Where to Study and Find Materials

Study Spaces

Need study materials?

UC Davis Stores carries the largest selection of textbooks on campus, basic testing materials including Scantrons and bluebooks, and other supplies. Visit their site for hours and locations.

The Student Community Center has a vending machine on site stocked with Scantrons and blue books.

Looking for a place on campus to study? Here is a quick list of the top seven places.

Student Community Center

The Student Community Center (SCC) offers extended study opportunities in the study lounge and first-floor lobby. The building’s lobby is open until 2 a.m., and a green light by a meeting room door indicates that the room is available, making it easy for you and your study friends to work together. The SCC also has a Scantron or blue book vending machine on site. You can also often find spaces in the various centers located in the building: AB540 and Undocumented Student CenterLesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual Resource CenterCross Cultural CenterStudent Recruitment and Retention Center; and Women’s Resources and Research CenterAlso, Meeting Rooms A, B, C and E can be used to study if they are not reserved. Please check the schedule on the door before entering to ensure that there is not a current reservation.

Campus Recreation

Activities and Recreation Center

Finals Week Study Spaces

Looking for places on campus to study for finals. Check out our Finals Week Study Places page.

The Activities and Recreation Center (ARC) lounge offers a relaxed environment for students to study and flex their academic muscles. With its tables and couches, and snacks at the Pro Shop and Peet’s, the ARC is fully equipped to strengthen your body and brain. Also, Meeting Rooms 2 and 3 can be used to study if they are not reserved. Please check the schedule on the door before entering to ensure that there is not a current reservation.

UC Davis Rec Pool

The Rec Pool may not be the first place you think of when looking for a place to study, yet it offers a lot of benefits, with benches in shaded areas and a large outdoor space, no reservation necessary, and the ability to swim during study breaks. Open Monday–Friday, 12–5 p.m.

Peter J. Shields Library

Close the book on conventional libraries—the Peter J. Shields Library is a hub at the center of campus and a treasure trove of unique study nooks. From the airy main reading room to the quiet outdoor courtyard, group study rooms that can be reserved, tried-and-true individual carrels and countless wide windowsills on which to perch with your laptop or books, our library can suit your many study styles. Voted the best place to study by students in 2016, the library is only getting better: Therapy Fluffies and now the Coffee House visit around finals, and a bold re-visioning plan will bring new furniture and new technology in the near future. The library also features a 24-hour study room with wireless access.

Study Lounges @ Memorial Union

Need a power nap?

Check out the list of top-rated napping spots, voted on by students, via the UC Davis Nap Map from Student Health and Counseling Services.

Several study lounges in the Memorial Union are open to students during regular business hours, offering newly renovated places to study in between classes. You can also study and grab some brain fuel at the nearby CoHo or stop by one of the student centers located inside: Center for Chicanx and Latinx Academic Student Success, Student Disability Drop-in Center and Veterans Success CenterAlso, the Garrison, Fielder, DeCarli and Smith rooms can be used to study if they are not reserved. Please check the schedule on the door before entering to ensure that there is not a current reservation.

Resident Hall Study Centers and Lounges

Each residence hall has a common area study lounge open all day and all night during the academic year, so residents can be supremely comfortable and seriously studious at the same time. Just a few steps away from your bed are tables, chairs and couches, outlets and even whiteboards for your use—bring your own midnight snacks. If a computer, printer or scanner is what you need, you can find those in the residence hall’s Computer Center, also open all the time, every day.

UC Davis Arboretum and Public Gardens

Let your thoughts expand from a grassy seat on the bank by Spafford Lake in the UC Davis Arboretum. It’s just one of the 17 different gardens and collections in the “living museum” along Putah Creek that offers students a quiet and peaceful place to study.

Women's Resources and Research Center

The Women's Resources and Research Center (WRRC), located in North Hall, offers a variety of study space options, including several that are reservable. 

WRRC space reservation is on opportunity for UC Davis organizations, departments and groups to use WRRC space and engage in conversations regarding gender, gender equity, social justice and/or dialogues that benefit underserved communities.

The WRRC offers space reservations Monday–Thursday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Friday, 12–4 p.m. for the Joy Fergoda Library, Conference Room, Righteous Babes Lounge and Vintage Collection Room. Please be aware that it can take up to two (2) weeks for space reservation applications to be processed. If you have not visited the space, it is recommended that you drop-in for a tour to see which room(s) best accommodates the needs of your program or group.

Request a reservation via online form, call the front desk at 530-752-3372 or stop by 113 North Hall.