UC Davis Enrolls 30,065 Students, Down from Fall 2003

The University of California, Davis, has enrolled 30,065 students this fall, a decrease of 164, or 0.5 percent, from last year.

Looking at the main campus in Davis only, the student population is expected to average 26,560 over the three quarters of the academic year.

The overall student count includes health science interns and residents as well as students in two non-state-supported programs: the Working Professional MBA Program and the Master of Forensic Science program.

The number of undergraduates (including teaching-credential students) decreased by about 1.4 percent, from 23,509 last fall to 23,171 this fall; the number of graduate students rose by about 2.9 percent, from 3,915 last fall to 4,027 this fall.

Non-white ethnic groups comprise 60.28 percent of all domestic undergraduates, up from last fall's 57.75 percent.

Included in the overall count, 4,266 first-year students came directly from high school, compared to 4,786 last fall, for an almost 10.9 percent decrease.

The decline follows Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's call for a 10 percent cut in freshman enrollment and the plan to divert many UC applicants to community college for two years as part of UC's Guaranteed Transfer Option (GTO) program. Although the state budget agreement resulted in UC campuses offering freshman admission to GTO students and other eligible applicants, the number that enrolled did not offset the decline in admission offers made in the spring.

New transfer students numbered 1,848 this fall, compared to last fall's 1,751 final tally, for a 5.5 percent increase. Among these transfer students, California residents coming from California community colleges numbered 1,671 this fall for a 12.2 percent increase over last year's 1,489.

Freshman SAT scores and GPAs

The average SAT-I score of enrolled freshmen was 1,180, essentially unchanged from 1,181 in fall 2003. The average grade point average was 3.74, up from 3.73 in fall 2003.

Admission exam scores and the GPA are two of 14 factors UC Davis considers in seeking to enroll students that demonstrate high academic achievement or exceptional personal talent and a student body that encompasses the broad diversity of backgrounds characteristic of California.

Profile of this fall's student body

Men account for 44.9 percent of the total student population, and women 55.1 percent. Almost 93.1 percent of students are California residents. About 2.6 percent are from other parts of the United States, while about 4.3 percent are international students.

For the general campus, 5,651 students are classified as freshmen; 4,187 as sophomores; 6,328 as juniors; 6,854 as seniors; 151 as teaching-credential students; 1,677 as master's or professional degree candidates; and 2,695 as doctoral degree candidates. In the health sciences, 93 are designated as students in the Family Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant Program, 50 as master's degree candidates, 293 as doctoral degree candidates, 914 as professional degree candidates, and 855 as interns and residents. In addition, 278 students are enrolled in the Working Professional MBA Program, and 39 are in the Master of Forensic Science program.

Undergraduates by ethnicity

Of the 23,020 general campus undergraduates (excluding teaching credential students), 22,777 are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The ethnic breakdown among the U.S. students, contrasted with last year's figures (in parentheses), is:

  • African American, 2.59 percent or 589 (2.53 percent or 585);
  • American Indian/Alaskan Native, 0.74 percent or 169 (0.71 percent or 165);
  • Caucasian, 39.72 percent or 9,047 (42.25 percent or 9,759);
  • Chinese, 17.39 percent or 3,961 (16.11 percent or 3,720);
  • East Indian/Pakistani, 3.27 percent or 744 (3.05 percent or 704);
  • Filipino, 4.72 percent or 1,074 (4.64 percent or 1,071);
  • Japanese, 1.87 percent or 427 (1.94 percent or 448);
  • Korean, 2.77 percent or 632 (2.73 percent or 630);
  • Latino and other Spanish, 2.76 percent or 629 (2.70 percent or 623);
  • Mexican/Chicano, 8.02 percent or 1,827 (7.86 percent or 1,815);
  • other Asian, 2.65 percent or 603 (2.36 percent or 546);
  • Pacific Islander, 1.24 percent or 282 (1.48 percent or 342);
  • Puerto Rican, 0 percent or one (0.01 percent or two);
  • Southeast Asian, 0.02 percent or five (0 percent or one);
  • Vietnamese, 5.58 percent or 1,270 (5.20 percent or 1,201);
  • other ethnicities, 2.14 percent or 487 (2.29 percent or 529); and
  • 4.52 percent or 1,030 (4.14 percent or 956) are of unknown ethnicity.

Here is a comparison of actual fall quarter enrollments from last year to this year:

Fall 2004

Undergraduates 23,171

  • Agricultural & Environmental Sciences 4,664
  • Engineering 3,114
  • Letters & Science 10,227
  • Biological Sciences 5,015
  • Teaching Credential 151

Graduate Studies 4,027

Professional Schools 2,867

  • Graduate School of Management* 396
  • Law 570
  • Medicine** 1,251
  • Veterinary Medicine** 611
  • Forensic Science Program 39

Total 30,065

Fall 2003

Undergraduates 23,509

  • Agricultural & Environmental Sciences 4,642
  • Engineering 3,319
  • Letters & Science 10,614
  • Biological Sciences 4,793
  • Teaching Credential 141

Graduate Studies 3,915

Professional Schools 2,805

  • Graduate School of Management* 384
  • Law 547
  • Medicine** 1,239
  • Veterinary Medicine** 608
  • Forensic Science Program 27

Total 30,229

* Figures for the management school include students in the MBA program for working professionals: 278 this fall and 266 last fall.

** Numbers for the medical and veterinary schools include interns and residents. The medical school has 759 this fall compared to 736 last fall; the vet school has 96 this fall compared to 91 last fall.

Media Resources

Julia Ann Easley, General news (emphasis: business, K-12 outreach, education, law, government and student affairs), 530-752-8248, jaeasley@ucdavis.edu

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