The University of California Davis is a public, land-grant university that was founded in 1959 after 50 years of operating solely as the main agricultural school in the UC system. UC Davis has a total undergraduate enrollment of about 35,000 and is located just west of Sacramento in the suburban town of Davis. The surrounding San Joaquin Valley is the agricultural epicenter of the United States, making Davis a prime location for studying farming techniques, crop genetics, and related fields. UC Davis has a student-to-faculty ratio of 20:1 and a graduation rate of 84.6%.

UC Davis consists of a Campus Core situated on the university quad, South Campus that’s home to the Mondavi Center and Arboretum Way, and West Campus that is reserved primarily for agricultural research and development. The school offers over 80 graduate programs through internationally-renowned departments such as the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing and the UC Davis School of Medicine. California residents should note that in-state students pay about half what out-of-state students pay for tuition and fees. 

UC Davis is known as a Public Ivy due to the extensive research programs that operate on-campus and at local facilities including the California Raptor Center, Crocker Nuclear Laboratory, and Bodega Marine Reserve. UC Davis student government (ASUCD) is highly active and works to support student interests through the funding of programs like Picnic Day, KDVS Student Radio, and The Entertainment Council, which works to host live musicians and traveling acts annually. Notable alumni include chef and television personality Martin Yan, comedian Hasan Minhaj, and wrestler John Morrison.