I posted 2019 waitlist stats on the Wait list discussion. Chances all depend upon how many students SIR by May 1 and it varies from year to year.
There is no waitlist data from 2020 but based on posts, higher admits than 2019.
2019:
Number of qualified applicants offered a place on waiting list: 9213
Number accepting a place on the waiting list: 3207
Number of wait-listed students admitted: 24
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It depends on fit. My son chose SLO over the UCs but it depends on the student. He chose over UCSB, UCI, UCSD, UCR, UCSC, SDSU, CCP, and some OOS. Itās a small campus, itās super hands on. He will have completed a welding, 3D printing, drafting, milling, and a CAD/CAM class in the first year. Please compare curriculum for the major. Heās ME. He loves it. His teachers know him and want to help. Once youāre in youāre in. They want to keep you and help you thrive. I could go on and on but it was a best fit for him. Iām happy to answer specific questions.
I was thinking about your situation. Why donāt you start by appealing the decision. You have a lot of data on CC so you can show how you stack up with approved others. Then recharacterize your essays/ECās by throwing in some of the UC Davis āFITā criteria: cooperation/collaboration/community and character. They also look for students who would have an impact on the college community and also at the state and national level.
Appeal info: UC Freshman Appeal Guide | Ask Ms. Sun
This is 100% right. Additionally, one needs to think about the social environment outside of school as well. Does it match with the person? If not, it doenst matter how great the school is, the student wont be in the right frame of mind and emotional state to get the best out of themselves and the education. For example, I know my kid would not like the lifestyle and culture of the SLO and Santa Cruz areas so while those schools are great they were not our top choices.
Totally agree. We are from OC so the SLO environment was a welcome change. And it is a super small town! After Buellton all you see is cows, grape vines and fields. This is what my kid wanted. Wonāt be the case for all.
We are from south OC and my kid actually went the opposite direction, she wants a big city vibe so UCSD, UCLA, UCB are her top choices. That being said, she did really love the student culture of Davis.
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I didnāt say SLO was better than a UC. Iām no expert as Iām learning this as I go (S21 is our oldest child). Both are incredible options. There are differences that might appeal to a student in one way or another. SLOās motto isāLearn By Doing ā so that implies hands on learning. I suggest:
1 . starting a new thread as I bet you will get a lot of input from folks that know better than me.
2 join the Cal Poly SLO Mustang Parents Facebook group. They can give you first-hand opinions on SLO
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We are in south OC also. Ladera. Yes, it really is an individual decision.
Ahhhā¦small world we are right down the street in San Clemente. Unfortunately for my emotions and wallet, I think my kid is going to turn down UCI. She wants to get out of the OC bubble.
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My son was waitlisted, which is disappointing but consistent. Accepted to Sonoma State (his absolute safety school), San Diego State, UC Riverside. Waitlisted for Cal Poly SLO, UCSC, UC Davis. Rejected from UCSB (always a stretch).
I am not sure how much hope to hold out for any of the waitlists, so itās really down to UCR and SDSU. Is it true that UC Davis requires an essay to stay on the waitlist? (He told me the result, but did not read further or let me look.)
SDSU and UCR are great options. I would investigate both.
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Yes, UCD wants an essay on why you are a good fit for the campus to the waitlist opt in.
Does this mean 3207 actually wrote the essay? I wonder how many were actually offered admissions from the waitlist. I assume there is some yield % here too.
Accepting the waitlist requires that the student submits the essay. The # of students admitted from the waitlist are the # of students offered a spot. It does not show how many accepted the offer and enrolled.
Congratulations to all of the new Aggies! 
Obviously housing, dining, roommate selection, etc. all changed this year. Although courses were virtual, UCD dorms were open to students with each room being converted to a single. The dining commons were take out, opened for a short time and then reverted back to take out again. This all depends on which California Blueprint for a Safer Economy tier Yolo county is in. Here are links to last yearās dorm discussion and two years ago.
If you are interested in seeing what the dorms look like, check out the Aggie Abodes videos.
Many UCD clubs and organizations use FB Groups to communicate. If students donāt already have a FB account, I would encourage them to create one. There is a UC Davis Freshman Class of 2025 (Official) Facebook group that has UC Davis Housing and UC Davis Undergrad Admissions as administrators. There are also other UC Davis 2025 FB groups that claim to be official or have hidden members but are often run by 3rd parties not affiliated with the school and have members who are not affiliated with UCD. Always be cautious when sharing personal information on social media.
If you are planning a visit, Information for campus visitors includes a link to the Daily Symptom Survey that visitors need to complete before going onto campus.
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But you got into CalPoly SLO? Iād say you did great!
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He might be getting rejected by colleges to protect their yield rate. They probably think heās going to get into better places
Oh ya, I totally forgot about Valencia. its kinda unfortunate that they sell you on the programs but forget to mention the impact of packing the 99th percentile into one group and then forcing a distribution between them. My brother went to Troy and that is the reason I decided against it. I saw how insane the homework hours were and how with a 4.2 he was barely in the top 25%. Not worth it as far as I was concerned. Iām sure youāre an excellent student and will do amazing wherever you end up.
What is yield protection? I keep seeing it talked about in regards to the UCs but idk what it actually means
The higher ranked UCs donāt do it. Basically a school might defer or reject a super qualified student if they feel they will not enroll if accepted because the student might get a better offer somewhere else.