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UC-Davis

42% accepted | 32k undergrads | Public | Davis, CA
All majors / fields

$81k

Earnings help
trending_up 11%

$13k

Debt help
67%

1.5

Repay help
78
San Francisco Bay Area
Sacramento California Area
Greater Los Angeles Area
Key metrics
Publisher ranking help
star star star star star_half
4.6
Student review help
star star star star star
4.0
Student-to-faculty
21:1
Graduation rate
 
85%
Graduate on time help
 
68%
Retention rate help
 
92%
Lifestyle Majors Campus Overview

Costs

State residency
Family income

Tuition & fees
trending_up 2.0% last 3 years

Expenses see detail

Income-based free tuition exists.
$25,808
brightness_alert
Regardless of income, all students receive free tuition and housing in exchange for service after graduation.
emoji_objects Enter value in Other to adjust sticker price to reflect your eligibility for free tuition, etc...
emoji_objects Colleges often increase income limits so always check the latest eligibility requirements.
QuestBridge help

Books & supplies

$1,381

Housing & meals
On campus

$19,068

Personal expenses

$5,359
 
 

Other

$
Costs or offsets to adjust sticker price.

Sticker price (COA) help
in_home_mode In-state
[name] help

Estimated aid help
Based on income

Estimated net cost

4-year net cost (x4)
Inflation adj. 3%

 
Personalize my costs. help
 
 
Funding Sources

4-year budget

$
College savings (529), earnings in college.

Funding gap (debt)

Merit: 6% of students (9% w/o need) get $7,586 (avg) in aid. Need: 84% met. See detail
Aid detail
Residency: US | Int’l
% undergrads awarded merit aid $ merit award help % need met
All students Without need Average With need
6% 9% $7,586 84%
Need methodology: FM and IM
How is merit calc'd?
emoji_objects Merit aid is based on student academics, not financial need and is paid by the college.
emoji_objects Students awarded merit aid often have a high GPA or test scores near or above the 75th percentile. See scores
Endowment $ / student: $15,994 help
ucdavis.edu: Financial aid | Net price calc
brightness_alert
Net price is for all freshman, not just the 51% that receive grant and scholarship aid. Estimated aid for out-of-state freshman excludes all state/local government grant or scholarships. help

Earnings

Major

Earnings after 4 years N/A

$80,838

Real earnings ---
Inflation adj. 8% help

$87,305

Tax rate

%
Get earnings after tax here to adjust rate.
 

Earnings after tax (AT)

Select repayment plan

For funding gap (debt)
Debt detail

% AT earnings to repay debt
help

%
20% is a fast repayment level. help

% interest rate on debt

%
Federal rates with 20% PLUS. help
Plan comparison for debt help

10-yr repay
 

25-yr repay
 

% earnings
 

Annual debt repayment

Earnings after tax and debt ---

Lifestyle

Postgrad earnings and expenses

emoji_objects Cities with the star within the red area may be unaffordable. help
Major:
Location adjusted Less tax, debt + cost of living Savings
Ratio Earnings Tax Repay Expenses / Deficit
UC-Davis 1.52x
Location neutral earnings help 1.00x
SF | San Francisco, CA 1.76x -60k = 
SAC | Sacramento, CA 1.21x -40k = 
LA | Los Angeles, CA 1.32x -44k = 
SD | San Diego, CA 1.38x -41k = 
NYC | New York, NY 1.57x -52k = 
= 
emoji_objects Location adjusted earnings - taxes - debt repay - cost of living expenses = ending savings / deficit.
emoji_objects The colleges’ ratio reflects a weighted average of their graduates’ cost of living. Location neutral earnings is the weighted average of all graduates across all colleges, which is ~$39k or Salt Lake City’s cost of living.
Taxes help

Expenses

Grad destination

Popular grad destinations

San Francisco Bay Area
Sacramento California Area
Greater Los Angeles Area
Greater San Diego Area
Greater New York City Area
Orange County California Area
Greater Seattle Area
Washington D.C. Metro Area
Portland Oregon Area
Greater Boston Area
Greater Denver Area
Stockton California Area

Earnings after tax and debt ---

Cost of living | 1 adult, 0 children

Studio apartment
$1,950 - $3,440/mo help

$23,400

Grocery shopping help

$4,604

Transportation

$9,755

Healthcare

$5,923

Necessities help

$11,886

Entertainment help

$4,754
 

Other

$
Costs or offsets to adjust cost of living.

Total cost of living

Earnings after tax, debt + cost of living
Savings
Deficit

Cost of living ratio: 1.76x
Methodology and documentation
Costs help
© 2025 GradBetter
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GradBetter is not affiliated with any college or educational institution. Our goal is to organize information that families may find useful and help students graduate in a better place. Our calculations are estimates for educational and illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as financial or tax advice. Please consult a qualified professional regarding financial decisions.
All of our estimates, including aid, need, merit, earnings, debt, cost of living, etc… are just that, estimates. They are not binding on GradBetter nor a final representation of your aid award or any outcome. A college’s aid policies and costs are subject to change and may not be fully reflected in our estimates.