UC Davis Acceptance Rate: Class of 2030 Admissions Statistics

UC Davis admitted 45,674 students from 102,988 applicants for the Class of 2029, resulting in a 44.35% acceptance rate. The university doesn’t offer Early Action (EA) or Early Decision (ED), and instead uses a single admissions cycle for all applicants. As a result, there are no separate early or regular admissions statistics available.

In this blog, we’ll break down UC Davis’s latest overall, transfer, and waitlist acceptance rate data and see how admissions trends have shifted over time.

• UC Davis Acceptance Rates
• Why UC Davis Doesn’t Offer Early Admissions
• UC Davis Transfer Acceptance Rate
• UC Davis Waitlist Acceptance Rate
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Takeaways

UC Davis Acceptance Rates

UC Davis’s acceptance rate rose to 44.35% for the Class of 2029, up from 41.83% for the Class of 2028. This increase was driven by a rise in admission offers, which increased from 41,353 to 45,674, outpacing growth in the applicant pool.

While admissions statistics for the Class of 2030 have not yet been released, UC Davis has already reported receiving 104,850 applications, slightly more than the previous year. Detailed admissions data is expected to become available after the university releases its next admissions report.

Looking at the broader trend, UC Davis’s acceptance rate has fluctuated between the high 30s and upper 40s over the past decade. Here’s the complete picture:

Note: Data for the Classes of 2027 through 2029 comes from UC Davis’s Common Data Set. Data for the Classes of 2021 through 2026 comes from the University of California Information Center and was filtered for the UC Davis campus.

UC Davis has experienced significant growth in applications over the past several years. Between the Classes of 2021 and 2029, the applicant pool increased from 70,955 to 102,988 students, a rise of more than 45%, partly attributed to the UC system’s adoption of a test-free admissions policy around the Class of 2026.

That same cycle marked UC Davis’s peak in selectivity, with an acceptance rate of 37.34%. Since then, the rate has rebounded and has remained above 40% for four consecutive admissions cycles. While admission remains competitive, recent data suggests that UC Davis is currently less selective than at its peak in the mid-2020s.

Why UC Davis Doesn’t Offer Early Admissions

UC Davis doesn’t offer EA or ED because it follows the admissions policies of the UC system, which uses a single application cycle for all first-year applicants. Rather than separating students into early and regular applicant pools, UC campuses evaluate all applicants at the same time using the same admissions criteria.

This approach reflects the UC system’s commitment to fairness, accessibility, and equitable access to higher education, as early admissions programs can sometimes favor students with greater access to college counseling, application support, and financial resources.

A unified timeline is also more practical given the scale of UC admissions. For Fall 2025, UC campuses received a record 205,348 first-year applications and admitted 149,368 students. Managing separate early and regular admissions rounds across ten campuses would add significant complexity to an already massive process.

UC Davis Transfer Acceptance Rate

The most recent available UC Davis transfer data comes from Fall 2025, when the university admitted 56.27% of transfer applicants. Here’s the breakdown:

Note: Fall 2025 transfer data is from UC Davis’s Common Data Set for 2025-2026, the same reporting year that includes Class of 2029 first-year admissions data.

Transfer admission at UC Davis is generally less selective than first-year admission. For the same reporting year, UC Davis admitted 56.27% of transfer applicants, compared with 44.35% of first-year applicants for the Class of 2029.

UC Davis Waitlist Acceptance Rate

The most recent waitlist data comes from the Class of 2029, when UC Davis admitted 3,758 students from the waitlist. Here’s the breakdown:

Note: The waitlist data is sourced from UC Davis’s Common Data Set for 2025-2026, the same reporting year that includes Class of 2029 first-year admissions data.

Waitlist admission rates can fluctuate considerably from year to year based on enrollment needs. Although UC Davis admitted 38.56% of students who remained on the waitlist for the Class of 2029, future applicants should not assume similar results. Students should view it as an opportunity rather than a reliable path to admission and continue pursuing other options.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is UC Davis’s current acceptance rate?

UC Davis’s acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was 44.35%, with 45,674 students admitted from 102,988 applicants.

2. Does UC Davis offer Early Action or Early Decision?

No. Like all undergraduate campuses in the UC system, UC Davis uses a single admissions cycle and does not offer EA or ED.

3. How hard is it to transfer to UC Davis?

Transfer admission is generally less competitive than first-year admission. For Fall 2025, UC Davis admitted 56.27% of transfer applicants, compared with a 44.35% first-year acceptance rate for the Class of 2029.

4. What are my chances of getting off UC Davis’s waitlist?

For the Class of 2029, UC Davis admitted 3,758 of the 9,747 students who chose to remain on the waitlist, resulting in a 38.56% waitlist acceptance rate. While waitlist outcomes vary from year to year, this suggests that waitlisted students may still have a meaningful chance of receiving an offer.

5. Why is UC Davis’s acceptance rate relatively low?

UC Davis receives a large number of applications each year, including 104,850 for the Class of 2030. As one of the more popular campuses in the UC system, strong demand for a limited number of spots helps keep admissions competitive.

Takeaways

• UC Davis’s acceptance rate increased to 44.35% for the Class of 2029, up from 41.83% for the Class of 2028.
• The university received a record 102,988 applications for the Class of 2029 and has already reported 104,850 applications for the Class of 2030.
• Unlike many universities, UC Davis does not offer EA or ED. As part of the UC system, it evaluates all applicants through a single admissions cycle.
• UC Davis admitted 56.27% of transfer applicants in Fall 2025 and 38.56% of students who chose to remain on the waitlist for the Class of 2029.
• If you’re interested in UC Davis, work with an admissions expert who can help strengthen your academic profile, refine your application strategy, and stand out in a competitive applicant pool.