Program Overview

About UC Davis

The University of California opened its doors in 1869 with just 10 faculty members and 38 students. Today, the UC system includes more than 238,000 students and more than 190,000 faculty and staff, with more than 1.7 million alumni living and working around the world. For almost 150 years, UC has expanded the horizons of what we know about ourselves and our world. Our campuses are routinely ranked among the best in the world, but our reach extends beyond campus borders.

UC Davis is a land-grant institution built to advance the human condition through improving the quality of life for all people of California, for all citizens of our nation and for the rest of the world. From our health to the economy, from the air we breathe and food we eat to how we experience, perceive and interpret life, UC Davis has impact through teaching, research and public service. For more than 100 years, we have prepared and inspired students and shaped solutions to some of society’s most pressing problems.

The mission of UC Davis, as a comprehensive research university, is the generation, advancement, dissemination and application of knowledge to advancing the human condition throughout our communities and around the world.

UC Davis aspires to be recognized as one of the nation’s top-tier public research universities. As such, we choose to be regarded, both domestically and globally, as a pre-eminent leader of higher education that is driven by our land-grant heritage to provide access to a socially relevant world-class education. By engaging our “Vision of Excellence,” UC Davis will be known for its diverse educational opportunities, its innovative, interdisciplinary and collaborative research endeavors, and its distinction in leading enterprises that support social responsibility and a sustainable global environment.

About Davis

Located in Yolo County, in the Central Valley of northern California, Davis is situated 11 miles west of Sacramento (the State Capital), 385 miles north of Los Angeles, and 72 miles northeast of San Francisco.

One major advantage of the Davis region as a place to live and do business is its proximity to major markets. Virtually the entire state of California is within a one-day driving distance. The Sacramento and American Rivers lie to the east along with historic gold country and Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. To the west are the San Francisco Bay area, the great coastal redwood forest, and the beaches and rugged shores of the Pacific Ocean. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region lies to the south. There is unparalleled scenic beauty and many recreational opportunities within a few hours drive from Davis.

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Academic

Click Here for a list of courses offered to exchange students.

Term date

• Host Institutions usually organize orientation activities for exchange students, with some mandatory, which take place 1-2 weeks before the start of the term. You should refer to the acceptance package and pay attention to the expected arrival or pick-up dates specified by your host institution.
• You should only depart after finishing all the final examinations (including resits) since host institutions will not make special arrangement for taking any examinations other than scheduled.
• Please CLICK HERE for more information on host institution’s term dates.