English (or other second language) = 2 years (3 years recommended)
F. Visual and performing arts = 1 year
G. College preparatory elective = 1 year

GPA requirement

California residents must earn a GPA of 3.00 or higher. Students who are not residents of California must earn a GPA of 3.40 or higher.

California residents

For high-achieving California residents, the UC offers two paths to admission: a statewide guarantee and a local guarantee. Find out if you're eligible.

students sitting and relaxing in the Arboretum

 

Exam requirements for freshman admission

The University of California Board of Regents unanimously approved suspension of the standardized test requirement (ACT/SAT) for all California freshman applicants until fall 2024.

SAT/ACT test scores

UC Davis is test-free for all freshman applicants for fall 2021 through fall 2024. During this time we will not consider SAT or ACT test scores when making admissions decisions or awarding scholarships. If you choose to submit test scores as part of your application, they may be used as an alternative method of fulfilling minimum requirements for eligibility or for course placement after you enroll.

We don't require SAT Subject Tests, but they can be used to satisfy the A-G requirements.

Reporting Your Scores

You may report your official test scores to UC Davis at the time you take each test by requesting that your score report be automatically sent to UC Davis or any UC campus once it is available. If you've already received your scores, you can have additional score reports sent to UC Davis by contacting the testing agency for additional copies (ACT or College Board for the SAT and SAT Subject Tests). You only need to send your scores to one UC campus.

Examination Credit

Make yourself stand out on the application

UC Davis receives applications from many more qualified students than we can accept. We encourage our applicants to challenge themselves with advanced coursework such as that provided in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. Most AP and IB courses qualify as honors courses for the purposes of calculating your GPA as a freshman applicant.

A score of 3, 4 or 5 on certain AP tests may be considered equivalent to classes offered at UC Davis. Learn more about AP examinations and view the AP examination chart for information on earning AP credit.

Beginning with Fall 2020 applicants, UC Davis will award 4 semester/ 6 quarter units for International Baccalaureate (IB) diplomas with a score of 30 or more, in addition to awarding 8 quarter units for individual Higher Level (HL) exams with scores of 5, 6, or 7. The university does not grant credit for Standard Level (SL) exams. Learn more about IB examinations and view the IB higher-level examination chart for information on earning IB credit.