How to Apply to Life Sciences and Health Majors at UC Davis: Majors in the College of Biological Sciences plus Nutrition and Animal Biology in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Every Biological Sciences Major Selective for Transfer, No Undergraduate Nursing or Public Health Major, and the Path for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

UC Davis is in Davis, California. Life-science and health-related undergraduate majors are mainly in two colleges: the College of Biological Sciences (CBS) and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). There is no pre-med major in the United States; the catalog lists nursing science only as graduate and doctoral programs and public health sciences only as a minor, with no undergraduate major. Note: the websites of CBS, CAES and the Department of Nutrition returned 403 (a blocking page) when scanned, so we did not read them. This guide uses the admissions office (www.ucdavis.edu/admissions), the catalog on the university’s own domain (catalog.ucdavis.edu) and the University of California system pages; thin spots are marked, so check the college websites.

1. Relevant undergraduate majors

• College of Biological Sciences (as listed on the transfer requirements page): Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Biological Sciences; Cell Biology; Evolution, Ecology and Biodiversity; Genetics and Genomics; Human Biology; Marine and Coastal Science (marine ecology and organismal biology); Molecular and Medical Microbiology; Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior; Plant Biology; Systems and Synthetic Biology. In the catalog, Biological Sciences, Evolution, Ecology and Biodiversity, and Molecular and Medical Microbiology are offered as both BS and AB.
• Biological Sciences BS vs AB: the catalog says both include preparatory work in mathematics, general and organic chemistry, physics and introductory biology plus upper-division core classes. The BS adds more upper-division biology and requires at least 97 units; the AB allows upper-division coursework outside biological sciences, encourages research and internships, and requires at least 75 units.
• Human Biology (BS, at least 95 units): from molecules, genes and cells to organ systems; normal human physiology, human health and the molecular basis of disease. The catalog says it gives a foundation for advanced study in health-related disciplines including medicine, dentistry, nursing, physical therapy and pharmacy.
• Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior (BS, at least 97 units): three tracks—Neurobiology, Physiology, and Organism-Environmental Interactions. The catalog says it also serves as a basis for training in health professions including human and veterinary medicine, medical technology, physical therapy, pharmacy, nursing, dentistry and optometry.
• College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences: Nutrition Science (BS, at least 137 units, with Nutritional Biology and Nutrition in Public Health options), Clinical Nutrition (BS, at least 138 units), Animal Biology (BS, offered by Entomology and Nematology; the transfer page says it becomes selective for fall 2027 applicants), Animal Science, Biotechnology, Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, and others.
• Other: Biomedical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering and Biological Systems Engineering are in the College of Engineering (we mention them only briefly). Exercise Biology is a minor in the catalog. Public Health Sciences offers an MPH, a PhD and a minor, but no undergraduate major.
• Nursing: the catalog’s Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership (Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing) lists only graduate programs—the Master’s Entry Program in Nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice (Family Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Anesthesia) and a PhD—plus a Physician Assistant Studies master’s. There is no undergraduate nursing degree.
• No combined BS/MD program appears on the pages we read. Whether the majors are STEM-designated is not stated on the pages we read.

2. Admission: choose a major on the application; transfer has its own selection

• First-year: the application tips page says to apply to a major that interests you, rather than the one where you think you have the best chance of admission, and suggests listing an alternate major in case you are not admitted to your first choice. Whether CBS or CAES limit first-year places by major, and any GPA thresholds to enter a major, are not on the pages we read; check the college websites (blocked when we scanned) or ask admissions.
• Transfer: the transfer requirements page says all CBS majors are selective and have additional transfer requirements (section 9); some CAES majors require additional coursework.
• Switching internally (for example into Human Biology or Neurobiology): GPA and course requirements are not on the pages we read; contact the Biology Academic Success Center.
• Catalog note: the BIS 2A/B/C/D series has been discontinued; students who started it should ask a CBS advisor which courses complete the lower-division biology requirement.

3. Pre-med: what the pages say

• The pages we read show no pre-med major. The catalog says the Biological Sciences major prepares students for admission to graduate or professional schools leading to professional health careers; Human Biology gives a foundation for medicine, dentistry, nursing, physical therapy and pharmacy; both Nutrition Science options are described as preparation for professional or graduate training in medicine, public health or other health sciences.
• A pre-health advising office, committee letters, medical-school admission statistics and advising for international pre-health students are not on the pages we read (the related college sites were blocked); ask the Biology Academic Success Center or the university’s pre-health advising.
• Clinical Nutrition meets the academic requirements for admission to a dietetic internship; the catalog notes that registered-dietitian credentialing requires at least a master’s degree (citing the Commission on Dietetic Registration, effective 1 January 2024), and Nutrition Science offers a Coordinated Graduate Program and a Future Graduate Program route.

4. High school preparation and the first two years

• UC A–G subjects: history/social science 2 years; English 4; mathematics 3 (4 recommended); laboratory science 2 (3 recommended); a language other than English 2 (3 recommended); visual and performing arts 1; college-preparatory elective 1. Extra high school courses for the biology majors are not on the pages we read.
• International applicants (UC page): history 2 years; composition and literature in the language of instruction 4; college-preparatory mathematics 3 (elementary and advanced algebra, two- and three-dimensional geometry); college-preparatory science 2 (including or integrating two of biology, chemistry or physics); one full-year visual and performing arts course.
• AP credit (catalog chart, scores of 3, 4 or 5): Biology 8 units (BIS 010, no duplicate credit); Chemistry 3 or 4—8 units (CHE 010), 5—8 units equivalent to CHE 002A; Calculus AB 3—4 units, 4 or 5—4 units with MAT 012, 017A, 019A or 021A; Calculus BC 3, 4 or 5—8 units (4 maps to MAT 012, 017A, 019A or 021A; 5 to MAT 012, 017A, 019A and 019B, 021A and 021B, or 021M); Physics 1, Physics 2, Physics C Mechanics and Physics C Electricity and Magnetism 4 units each, up to 8 in total. The catalog says AP credit earned before entering is not counted toward unit limits for selecting a major or graduating.
• IB credit: 4 semester (6 quarter) units for an IB diploma with a score of 30 or higher; 8 quarter units for each Higher Level exam with 5, 6 or 7; no credit for Standard Level.
• Lower-division sequence (catalog; Biological Sciences BS, Human Biology and Neurobiology are similar): biology BIO 001/001L, 002/002L and 003 (14 units); chemistry CHE 002A/B/C or 004A/B/C (15 units); organic chemistry CHE 008A/B or 118A/B/C; mathematics MAT 017A/B/C (Calculus for Biology and Medicine) or MAT 021A/B/C (the catalog marks it “recommended”); physics PHY 007A/B/C (Neurobiology also allows PHY 009); preparatory subtotal 55–65 units (55–69 for Neurobiology). Upper-division core includes BIS 101 Genes and Gene Expression, BIS 104 Cell Biology and BIS 105 Biomolecules and Metabolism.
• Nutrition Science: lower division includes biology, general chemistry (CHE 002A/B/C), organic chemistry, Discoveries and Concepts in Nutrition (NUT 010), research methods and statistics plus option-specific courses; upper division includes biochemistry and food chemistry.
• Placement: the catalog says Clinical Nutrition first-year and transfer students are assumed to pass the Mathematics Placement Examination with a minimum score of 25. Placement for other majors is not on the pages we read.

5. Rounds, deadlines and materials

• Timeline (first-year timeline): the UC application can be started 1 August; submit 1 October to 30 November; apply for financial aid 1 October to 2 March; create a MyAdmissions account in December; check status from mid-March; submit the Statement of Intent to Register by 1 May if admitted. The page prints no year, so check it applies to fall 2027 entry.
• Fee: the UC international page gives $95 per campus, possibly $80 for international students enrolled at a U.S. institution; the domestic fee is not on the pages we read.
• Essays: the personal insight questions.
• Recommendations and other items: the application tips page says not to include letters of recommendation, awards, transcripts or work samples—“we will not review them, nor will we return them”.
• Testing: UC Davis no longer considers SAT or ACT scores for admission or scholarships; scores can be self-reported after submitting and used to meet minimum requirements or for placement.
• Review: 13 criteria used by all UC campuses, including A–G GPA (with honors points), courses beyond the minimum, honors/AP/IB HL/transferable college courses, the senior-year program, talents and achievements, and life circumstances.
• A separate deadline for the biology majors is not on the pages we read.

6. U.S. applicants

• Minimum GPA: 3.00 for California residents, 3.40 for non-residents. California residents also have a statewide and a local guarantee path.
• Costs (estimates for undergraduates first enrolled in 2026-27, three quarters, mid-September to mid-June): systemwide tuition and fees $15,588; campus-based fees $2,490; books and supplies $1,205; personal expenses $2,656–3,038; transportation $672–2,809; health insurance $3,996; document fee $150; room and board varies—residence hall $22,252, apartment $19,960, studio apartment $29,919, off campus $16,981, at home $8,617. Total cost before aid for California residents: residence hall $49,009, apartment $47,590, studio $57,549, off campus $44,661, at home $37,893. The page says systemwide tuition stays flat for up to six years after enrolling; the figures for 2027 entrants are not published on that page.
• Any program surcharge for biology or agricultural and environmental sciences majors is not on the pages we read.
• Aid: FAFSA or California Dream Act application 1 October to 2 March (UC Davis code 001313); Cal Grant GPA verification by 2 March; look for UC Davis scholarships in September.

7. International applicants

• General: the campus says international students meet the same admission requirements and enter the same selection process as U.S. students; it has more than 4,500 international undergraduates. Apply as a first-year if you finished secondary school without enrolling in college, or as a transfer if you completed any college courses afterwards. You must finish secondary school with strong grades and a certificate that admits you to university in your country.
• English: required if you studied in the U.S. for fewer than three years and were taught in a language other than English before. The campus lists specific AP/IB exams, transferable college coursework, TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo, and says these also satisfy the UC Entry Level Writing Requirement. The UC English page gives the UC-wide minimums—TOEFL iBT 4.5 (new scale from January 2026; 80 before), IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 115—and says Davis may strongly recommend or require additional English testing for admitted applicants. The UC Davis pages we read give no scores, so follow the UC page and confirm with admissions.
• Reporting grades: report all coursework as on your international records; do not convert grades to U.S. grades and do not use a credential evaluation service. International admissions specialists evaluate records and transfer credit. After admission, official records issued and sent by each institution are needed, starting with grade 9; records that are unsealed or sent by students, and in most cases records sealed or attested by notaries or other organizations, are generally not official.
• Visa and support: a passport and F-1 or J-1 visa are required; Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS) helps with visa, immigration, financial, cultural and academic matters; there is also Summer Start, the International and Academic English unit and a Global Ambassadors Mentorship Program.
• Proof of funds and scholarships for international students: not on the UC Davis pages we read; ask admissions and SISS.
• Whether international students face limits in clinical training or placements is not stated on the pages we read.

8. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the pages we read do not say how the Gaokao is used; contact admissions.
• Chinese national curriculum (UC country page, “China”): list all courses and marks from grade 9 (year 3 of lower middle school) through grade 12 (years 1–3 of upper middle school) exactly as on official records; if accepted, be prepared to submit the upper middle school graduation certificate and official lower and upper middle school records (grades 9–12).
• Other curricula: for IGCSE/GCSE/GCE the UC page requires at least 5 IGCSE/GCSE/GCE O-Level exams and at least 3 A-Level exams; UC Davis’s page for the British system says A-Level grades A, B or C are considered for transfer credit, with the amount set after formal admission and receipt of the certificate. IB students report grades as on their records; predicted scores can be entered but are not the only factor.
• How huikao (academic proficiency test) records are used, and any other statement for Chinese applicants, are not on the pages we read; contact admissions.

9. Transfer

• Basics (transfer requirements): at least 60 semester (90 quarter) UC-transferable units; a 7-course pattern (2 English composition, 1 mathematical/quantitative reasoning, 4 from at least two of arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and physical and biological sciences), each with C or better, with all coursework—including selective major prerequisites—finished by the end of the spring term before fall entry. UC requires a 2.40 GPA in transferable courses (2.80 for non-residents); UC Davis requires a minimum 2.80 GPA for admission; selective majors require higher overall, series and group GPAs.
• Standing: very few lower-division transfers are admitted; CAES occasionally considers students with less than junior standing, while all other colleges consider only junior-level transfers.
• College of Biological Sciences (major requirements page): every major is selective. All courses must be taken for a letter grade with no grade below C; Pass/No Pass does not count (except the 2020 COVID terms). For all majors: Biological Sciences BIS 002A/B/C, or BIO 001/001L, 002/002L and 003; Chemistry CHE 002A/B/C or 004A/B/C; Mathematics MAT 017A/B/C or 021A/B; a 2.50 GPA in each series. The page notes that BIS 002A/B/C/D will be discontinued; fall 2027 applicants use ASSIST academic year 2025-26, and later applicants should watch for the new BIO articulation agreements.
• CAES: Biotechnology—biology (BIS 002A/B/C or BIO 001/001L, 002/002L, 003), CHE 002A/B/C, MAT 017A/B, 019A/B or 021A/B, 2.50 in each series; Animal Science (selective from fall 2027)—biology, CHE 002A/B, CHE 008A/B or 118A/B, mathematics, 2.50 across the group; Animal Biology and Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology (selective from fall 2027)—biology, chemistry, mathematics, 2.00 across the group; Viticulture and Enology—3.00 across the group. Nutrition Science and Clinical Nutrition do not appear in the selective list on that page.
• Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG): for California community college students; TAG for the College of Biological Sciences requires at least a 3.20 GPA for all majors, and the same 3.20 applies in CAES. The page says all selective majors except business, computer science and data science are open to TAG.
• Dates: UC application opens 1 August; TAG application 1–30 September; UC application 1 October–30 November; TAG decisions in mid-November; Transfer Academic Update by 31 January (later ones may not be considered); Cal Grant GPA by 2 March; results from late March.
• Credit: transfer credit decisions are final after you enroll; international records are evaluated by each campus’s international admissions specialist; the separate page on transferring with international records was not read. For English, completing the two transferable English composition courses with a C or better (Davis) removes the need for an English test score (UC page).

10. Costs, research and internships

• Resident costs are in section 6. Non-residents add systemwide nonresident supplemental tuition of $39,270; total cost before aid: residence hall $88,279, apartment $86,860, studio $96,819, off campus $83,931, at home $77,163. The page says this is an estimate used to determine aid eligibility and actual costs may differ.
• The UC system page gives 2027–28 estimated averages across campuses (not a UC Davis figure): California residents—tuition $16,278, campus fees $1,900, health insurance $3,900; living on campus (housing and food $21,700) direct costs $43,778 and total cost $49,078. Non-residents—tuition $57,300, total on-campus cost $90,100.
• Research, labs and clinical experience: the catalog mentions a Bodega Marine Laboratory program for marine biology; Biological Sciences includes research and internship course numbers (189, 190, 192, 194H, 199 and others); Public Health Sciences offers a community health internship course (SPH 092). Number of places and clinical placements are not on the pages we read.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Apply through the UC application, 1 October–30 November; SAT/ACT not considered; GPA 3.00 for California residents, 3.40 otherwise; list a first-choice and an alternate major; do not send letters of recommendation
• FAFSA or Dream Act 1 October–2 March, UC Davis code 001313

International applicants (including China):

• English reference: TOEFL iBT 4.5 (new scale) or 80 (old), IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 115; enter grades as on the record, do not convert; Davis may require extra English testing
• Chinese national curriculum: list all grade 9–12 courses and marks as on official records; keep the graduation certificate and records ready; ask admissions how the Gaokao is used
• Proof of funds and international scholarships: not published on the pages we read; ask admissions and SISS

Transfer students:

• 60 semester units, 7-course pattern, UC Davis minimum GPA 2.80; 2.50 in each series for CBS majors; TAG 3.20 (California community colleges); apply 1 October–30 November; Transfer Academic Update by 31 January

Sources: UC Davis, First-year requirements; First-year timeline; First-year application tips; Application review criteria; International admission; International exams and visas; International records; International resources; Transfer requirements; Transfer timeline; Transfer: College of Biological Sciences major requirements; Transfer: College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences major requirements; Cost and aid; Catalog: Biological Sciences BS; Catalog: Biological Sciences AB; Catalog: Human Biology; Catalog: Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior; Catalog: Nutrition Science; Catalog: Clinical Nutrition; Catalog: Public Health Sciences; Catalog: Nursing Science; Catalog: AP credit; UC: international applicants; UC: country requirements; UC: English proficiency; UC: tuition and cost estimates. The websites of the College of Biological Sciences, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the Department of Nutrition returned 403 (a blocking page) when scanned, so we did not read them. Most pages do not print a year, so check that the dates apply to fall 2027 entry; costs are the 2026-27 figures from the campus or the 2027–28 system estimates. Check UC Davis’s website for the latest.