Admission Cycle: Planting seeds

Undergraduate Admissions Cycles

Recruitment Phase

Recruitment of prospective undergraduate applicants coincides with the August 1 opening of the
UC application for admission and scholarships and typically ends at the end of November or the first week of December. Though Undergraduate Admissions staff works throughout the year to connect with prospective undergraduates, this is when the campus actively promotes application through digital advertising, events and messaging. Audiences include high school students, community college students, parents and counselors. They are further segmented by campus and enrollment goals.

Evaluation and Admission Phase

From December through mid-March communication with applicants is curtailed until admission notifications are released.

The University of California Office of the President (UCOP) forwards completed applications to each campus. Undergraduate Admissions evaluators begin in December, typically completing their work by early January.
No small feat given the 80,000+ applications the campus typically receives!

In early January, UC Davis sends application acknowledgement messages, inviting applicants to set up a secure MyAdmissions account. This is where each applicant will be notified of their admission decision, pick up any financial aid and scholarship awards, learn about opportunities specifically for them like transitional programs, complete pre-enrollment tasks, apply for campus housing and submit their Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) to UC Davis.

Yield Phase

During the Yield phase, we encourage admitted students to submit their SIR at UC Davis, effectively yielding a new cohort of students. Freshman applicants to UC Davis are typically notified of admission decisions in mid-March, while transfer applicants are notified in late April. On the morning of admission notifications, campus partners will receive early notice via the campus communicators list along with a request to delay congratulatory messages until after 5pm, when all notifications have been sent and high school students are out of school. Nationwide SIR deadlines are May 1 for freshmen and June 1 for transfer students. These dates can vary for a limited number of applicants who may be waitlisted, appeal admission decisions or who are admitted by exception

During yield, Undergraduate Admissions and campus partners reach out to admitted students. Offices across campus work with admits to let them know about opportunities and answer their questions.

Melt Phase

Melt refers to students who submit their SIR but fail to register for classes when family finances and other pressures can cause students to waver in their commitment. This is the point at which Undergraduate Admissions hands over care of this new cohort to campus partners in orientation and transitional programs.

Anti-melt refers to the campus’s efforts to stem summer melt. It is focused on engaging students and keeping them excited about their upcoming college experience. Summer orientation and transitional programs play a critical role in keeping students connected to the campus, giving them not only tools for success, but also introducing them to their UC Davis support network and a community of fellow Aggies they can bond with.