Admission standards for UC Davis?

This might be a bit too specific, but I've got my eyes set on UC Davis. Does anyone know how hard it is to get accepted there? What GPA or other metrics should I aim for?

UC Davis, like all UC schools, conducts a holistic review of the entire application, examining everything from academic achievement to personal qualities. This means they'll look at factors beyond GPA and test scores, including your coursework, leadership roles, community service, creative talent, or overcoming personal hardship.

The academic part of the review takes into account your high school achievements, both in terms of grades and the challenge of your coursework. UC Davis does not officially publish a GPA cutoff, but it is generally very selective. Based on the most recent admitted class, the average weighted GPA of freshmen was 4.13.

Starting with the 2021-22 academic year some of the admission changes include:

- No longer using the SAT or ACT for admission selection

- A greater emphasis on certain aspects of the application like the student's responses to the personal insight questions.

In the terms of the personal insight answers that UC Davis requests, they are looking for evidence of your intellectual curiosity, your leadership roles or potential, your ability to recognize and take advantage of opportunities, any educational barriers you've faced, and your life experiences that add to the diversity of the UC Davis community.

While UC Davis does not utilize the ACT or SAT for admission selection, strong performance in varied academic courses, such as Advanced Placement (AP) courses, can be helpful in demonstrating your ability to succeed in college-level coursework.

Overall, UC Davis reviews every application in context, which means considering the opportunities and resources available to you in your particular high school. Remember, while admissions to UC Davis are selective, it's a process that considers the whole student and all their achievements. It’s not purely about the numbers.