College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

University of California-Davis

CALarge public institution · Overall rank #18 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks UC Davis #18 nationally.

Who it’s a good fit for

University of California-Davis is a public university in Davis, California, where the degree mix is led by Biological Sciences, Social Sciences, and Psychology. Most graduates are estimated to go into jobs rather than on to further study.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The model attributes more of that to the factors it measures than to what it cannot explain.

Students who arrive with Pell Grants finish within a few points of the rate for the entering cohort as a whole, and mobility is among the highest we track. Families at the bottom of the income scale pay well below the published cost, while those at the top pay closer to it.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions. A student drawn to the social sciences should go in knowing that the largest departments are not the best-paid ones.

UC Davis at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
41.8%
Six-year completion[2]
85.7%
Four-year earnings[3]
$73,086

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$11,951
Median student debt[4]
$13,000
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$25,733

UC Davis rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Enrolling 32,253 undergraduates, University of California-Davis is a public university located in Davis, California. Its composite standing places it among the highest-ranked nonprofit four-year institutions (99th percentile).

University of California-Davis accepts 41.8% of those who apply; the median admission rate for comparable institutions (same type and size) is 78.1%. The first-year retention rate is 92.8%, while the peer median for comparable institutions is 83.1%.

The six-year graduation rate stands at 85.7%, and the peer median for comparable institutions is 65.0%. Because an estimated 29.8% of students arrive as transfers or part-time students, that graduation figure covers only the first-time full-time cohort and leaves out many who began elsewhere.

Mobility is the strongest of the four (99th percentile), while return is the weakest (77th percentile). Access (95th percentile) and affordability (89th percentile) fall between those two extremes, so the pillars are spread across a wide range rather than clustered together.

University of California-Davis lands in the 99th percentile for mobility, its strongest pillar. Access follows at the 95th percentile, and affordability at the 89th percentile.

The return pillar, in the 77th percentile, is the weakest of the four. Every pillar sits above the median among the 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

31.4% of undergraduates at University of California-Davis receive Pell Grants. Azimuth ranks University of California-Davis #76 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients complete at 81.1%, 4.6 percentage points below the rate for the entering cohort as a whole. Azimuth ranks the university #17 for mobility. Graduates earn about $10,086 more than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

UC Davis rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#18
California#10
West#10

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 99
Access & reach
National percentile: 95
Affordability
National percentile: 89
Return on investment
National percentile: 77

Top-ranked majors

  1. Genetics#1
  2. Biotechnology#1
  3. Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft#2

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / UC Davis briefing

UC Davis cost & financial aid[6][7]

The University of California-Davis publishes a cost of attendance of $41,238, but the average aid recipient pays $14,741 after grants and scholarships. Financial aid reduces the average recipient's cost by $26,497 from the published sticker price.

That average net price is $893 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $14,202 and required fees of $3,798 for the 2026-27 academic year.

On-campus food and housing added $22,125. Out-of-state students face a published tuition of $53,472.

Azimuth ranks the university #150 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The University of California-Davis publishes a cost of attendance of $41,238. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $9,211.

For families earning $48,001 to $75,000, the is $11,951, and for families earning over $110,000, it is $31,272. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $22,061.

Azimuth ranks University of California-Davis #150 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 64% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $26,497.

The average net price across all aid recipients is $14,741, which is below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $893. The median federal student debt at completion is $13,000, with about 73.6% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans.

That median is below the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions by $7,076. The median Parent PLUS borrowing is $25,733.

If repaid over ten years, a graduate with the median federal debt would face an estimated monthly payment of $148.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$11,951

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at UC Davis

Federal borrowing at the University of California-Davis is concentrated in the lower half of the distribution. The median federal student debt at completion is $13,000.

That median runs below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), a gap of $7,076. Parent borrowers, a separate population, carry a median Parent PLUS loan of $25,733.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 31% of the 6,155 bachelor's graduates who started as first-time students borrowed from any source. The average cumulative principal per borrower was $17,466.

Federal loans accounted for most of that, with 30% of graduates borrowing an average of $14,232 in federal principal. A small share, 2% of graduates, held private loans, averaging $46,598 per private borrower.

The University of California-Davis combines earnings that exceed modeled expectations with debt that sits well below the peer benchmark. Graduates earn about $10,086 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 83rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The median earnings four years after completion reach $73,086, which falls in the 80th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix show a typical earnings level of $73,086, with a downside scenario of $53,882 and an upside scenario of $96,806.

On the cost side, the median federal debt at completion is $13,000, below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated monthly payment of $148.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $25,733. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $148.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$13,000
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$25,733

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$148/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$327/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / UC Davis briefing

UC Davis career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

University of California-Davis reports median earnings of $73,086 four years after completion. That institution-wide figure is a starting point; results for particular fields can differ.

Read earnings alongside retention and completion. Earnings among completers do not include every student who entered the institution, while the lower and higher planning estimates describe modeled mixes of program outcomes rather than observed salary percentiles.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$8,653
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$1,433
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$10,086

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / UC Davis briefing

UC Davis acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

University of California-Davis admitted 41.8% of applicants, a rate that sits well below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 102,988 applicants, 45,674 admitted students, and 6,810 enrolled first-year students.

Admissions
Admission rate
41.8%
Read the full admissions brief

04 / UC Davis briefing

What are the largest majors at UC Davis?[12]

The largest program records at University of California-Davis, by reported degrees awarded, are: Research and Experimental Psychology (924 awards); Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (596 awards); Economics (559 awards); Neurobiology and Neurosciences (519 awards); Biology, General (418 awards). These counts describe degree output in the source reporting period, not current enrollment or unique people.

Among those larger programs, reported median earnings four years after completion include Research and Experimental Psychology at $57,378; Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods at $86,155; Economics at $83,248. Program size and earnings answer different questions; the largest program need not have the highest earnings.

Keep individual program records separate from broader degree categories and from records for other reporting periods. Those views can describe different parts of the university’s academic mix.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Research and Experimental Psychology 924 degrees awarded
$57,378
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods 596 degrees awarded
$86,155
Economics 559 degrees awarded
$83,248
Neurobiology and Neurosciences 519 degrees awarded
$63,720
Biology, General 418 degrees awarded
$68,120
Computer Science 402 degrees awarded
Too few graduates to report

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / UC Davis briefing

How does UC Davis serve students from different backgrounds?

Azimuth places University of California-Davis in the 99th percentile for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 85.7%, and Pell recipients complete at a rate of 81.1% — below the overall rate by 4.6 percentage points.

Graduates earn about $10,086 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that sits in the 83rd percentile nationally.

Azimuth places the access pillar of University of California-Davis in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The public university admits 41.8% of applicants and enrolls 32,253 undergraduates.

Pell Grant recipients make up 31.4% of the undergraduate body, and an estimated 29.8% of undergraduates enter as transfers or part-time students.

06 / UC Davis briefing

What colleges are similar to UC Davis?[15]

The comparisons for University of California-Davis cover higher reported admission rates, similar admissions profiles, higher reported earnings at similar cost, lower reported cost with similar earnings and options in the same state or region. The similar-schools brief keeps these questions in separate groups, with related institutional profiles shown as another comparison.

Each group has its own candidate list and ordering. A high position within one group is not a rank against all the schools in the other groups, and a school can appear more than once for different reasons. Check the source definition and earnings period for the comparison you choose.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with UC Davis.

Admissions peerSUM Bible College and Theological Seminary40.7% admitted
Comparison with UC Davis
MeasureUC DavisSUM Bible College and Theological Seminary
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,086$38,089-$34,997 vs UC Davis
Average annual net price$14,741$21,680+$6,939 vs UC Davis · higher cost
Admission rate41.8%40.7%
Higher-admission alternativeCalifornia State University-East Bay97.4% admitted
Comparison with UC Davis
MeasureUC DavisCalifornia State University-East Bay
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,086$72,596-$490 vs UC Davis
Average annual net price$14,741$9,320-$5,421 vs UC Davis · lower cost
Admission rate41.8%97.4%
Explore California State University-East Bay →
Nearby alternativeUniversity of the PacificNearby option · CA
Comparison with UC Davis
MeasureUC DavisUniversity of the Pacific
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,086$81,820+$8,734 vs UC Davis
Average annual net price$14,741$25,447+$10,706 vs UC Davis · higher cost
Admission rate41.8%71.3%
Explore University of the Pacific →
Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Washington-Seattle Campus$82,515 earnings
Comparison with UC Davis
MeasureUC DavisUniversity of Washington-Seattle Campus
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,086$82,515+$9,429 vs UC Davis
Average annual net price$14,741$14,091-$650 vs UC Davis · lower cost
Admission rate41.8%39.2%
Explore University of Washington-Seattle Campus →
Lower-cost alternativeCalifornia State University-East Bay$9,320 average net price
Comparison with UC Davis
MeasureUC DavisCalifornia State University-East Bay
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,086$72,596-$490 vs UC Davis
Average annual net price$14,741$9,320-$5,421 vs UC Davis · lower cost
Admission rate41.8%97.4%
Explore California State University-East Bay →
Similar profileUniversity of California-IrvineMatched across several measures
Comparison with UC Davis
MeasureUC DavisUniversity of California-Irvine
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,086$74,438+$1,352 vs UC Davis
Average annual net price$14,741$14,251-$490 vs UC Davis · lower cost
Admission rate41.8%28.6%
Explore University of California-Irvine →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings