University of California - Davis
The University of California began in 1868, when Governor Henry H. Haight signed the Organic Act, thus providing for California's first "complete University." Classes began the following year at the College of California in Oakland. The first buildings on the Berkeley campus were completed in 1873; the following June, the University of California conferred bachelor's degrees on 12 graduates.
Today the university is one of the largest and most renowned centers of higher education in the world. Its nine campuses span the state, from Davis in the north to San Diego in the south. In between are the Berkeley, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Riverside, Irvine and Los Angeles campuses.
All UC campuses adhere to the same admission guidelines and high academic standards, yet each has its own distinct character, atmosphere and academic individuality. Together, the nine campuses have an enrollment of more than 154,000 students, 90 percent of them California residents.