The University of California, Davis, welcomed one of its most diverse entering classes and became eligible to be one of the nation’s few research-intensive universities designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, or HSI, as it enrolled a record 41,239 students in fall 2024.

The University of California released systemwide enrollment statistics today (Jan. 7).

At Davis, overall enrollment — including undergraduate, graduate and professional students as well as 1,174 veterinary and medical residents and interns — increased by 391 students, or 0.9%, over fall 2023.

UC Davis enrolled 9,443 new undergraduates: 6,767 as first-year students direct from high school, 2,656 as transfer students and 20 others seeking a second undergraduate degree.

HSI eligibility

In late October, UC Davis announced Latinx enrollment had reached a new peak of about 8,100 students or 25.1% of undergraduate full-time-equivalent, or FTE, students. That surpasses the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria of at least 25% for HSIs.

The campus has long-sought HSI designation to underscore its commitment to serving Latinx students. The status would also make the university eligible to apply for competitive grants from the federal government and foundations to support student success, innovation and institutional transformation benefiting all students.

While the enrollment threshold for HSI status is calculated using FTE numbers for new and continuing undergraduates, the University of California statistics, based on headcount, do demonstrate the growing representation of Latinx students at Davis.

Among new California undergraduates, for example, the Hispanic/Latino(a) group accounted for more than three in every 10 students.

The campus already secured the federal government’s status as a Minority Serving Institution in 2019 when it was designated an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution.

Representation

The new undergraduates come from 56 of California’s 58 counties, 47 states and U.S. territories, and 48 countries. Approximately 83.4% are California residents, 4.6% are U.S. domestic students from outside California, and 12.1% are international students.

Among new California undergraduates, the percentage of students from historically underrepresented groups (African American, American Indian, Hispanic/Latino(a) and Pacific Islander) increased to 37.5% — the highest percentage in more than 25 years. Last fall, the percentage was 36.2%

• Hispanic/Latino(a) students increased by 4.1% (from 2,311 in fall 2023 to 2,405) and represented 31.3% of new California residents.
• African Americans rose by 9.6% (from 354 in fall 2023 to 388) and accounted for 5% of new California undergraduates.
• American Indians increased by 19.2% (from 52 in fall 2023 to 62) and were 0.8% of new California undergraduates.
• The number of Pacific Islanders increased by 8.3% (from 24 in fall 2023 to 26) and made up 0.3% of new California residents.

Among the new students, 40.8% indicated they would be in the first generation of their family to graduate from a four-year university. About 31.3% of all new undergraduates were considered low income, and 38.8% were recipients of the federal Pell Grant for low-income students.

Robert Penman, executive director of Undergraduate Admissions, said the average grade point average, or GPA, for first-year students was 4.04, and the median was 4.08. More than 75% of first-year students had a weighted GPA above 3.92. 

 The average transfer GPA was 3.59, and the median was 3.62. More than 75% of newly enrolled transfer students had a GPA above 3.38.

Calculations for planning purposes

Counted among the university’s total enrollment, some students study at the Sacramento campus, facilities across California and beyond. UC Davis also tracks student population averaged over the three quarters of an academic year for implementing the 2018 Long Range Development Plan, or LRDP, capacity of 39,000 students at the Davis campus. In keeping with the last few years, the LRDP three-quarter average is estimated to be around 37,000 for 2024-25.