UC Davis Summer Academy U.S. College Study Skills Program

UC Davis describes its instructors as highly qualified and experienced, and classes usually hold about 15 to 20 students. They meet at the UC Davis International Center in classrooms that use educational technology and AI. One instructor, Amna Abunijem, has described an active listening exercise in which half the class practices bad habits such as checking their phones and avoiding eye contact, while the other half finds out what it feels like not to be heard.

Alongside the core study skills, the course covers how to research and cite online sources without plagiarizing, and how to give feedback and handle conflict when working in a group. Outside class, UC Davis runs daily recreational, cultural and social activities with its student leaders, as well as campus tours and optional weekend trips that may include Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

You need at least CEFR level B1+/B2- (on the Common European Framework of Reference scale), and every student takes UC Davis's English Placement Test to confirm it. UC Davis lists the equivalent scores below. Beyond the age range and that English level, it publishes no academic requirements, and you apply by emailing its international team.

Recent groups have often come from one country. UC Davis says 63 students from China joined the winter 2025 session through a longstanding partnership with Gowell Education, and students from China attended again in summer 2026, so it's worth asking about the mix of students in the session you're considering.

• TOEFL iBT

  3.5 on the scale used since January 2026, previously 60 out of 120.

• TOEFL PBT

  500.

• IELTS

  5.

• Duolingo

  90.

• Michigan English Placement Test

  45.

The fees come to $1,500, made up of the $1,400 program fee and a $100 application fee you won't get back. The program fee covers the 22.5 hours of classes, the activities and the campus tours, but not housing, and UC Davis says all fees are subject to change.

Health insurance is required on UC Davis's international programs. You either show proof of a U.S.-valid plan in English with at least $500,000 of coverage, or buy one at registration for $68.75 a week, which comes to about $137.50 for the two weeks, and no student can start classes without one or the other.

Housing has no published price for this course. The university's housing office helps with homestays and apartments, and residence halls are available in summer only. Flights are on top, the optional weekend trips have no published price, and you should check visa requirements with UC Davis.

Students who complete the course earn two units of UC Davis academic credit, and UC Davis says they also come away with a better understanding of the U.S. admissions process, particularly its own. Whether those units count anywhere else is up to the college that receives them, and UC Davis doesn't say the course plays any part in its own admissions decisions. So check with any university you're aiming for before you treat the credit as more than a head start.