UC Davis TAG Rules

UC Davis TAG

outdated: please follow the TAG matrix.

For a general overview of rules, be sure to read the post, 16 Things You Need to Know to TAG to a UC.  

This post includes specifics to the UC Davis TAG that is in addition to the general rules. It is not definitive in terms of specific majors, so be sure to click the link that goes directly to the UC page at the bottom of this post.

To apply for UC Davis TAG:

• Applicant must have full-time enrollment at a CCC from spring term through final spring term, although part-time may be acceptable with good reason, such as working. Provide the reason for part-time enrollment in the additional comments section of the TAG application. (Definitely see my commentary below.)
• Exceptions to upcoming winter or spring term enrollment MAY be considered if the student is not attending school anywhere that term, and according to the website has met all requirements and is academically well prepared for the rigors of UC coursework. Again, you must provide a reason for the non-enrollment in the additional comments.
• Applicant may not be enrolled simultaneously at a CCC or other non-CCC institution when the TAG is submitted, up to the time of enrollment. (Exceptions are possible for summer school enrollment.)
• Students attending UC during summer session before UC enrollment must obtain C grade or higher to remain in good academic standing.

You may not TAG if:

You have over 80 semester units. (The College of Engineering may make an exception.)

GPA requirements by College

Each college has it’s own rules which may include a higher minimum GPA. Applicants must meet or exceed the minimum overall GPA by the end of summer for whichever college they apply to, and they cannot fall below that minimum overall GPA or receive grades below a C thereafter.

• College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences: 3.20
• College of Biological Sciences: 3.20
• College of Letters and Science: 3.20
• College of Engineering: 3.30

Selective majors may also have specific rules, which can include minimum letter grades for specific courses.

My Commentary

UC Davis is the only UC to create vague wording in its TAG requirements, which I think is flat-out dishonest. TAG is an admission guarantee and should be set out with clear rules that are not ambiguous. The phrase part-time may be acceptable with good cause has failed several students who worked and attended class  part-time (meaning they got their TAG denied). I know one student who was on the phone with Davis, with me sitting next to her. The student kept saying she was worried about tagging Davis, wanted to TAG somewhere else where she had assurances because she was attending part-time. She was out and out encouraged to TAG Davis by the TAG rep. I heard it. Repeatedly encouraged. She was told her situation would not be a negative. She was later denied the TAG, with no explanation.

All these maybes and mights and “exceptions may be considered” don’t cut it.  I feel it is a deliberate attempt to game the system, and deny TAGs on a whim. The rule should be clear-cut for all involved, as is the case with every other UC. It’s a guarantee — not a maybe guarantee. Davis changed the rules a couple of years ago, and frankly, it smells.

My advice:  Unless you are a full-time student during both fall and spring, do not TAG Davis. It’s a risk, and that’s not what TAG is about.

For detailed info, click the UC Davis TAG page.