Golden State Today

A record high of 115,349 students applied to the University of California, Davis, for undergraduate studies in fall 2024. The applications represented a 4.7% increase over the previous record of 110,189 applications for fall 2022 and 5.5% over last year’s 109,350.

Among the UC Davis applicants for fall 2024, a record 98,834 applied for first-year admission, representing a 4.3% increase over the previous high of 94,725 for fall 2022 and 4.4% over last year’s 94,609. Transfer applications numbered 16,515, up 12% from last year.

Robert Penman, executive director of Undergraduate Admissions, expressed his satisfaction with the increase in transfer applications, stating, “The team has been working really hard to recover the loss of transfer applications during the pandemic, and we’re thrilled to see that work come to fruition.”

Penman attributed the rise in transfer applications to additional state funding for transfer outreach, mentioning that UC Davis has expanded the Transfer Opportunity Program to include 42 community colleges. The application period for transfer students was also extended to ensure equal opportunity for all prospective students.

California residents accounted for the majority of applicants, with 68.7% of first-year applicants and 86.8% of transfer applicants coming from within the state. The university also saw a slight increase in applications from historically underrepresented groups, including African American, American Indian, Chicano/Latino, and Pacific Islander students.

The campus aims to enroll about 9,600 new undergraduates for the fall 2024 semester, up from the previous year. Chancellor Gary S. May, known for his playful interactions with students, was recently caught correcting a tour guide who mistakenly called him a Star Wars fan instead of a Star Trek fan.

UC Davis is currently evaluating applications and plans to notify first-year applicants of admissions decisions in mid-March and transfer applicants in mid- to late April. Admitted students will have until May 15 or June 1, depending on their status, to accept offers of admission.

In the previous admissions cycle, UC Davis received 94,638 first-year applications and 14,755 transfer applications. The university offered admission to 39,400 first-year and 9,489 transfer applicants, with a total of 9,234 students enrolling for the fall 2023 semester.

As the university prepares for the upcoming academic year, the campus remains committed to its Long Range Development Plan, aiming to maintain an average student population close to 37,000 for the 2023-24 academic year.