Also, what is UC Davis known for other than their vet school? I
Davis also has a Medical school, a Law school and Nursing school. They are known for their Agricultural and Environmental programs.
Prestige is in “the eye of the beholder”
UC Davis is ranked fairly in the middle of the UC system. Most people know that UCLA and Berkeley are more prestigious. UC Santa Cruz and UC Riverside are ranked a little lower than Davis. Davis is in the same range as Irvine, San Diego, and Santa Barbara (in my opinion).
I chose UC Davis because of the majors they offer. They’re very well known for their undergraduate agricultural majors. Davis has majors that a lot of schools don’t even offer! For example, I’m a food science major, which isn’t offered at any of the other UCs. It’s a great major because I can study nutrition/science/food all at the same time, and it even counts as a pre-medical major. (You take bio, chem, physics, etc). Davis has all kind of similar majors. They’re very into staying green and agricultural types of things, so if you’re into that, it’s a great school. They’re known pretty well for their sciences, at least in my opinion. (Lots of lab work, research, etc).
They’re also known for being pretty good for political science, because you’re literally in the state capital. Sacramento has all kinds of options if you’re a pre-law student.
That’s just my little two cents 
When I did my research, I was surprised to hear Davis was considered a “B” school with Irvine while UCB, UCLA, UCSD and UCSB were the “A” schools. Riverside and Merced were the C schools. Davis has a lovely campus and has so much going for it–the vet and med schools etc. I wouldn’t let any ranking or historical rating bother you if you think its right for you.
Yet the 2017 rankings put UCD on par with UCSD:
UC campuses ranked by Washington Monthly
- UC San Diego
- UC Berkeley
- UCLA
- UC Davis
- UC Riverside
- UC Santa Barbara
- UC Irvine
- UC Merced
- UC Santa Cruz
Again, rankings/prestige are “in the eye of the beholder”.
It is better to evaluate each academic program vs. overall campus.
At a school the size of Davis, look at the department you are considering. The strongest department at one school can’t compare to the weakest department at another. For instance, in Engineering, USNWR has Davis tied with Harvard. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate.
Here is how Davis ranks in various departments. https://www.ucdavis.edu/about/rankings/
To quote @GumbyMom: “rankings/prestige are in the eye of the beholder”.
UC Davis ranked higher than Harvard by latest Time/Money magazine.
http://time.com/money/4846024/best-colleges-for-your-money-2017/?xid=homepage