Which is more selective, Purdue or UC Davis?

UC Davis is typically a bit harder to get into than Purdue for applicants as a whole, though the gap is not huge and it can absolutely flip by major. UC Davis gets a very large California-heavy applicant pool through the UC system, and some programs there are quite competitive. Purdue is also selective, especially for high-demand majors like engineering, computer science, and business, but overall it is usually viewed as slightly less selective than UC Davis.

The clearest exception is for students applying to Purdue’s most in-demand STEM programs. A student aiming for engineering or CS may find Purdue every bit as tough, or tougher, than UC Davis depending on the program. Purdue is especially known for being selective in those areas because so many applicants target them specifically.

UC Davis tends to be the tougher comparison for students applying more broadly across majors, especially in the context of the UC application process where the volume of strong applicants is very high.

For building a college list, I would not treat either one as a casual safety unless your academic profile is clearly above the typical admitted student level for that campus and major. If you are comparing them in a general overall sense, UC Davis has the edge in selectivity. If you are comparing specific majors, especially engineering-related ones, Purdue can be just as difficult or more so.