Public · University

University of California-Davis

Davis, California · Small suburb

41.8%
Admit rate
$14,741
Avg net price
86%
Graduation rate
$80,838
Median earnings

University of California-Davis is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Davis, California (small suburb setting), enrolling 32,253 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicLarge · 32,253 undergradsSmall suburbSelective · 42% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Big Sky Conference

About Davis, California

Davis is the most populous city in Yolo County, California, United States. The Patwin were subsequently displaced by the American and Mexican government in the 1830s as part of the California genocide. Patwin burial grounds have been found across Davis, including on the site of the UC Davis Mondavi Center. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
27 miles
Nearest airport
14 miles to Sacramento (SMF) · major hub

How University of California-Davis compares

Selectivity41.8%

More selective than 88% · #27 most selective of 107 in California

Graduation rate86%

Higher than 93% · #20 of 122 in California

First-year retention93%

Higher than 90%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$80,838

Higher than 91% · #30 of 130 in California

Average net price$14,741

Cheaper than 74% · #34 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$13,000

Lower than 94%

Student–faculty ratio22 : 1

Lower than 6%

Undergraduate enrollment32,253

Larger than 98%

Percentiles compare University of California-Davis with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.

University of California-Davis campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

40,045students
  • Undergraduate32,25381%
  • Graduate7,79219%

Undergraduates by gender

32,253undergrads
  • Women20,21363%
  • Men12,04037%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White20%
  • Black1.7%
  • Hispanic25%
  • Asian31%
  • Other or multiracial22%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
32,253
Graduate enrollment
7,792
Student–faculty ratio
22 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
31%
First-generation students
41%
Students over 25
4%
Median family income
$33,784
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$165,213
Endowment
$773,217,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 6,577 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California79%
  • Other U.S. states5.3%
  • International16%

Most first-years stay in state — University of California-Davis draws overwhelmingly from California.

16% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
41.8%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
Average GPA
4.04

Cost

In-state tuition
$16,774
Out-of-state tuition
$50,974
Room & board
$19,426
Books & supplies
$1,386
Total cost of attendance
$41,238
Average net price
$14,741

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
86%
Graduated on time (4 years)
71%
First-year retention
93%
Transferred to another college
5%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$58,461
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$80,838
Median debt at graduation
$13,000
Students with federal loans
20%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
78%

About 15% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
71%
Low-income (Pell)
75%
First-generation
74%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
16,548
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
51%
Housing charge (year)
$12,498
Meal plan (year)
$6,804
Application fee
$80
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Big Sky Conference
Varsity athletes
771 (302 men · 469 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (16)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)181
Football116
Soccer66
Water Polo56
Baseball43
Swimming and Diving (combined)40
Basketball39
Lacrosse38
Equestrian37
Beach Volleyball31
Field Hockey26
Softball22
Tennis21
Volleyball20
Gymnastics18
Golf17

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
10.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
270
Property offenses (2022–2024)
981

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (40,065 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

417reported offenses a year
90 violent a year327 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
213
Burglary
103
Fondling
56
Rape
21
Arson
11
Aggravated assault
9.0
Robbery
4.0

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$9,211
$30–48k
$9,966
$48–75k
$11,951
$75–110k
$16,294
$110k+
$31,272

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$50,913

$11,951/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

47%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$10,174
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 47% — get grant money from University of California-Davis itself, averaging $10,174, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 6,292 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$80,838
Typical debt at graduation
$13,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
16%
Out-earn a HS grad
69%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$75,954
Men
$88,572

Men out-earn women by $12,618 (17%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
93°F
Winter low
38°F
Annual rain
19.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.04.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Davis 2 Wsw Exp Farm, CA US station (1.5 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to University of California-Davis

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of California-Davis side by side →

Colleges near University of California-Davis

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.