One of several highly ranked public universities in the Golden State, the University of California, Davis — sometimes called a “Public Ivy” college — has made a name for itself as an affordable school that produces results.
Students can earn undergraduate degrees in about 100 majors, and UC Davis is known for its agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine departments. And, with its robust financial aid, families with incomes under $100,000 pay no tuition (53% of in-state students there qualify for that deal, the school says). Plus, its Equitable Access program provides undergraduate students with access to their textbooks by the first day of class for a flat fee of $169 per quarter.
The university is home to a dairy center, meat-processing lab and 100-acre arboretum. Its department of enology and viticulture offers a major and an online winemaking certificate program. And, students can even take entry-level brewing classes, and earn a master's in brewing science.
When they're not hard at work, many students are cheering the 35 NCAA Division I sports teams alongside the Aggie Pack, the biggest student-run college spirit group in the country (perks include free T-shirts, sunglasses and In-N-Out meals). Students can also hang out at the aquatic center, complete with a sand volleyball court and two pools, or they have a load of other options across the 5,300-acre campus.
