The UC Davis transfer acceptance rate, in one number
The UC Davis transfer acceptance rate is about 58%. In the most recent cycle Davis got 17,400 transfer applications and admitted 10,138 of them, nearly 3 in 5 and comfortably above its freshman rate. Davis is one of the most transfer-friendly big-name UCs. Breathe.
It gets better. Davis is one of the six UCs where you can guarantee admission through TAG before you even apply. A website like Transfermatic builds the plan that gets you into Davis, including using TAG, around your major and your community college. Or keep reading and do it yourself.
Where the rate is going
Davis has said yes to more than half its transfer applicants for years, floating between the mid-50s and mid-60s percent. Applications keep climbing, but there is no cliff. And 93% of admitted transfers come from California community colleges, so your path is the front door. To see how Davis stacks up against the 1-in-4 campuses like UCLA and Berkeley, here are the transfer acceptance rates across all the UCs.
The majors that are harder vs easier
Davis admits by major, and the word to know is "selective." Every biology major is selective. So is all of engineering, plus psychology, economics, and statistics. Selective means the major prep must be done by spring, C or better, no pass/no pass. The real outliers: computer science, data science, and business. They admit the hardest and are shut out of TAG entirely. The easier lane is most humanities and many social science majors, where the prep is lighter. Which classes at your college count for your exact major is the part people get wrong, and it is what a website like Transfermatic maps out class by class.
How to actually get in (TAG is the cheat code)
Three levers. GPA: Davis wants at least a 2.8, but most admitted transfers land in the mid-3s. Major prep: finish the lower-division courses your major requires by spring, in order, because selective majors will not bend. Then the part that makes Davis different.
“Hit a 3.2, file one form in September, and Davis stops being an application and becomes a guarantee.”
Davis offers TAG, the Transfer Admission Guarantee. A 3.2 GPA covers most majors, engineering wants a 3.5, and you file September 1 to 30 the year before you transfer. Meet the terms and admission is guaranteed, not just likely. You can only hold one TAG across the six campuses that offer it, so spend it where it counts.
Common scenarios
You want to use TAG to guarantee your spot
Check three things now: your major is TAG-eligible (computer science, data science, and business are not), your GPA clears 3.2 (3.5 for engineering), and you can finish the required courses by spring. Then set a reminder for September 1. The guarantee has no late door.
You're aiming for a bio or health major
Every biology major at Davis is selective, because half the pre-meds in California apply. You can still TAG most of them at a 3.2, but only if every prep course is done by spring with a C or better, no pass/no pass. Map the chem and bio sequence backward from your transfer date now. Those chains take two years and cannot be rushed.
Davis is your safety and you want it locked
TAG is your insurance policy. File your one TAG at Davis in September, keep your GPA over the line after you file, and apply to your reach schools in November like normal. If a 1-in-4 campus like Berkeley says no, you are still in at Davis. Aim high with a guaranteed floor under you.
Bottom line
The UC Davis transfer acceptance rate is about 58%, and TAG can take your odds to 100. Pick a TAG-eligible major or accept the harder fight for CS and business, finish your prep by spring, hit the GPA, and file in September. Davis is the rare great school you do not have to gamble on.
Related: transfer acceptance rates across all the UCs · see the exact major prep Davis expects · which six UCs guarantee admission through TAG · the UCLA transfer acceptance rate and how to get in
