UC Davis broke another record for student applications. Here’s who applied

The number undergraduate applicants to UC Davis hit a record level for a second year in the row, the university announced last week, with increases in applications from some underrepresented groups.

About 110,200 applicants sought to enter UC Davis as a freshman and transfer students in fall 2022, a roughly 4% increase over last year’s numbers. The overall University of California system also received a record number of applications, with more than 251,000 applications coming in.

Despite the devastating impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, students have continued to seek out UC schools in droves. Experts have speculated that the removal of standardized testing requirements could partially explain the record numbers. Students may also be applying to schools with more generous financial aid packages, or are looking to pursue a college degree after taking a gap year.

About 94,700 applied to UC Davis as a freshman, an increase of 8.7% from the previous year. All nine of UC’s undergraduate campuses saw increases in applications.

But applications among transfer students declined 17.4%, for a total of roughly 15,500 applications. A trend illustrated across the UC system, the drop in applications from transfers also reflects a nationwide decline in applications to community colleges.

Among California freshman applicants, more than 36% are from historically underrepresented groups, which includes Black, American Indian, Chicano/Latino and Pacific Islander students.

It’s a slight decrease from 37% last year, but represents a larger overall number of applications from underrepresented groups, including Black, Chicano/Latino and American Indians applicants.

“UC Davis is an exceptional place to live, learn and grow,” Robert Penman, executive director of Undergraduate Admissions, said in a statement. “This is an incredible group of applicants, and we’re very excited to welcome our next class in the coming weeks.”

The largest ethnic group of California first-year applicants to UC Davis were Asian American students, who accounted for 40% of applications, with Latino students at 30%, white students at 21%, Black students at 6%, American Indian at 1% and Pacific Islander at less than 1%.

Among California freshman and community college transfer applicants, 44% percent are from low-income families, and 40% would be in the first generation of their family to graduate from a four-year college, according to UC Davis officials.

UC Davis received more than 20,300 international applications for freshman and transfer status, representing a 6.2% increase over last year. Applicants from U.S. states other than California also grew about 12% to 11,056, officials reported.

“The University of California remains an institution of choice for so many hardworking prospective undergraduates,” UC President Michael Drake said in a press release. “This diverse group of students has shown their commitment to pursuing higher education and we are thrilled they want to join us at UC.”

For fall 2021, UC Davis received nearly 106,000 applications, and offered admission to about 42,800 freshman and 9,500 transfer applicants. Ultimately about 10,500 enrolled last fall.

This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 3:00 AM.