UC Davis is located near two international airports - Sacramento International  and San Francisco International. Depending on where you are coming from, you will likely fly into one of these airports and then take ground transportation to Davis or Sacramento. There are a number of transportation options from each airport depending on how much money and time you wish to spend.

All students and J-1 scholars coming to the US to study on an I-20 or DS-2019 can enter the United States up to 30 days before their start date for their program listed on these documents.  We strongly recommend that students use this early arrival option to not only have enough time to overcome jet lag, but finalize their housing arrangements.

After arriving in Davis, you may want to open a local account with a bank or credit union.  A local account will give you access to Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) on campus and around Davis (locations) and prevent you from having to carry large amounts of cash.  Also, landlords and property management companies often require a written check for paying rent on an apartment or house.

International House Davis is a non-profit organization that is not part of the University of California, Davis, but is closely affiliated with the University and is located close by at 10 College Park.  International House Davis serves the entire Davis community by offering many programs to the general public, which includes our UC Davis international students and scholars.

Transportation Services facilitates the access and mobility needs of the campus community through the coordination of efforts among TAPS units and with other campus departments and non-university entities, and ensures that services are provided in a professional, efficient, and service-oriented manner.

The ACLU's Know Your Rights booklet provides effective and useful guidance in a user-friendly question and answer format. The booklet addresses what rights you have when you are stopped, questioned, arrested, or searched by federal, state or local law enforcement officers.

It is important for you to carry some form of personal identification (ID) which includes your photograph, name, address and date of birth. You are asked for this type of ID when you cash a check, open a bank account, register your automobile, etc. Your passport has this information, but it is not wise to carry it with you on a daily basis because it may be lost.

We hope that international students and scholars will participate in many activities in the area throughout their stay.  To find information on local and regional clubs, libraries, places of worship, etc., go to this link.

At UC Davis, the safety of the entire university community — students, staff, faculty and visitors — is a top priority. The university has a comprehensive emergency management program and its own full-service police and fire departments.

Sacramento is the closest large city to Davis and hosts the medical campus, the UC Davis Medical Center. About 17% of UC Davis' International Scholars work on this campus as postdoctoral scholars and researchers.

There are a number of opportunities in Davis and Sacramento for family members (as well as international students and scholars) to practice or improve their English language skills.

According to the requirements of the IRS (a federal government agency), all international students and scholars should plan to declare their income (or lack of income) to the federal government every year by filing a tax return.

Here you will find a list of the Government and Agency websites.

Find an interactive map of all the building and locations in the campus.