The average rent for Davis apartments is down for the first time in more than a decade as the University of California, Davis, continues a building program that has added thousands of student beds to campus in recent years.

Rents for market-rate apartments — including those leased by the unit and by the bed — decreased 1.8% from fall 2024 to fall 2025, according to a survey report released today (Feb. 18).

The blended vacancy rate for the two unit types was 3.5%, half a percentage point lower than fall 2024.

Student Housing and Dining Services has done an annual apartment vacancy- and rental-rate survey for more than 50 years to provide the campus and surrounding communities with information to support planning. Since 2013, BAE Urban Economics has administered the survey on behalf of the university.

The firm noted in its report that rent increases have tapered off since the aftermath of the pandemic as new housing has come online on campus and in the city of Davis.

“We are gratified to see that years of investment in building student housing on campus is helping lower rents for students and others in the community,” said Donelle Allen, interim associate vice chancellor for housing, dining, divisional operations and technology in Student Affairs at UC Davis. “Continuing to add campus housing remains a key priority for the university.”

Campus housing

Since 2017, UC Davis has made a net gain of more than 6,260 new apartment and residence hall beds on campus through construction of Orchard Park, the Tercero 4 complex, Yosemite Hall, The Green at West Village and Shasta Hall; and by doubling up beds in larger rooms at the Sol apartments in West Village.

Building on the momentum, the campus broke ground a year ago on a new residence hall scheduled for occupancy in fall 2027. The Segundo Infill Project is designed to accommodate about 500 students in double and triple occupancy configurations. In June, about 100 UC Davis students, mostly from the School of Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, moved into new apartments master-leased by UC Davis at ANOVA Aggie Square on the Sacramento campus. 

It is estimated that 41% of Davis-based students are living on campus this academic year, and the campus is conducting preliminary planning for sufficient housing to accommodate 48% of students. That compares to 2016-17, when about 29% of students lived on campus.

A few years ago, the campus met its 2023 target of having 15,000 student beds on campus under the terms of a 2018 memorandum of understanding with the city of Davis and Yolo County.

In fall 2025, about 15,100 students lived on campus.

Rental rates

The combined average rental rate for apartments leased by the unit and bed decreased — for the first time since 2013 — from $2,762 in fall 2024 to $2,711.

The average monthly rent for unit-leased apartments of all sizes — from studios to four or more bedrooms — was down 4.8% to $2,309. Two-bedroom apartments — representing 45% of those rented by unit — were shared by an average of three people and rented for $2,303, down 3.0% from fall 2024.

The average rate for a bed lease increased 4.7% to $1,223, with the largest increases for studio and one-bedroom units.

More than 50% of survey respondents reported decreasing rents in 2025, compared to 30% of respondents in 2024. A total of 59 apartment complexes — about 35% more than last year — reported offering incentives and move-in specials to help fill vacancies and attract new residents. 

Vacancies by unit type

Among the 6,705 apartments leased by the unit, 174 apartments, or 2.6%, were vacant and available for lease, compared with 283, or 4.2%, vacant among 6,763 apartments in fall 2024.

Among the 3,664 apartments leased by the bed rather than the unit as a whole, 460, or 4.4%, of their 10,329 beds were vacant. In fall 2024, 406, or 3.8%, of 10,579 beds in this type of unit were vacant.

About the survey

A total of 111 apartment complexes and property management companies representing 10,917 rental units, or 2.0% fewer units than the previous year, responded to the survey. Based on the American Community Survey’s estimates of multifamily housing units in the city of Davis and on campus, the units captured in the survey account for approximately 84.4% of the Davis area multifamily housing stock. The report’s calculations excluded units rented at below-market rates.

UC Davis enrollment

In fall 2025, UC Davis had a total enrollment of 40,617 including undergraduate, graduate and professional students as well as 1,208 veterinary and medical residents and interns. This was a decrease of 622, or 1.5%, from fall 2024. Some of these students participate in programs at facilities outside of Davis, such as the Sacramento campus and beyond.

UC Davis measures its Davis-based enrollment as an average over the three regular academic quarters for implementing its 2018 Long Range Development Plan, or LRDP, which has a projected capacity of 39,000 students for the Davis campus. In keeping with the last few years, the LRDP three-quarter average is estimated to be around 36,000 for 2025-26.