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Transfers, the fall 2025 application extended to January 15, 2025. Submit your application today!

First Generation Support

"UC Davis Opened the World to Me"

Alumna and lecturer in communication shares her story as a first-gen student

Jeanette Ruiz specializes in strategic communication with a specific interest in emerging practices and concepts in digital and social media. In addition to her appointment in the Department of Communication, she has served as a human resources and public relations consultant for various nonprofit, managed health care and finance organizations. Photo: Elena Zhukova for UC Office of the President

“I grew up in a small farming community near UC Davis. As the firstborn of two immigrant farm workers from Mexico, navigating the K-12 school system was challenging, at best. There were a few teachers who were supportive but had it not been for the EOP (Educational Opportunity Program) from UC Davis, I may not have made it to college (B.A., rhetoric and communication, ’97; Ph.D., communication, ’15).” Read more about Jeanette Ruiz's story on the UC Davis First Generation website.

Welcome to the Aggie Family

Being the first in your family to attend college can be challenging, but at UC Davis we’ve got your back. The First Generation Initiative to help connect students with faculty, peers, and resources that make all the difference during your time at UC Davis.

Our Faculty Are Here for You

Visit the First Generation website to read about UC Davis faculty who were also the first in their families to attend college. The directory lists hundreds of faculty who are committed to helping students navigate all the ins and outs.

Did You Know?

44% of undergraduates in the College of Letters and Science are first-generation college students.

Meet Milmon Harrison

Milmon Harrison is a senior lecturer in African American and African Studies and the first in his family to attend college. His advice?

Get connected: What a place this is – a big, giant place. You have to make it small by being connected with people who can talk to you and answer your questions and mentor you and support you. Get used to asking the question: “What’s available for me?”

Read his whole story on the First Generation website.

You've Got the Whole UC Behind You

Our commitment is grounded in the larger effort of the UC system to celebrate and support first-generation students. On the UC site, you will find statistics about graduation rates for first-gen students, along with fellow first-generation leaders, students, faculty, and alumni.

A Journey Through Five Colleges

Dave Ivan Cruz (B.A., international relations, '19) was born and raised in the Philippines and did not move to the United States until December 2013. He attended four colleges — three in the U.S. and one in the Philippines — before he transferred to UC Davis. The first in his family to attend a four-year university and in a foreign country, Cruz feared “getting lost and messing up.” But he credits the lifelong friends he has made and his advisor for getting him through. “Mike Valenzuela was my go-to advisor in the College of Letters and Science. He guided me and my fellow transfers during our first quarter ... I seek advice from him whenever I have uncertainties about any processes on campus.” Read more about Cruz's journey. (Photo: Daniel Oberbauer)