Stairly

Transferring to UC Davis: requirements, credits and deadlines

2027 application cycle. Last updated . By The founders of Stairly

Transfer requirements

UC Davis requires a minimum number of college credits.

  • Minimum credits before you applyRequired

    You need at least 60 semester or 90 quarter UC transferable units by the end of the spring term before fall enrollment.

    Source, 2026-2027

You need at least 60 semester or 90 quarter UC-transferable units by the end of spring term before fall enrollment. The 7 course pattern is two English composition courses, one math or quantitative reasoning course, and four courses from at least two of arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and physical and biological sciences. All need a C or better.

Source: UC Davis transfer admission requirements, 2026-2027

You may take up to 14 semester (21 quarter) units Pass/No Pass.

Source: UC Davis transfer admission requirements, 2026-2027

Fall 2027 applicants use ASSIST academic year 2025-26 for major prep. Biological Science 002A, B, C and D is being discontinued.

Source: UC Davis selective major requirements, 2026-2027

What GPA do you need?

Our read: The school-wide count mixes open majors with selective ones. Biological sciences, engineering, economics, psychology, computer science and business each have their own extra courses and GPA bar. Check your major before you read the count.

UC Davis requires a minimum 2.80 GPA for admission. UC's own minimum is 2.40 in UC-transferable courses, or 2.80 for non-residents of California. Selective majors require higher overall, series and group GPAs.

Source: UC Davis transfer admission requirements, 2026-2027; UC Davis selective major requirements, 2026-2027

Will your credits transfer?

  • Lowest grade that transfers

    C or better

    The required 7-course pattern needs C grades or better.

    Source, 2026-2027

UC Davis lists major prep by college in its selective major pages and points you to ASSIST and Department Agreements for what your courses count as. The pages we opened do not describe how credit is posted after admission.

Source: UC Davis selective major requirements, 2026-2027

Our read: Check ASSIST for your specific college and major before you take a course. A transferable course that is not on your major's list can leave you short in the spring before you enroll.

Transfer deadlines for fall 2027

For fall 2027 entry, the application deadline is November 30, 2026.

Source: University of California, Davis transfer information, 2026-2027

  • You send or do something
  • The school answers
  1. November

    November 30, 2026

    Application deadline

    Source, 2026-2027

  2. After mid-November (fall 2027 cycle, page prints no year)

    TAG decision, review after

    Source, 2026-2027

The UC application period runs October 1 to November 30. Financial aid applications run October 1 to March 2. The TAG application is separate and due September 30 through the UC Transfer Admission Planner.

Source: UC Davis transfer admission, 2026-2027; UC Davis TAG requirements, 2026-2027

UC Davis completes the 7 course pattern and all major prerequisites in the spring before you enroll. All required coursework, including selective major prerequisites, must be finished by the end of spring term.

Source: UC Davis transfer admission requirements, 2026-2027

Our read: This is a one-and-done calendar. If you miss November 30, the next chance is a year away.

What UC Davis looks for

UC Davis gives priority to transfers from California community colleges. It welcomes transfer applicants from all schools.

Source: UC Davis transfer admission, 2026-2027

Selective majors by college: Biological Sciences (all its majors), Engineering (all its majors, including computer science, which is not available through TAG), Letters and Science (economics, mathematics, psychology, statistics, applied physics, data science and others), Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (animal biology, biotechnology, managerial economics, viticulture and enology and others), and Business in the Graduate School of Management.

Source: UC Davis selective major requirements, 2026-2027

Major prep courses must be taken for a letter grade, with no grade below C, and finished by the end of spring before you enroll. Pass/No Pass does not meet selective major requirements unless it was taken during the Covid terms. Summer courses completed before you transfer do not count toward admission requirements.

Source: UC Davis selective major requirements, 2026-2027

Very few lower-division transfers are admitted. Only the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences occasionally considers applicants below junior standing. All other divisions consider only juniors.

Source: UC Davis transfer admission requirements, 2026-2027

Our read: The courses decide this, not the essay. Missing one selective major course by spring is the most likely way to lose the major.

UC Davis transfer acceptance rate

UC Davis's transfer acceptance rate for fall 2025 was 56.3%. 2,614 transfer students enrolled. The first-year rate the same year was 44.3%.

Source: Official school data report, section D, 2025-2026

Transfer applicants, fall 2025
  • Applied17,211
  • Admitted9,684
  • Enrolled2,614
Share admitted, same year
  • Transfer applicants56.3%
  • First-year applicants44.3%

The Common Data Set is the official data report colleges publish each year.

Transfer and first-year applicants are different groups. Use the first-year rate as context only.

A high rate does not open every major. Some programs set their own courses and grades.

Transfer essays and supplements

UC Davis's advice page says transfer applicants answer four Personal Insight Questions, one required and three chosen from seven others. Each response is limited to 350 words. The page links to UC for the exact wording.

Source: UC Davis advice on Personal Insight Questions, undated page

Our read: UC is a numbers-first review for most majors, and the courses and GPA decide it. Use the written part for the one thing the transcript cannot show: why this major, what you did outside class, and what happened if a term went badly.

Most of your odds here are grades and courses. If you are writing an essay anyway, get a free review first.

AI models process your essay. See how we handle it.

Questions students ask

What GPA do I need?

UC Davis requires a minimum 2.80. Selective majors need more, and UC Davis does not list those numbers on the page we opened.

Source: UC Davis transfer admission requirements, 2026-2027; UC Davis selective major requirements, 2026-2027

Can I be a sophomore?

Very rarely. Only the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences occasionally considers applicants below junior level.

Source: UC Davis transfer admission requirements, 2026-2027

Do summer courses count?

Summer coursework completed before you transfer does not count toward selective major admission requirements.

Source: UC Davis selective major requirements, 2026-2027

Which majors are not available through TAG?

Business, computer science and data science.

Source: UC Davis selective major requirements, 2026-2027; UC Davis TAG requirements, 2026-2027

Sources

Numbers come from official reports, read by our tools and checked. Notes were drafted with AI tools from the official pages linked beside them. A person has not reviewed this guide yet. Admission decisions belong to each college, and no one can promise one.

Tell us what you found