Premier, In-Demand STEM Education at Caltech
California Institute of Technology appears in our ranking of the 50 Most Technologically Advanced Small Colleges.
Ranked the U.S. News & World Report’s 11th most innovative school, California Institute of Technology has the smallest 3:1 student-faculty ratio across 32 bachelor’s and 30 graduate options in Pasadena with online MOOCs offered each quarter for 92.31 percent job placement. For example, the BS in Astronomy follows a 486-unit, four-year curriculum studying celestial objects with hands-on practice in the Cahill Rooftop Observatory and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Chaired by Dr. Frances Arnold, a Nobel Laureate, the 486-unit BS in Chemistry investigates molecular science with Jacobs Institute projects, the SURF Program, and Beckman Lectures.
Reporting median pay of $143,100, the MS in Applied Mechanics blends 138 units of 200-level courses like Dynamic Behavior of Materials with Prototyping Lab work and Resnick Sustainability Institute projects for ASME certification. The PhD in Medical Engineering builds a 135-unit, ABET-accredited plan under Dr. Yu-Chong Tai for healthcare device innovation with National Institutes of Health internships, MedE Seminars, and dissertation work at the Biophotonics Laboratory.
Other options include the BS in Physics, BS in Computer Science, BS in Geology, BS in Business Economics, MS in Materials Science, PhD in Environmental Science, and PhD in Neurobiology.
About California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology originated in 1891 when Pasadena mayor Amos Gager Throop started Throop Polytechnic Institute as the West’s first manual arts school. In 1913, George Ellery Hale modeled it after MIT and renamed it Throop College of Technology. Four years later, it debuted the Norman Bridge Laboratory under Robert Andrews Millikan. On November 29, 1921, the California Institute of Technology name was adopted. Visited by Albert Einstein in 1931, its 124-acre San Gabriel Valley campus expanded to Corona del Mar with the Kerckhoff Marine Lab that year. Coeducational since 1970, Caltech famously established the DOE Energy Innovation Hub in 2010. By 2012, Caltech launched its first MOOCs via Coursera for online education.
Endowed for $2.65 billion, California Institute of Technology now teaches 2,233 Beavers from 60 countries online or face-to-face with a house system and 50+ clubs like Quiz Bowl. In 2018, Caltech won the CASE District VII Award of Excellence for Best Use of Social Media and Technology. In 2012, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation chose Caltech for a $100,000 sustainability grant. Currently, Caltech is affiliated with 73 Nobel Prize and 71 National Medal of Science recipients. Forbes named Caltech the sixth best university, 40th top value, and 109th best mid-size employer. Times Higher Education placed California Institute of Technology fifth overall globally. On Niche, Caltech boasts America’s second-best chemistry, third best engineering, fourth top computer science, and sixth top mathematics programs.
California Institute of Technology Accreditation Details
In July 2010, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Senior Commission received the Educational Effectiveness Review Report for California Institute of Technology to reaffirm the Level VI accreditation through 2020-21 under its eighth president, Dr. Thomas Felix Rosenbaum, who earned the William McMillan Award for Condensed Matter Physics. Located 370 miles up Interstate 5 in Alameda, this esteemed eight-territory Pacific Region accreditor is recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and California Bureau for Private & Post-Secondary Education (BPPE). Particularly, Caltech has been approved by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) since October 1, 1936.
California Institute of Technology Application Requirements
Admission to California Institute of Technology is classified “most selective” by Peterson’s since only 568 of the 7,339 Fall 2017 applicants were chosen for teeny 8 percent acceptance. First-year Beavers must fulfill the high school prerequisites for the core curriculum. This includes four years of Math, three years of English, and three years of Science. The Class of 2022 had an average 4.2 GPA. Freshmen should rank in the upper 75th percentile at their graduation. The middle range for ACT scores was 34 to 36. Mid-range SAT composite scores were 1520 to 1570. Two proctored four-hour Math and Physics placement exams are then required. English language learners must reach the 560 TOEFL pBT or 7.0 IELTS mark. The Graduate Studies Office seeks outstanding entrants with regionally accredited four-year bachelor’s. Successful post-grads generally have cumulative GPAs above 3.5. The GRE General Test is mandated with scores usually in the 90th percentile. Caltech has the fourth highest GRE Quantitative average of 168.
California Institute of Technology has freshman deadlines of November 1st for Early Action and January 3rd for Regular Decision. Transfers can only apply for Fall entrance until February 15th. The Graduate Studies Office accepts candidates between December 15th and January 15th. The Ph.D. in Geological and Planetary Sciences is an exception with a January 1st deadline. Accordingly, use the ApplyWeb portal to file the $75 ($100 if graduate) Caltech application online. Forward official transcripts to 1200 East California Blvd. in Pasadena, CA 91125 with Mail Code 230-87. Additional materials include the standardized test, two teacher evaluations, personal essay of 250-400 words, secondary school report, financial aid statement, résumé or curriculum vitae, and one to three professional recommendations. Please contact (626) 395-6346 or [email protected] with more questions.
Tuition and Financial Aid
For 2019-20, California Institute of Technology is charging full-time B.S. majors $26,253 per term or $52,506 annually. Undergrads will pay mandatory fees of $2,094 each year. Unless waived, the health insurance premium will be $2,463 by year. Freshmen will cover a one-time $500 orientation fee. Living at the Pasadena campus’ housing like Bechtel Residence will add $9,615 yearly. Standard meal plans for Harry Chandler Dining Hall will be $7,029. Caltech has budgeted $1,428 for textbooks and $2,091 for personal supplies. Annual bachelor’s study equals about $74,763 on-site and $58,050 at home. The Graduate Studies Office will bill $50,784 tuition each year. Mandatory post-grad fees are $1,746 overall. Master’s and Ph.D. attendance is priced at $52,233 to $86,247 yearly based on living situation.
According to the NCES College Navigator, the Financial Aid Office at 383 South Hill Ave. gets 72 percent of new Caltech Beavers assistance averaging $41,408 each for $5.09 million total. Institutional funds include the Gantvoort Scholarship, Andrew & Peggy Cherng Scholarship, Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation Scholarship, Women’s Club of Pasadena Scholarship, Kenneth T. Trueblood Endowed Scholarship, and Stamp Scholars Program. The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship pays $6,000 stipends for upperclassmen with minimum 2.5 GPAs. The Graduate Studies Office has abundant 12-week Teaching Assistant or Research Assistant positions each term. The California Student Aid Commission has a March 2nd deadline for the $9,084 Cal Grant A. Other state programs are the Transfer Entitlement Grant, Chafee Foster Youth Grant, National Guard Education Assistance Award, and Schwartz Scholarship. Since 1953, the Pasadena Community Foundation has developed 300 awards like the Hasmik Mgrdichian Scholarship, Bonnie Baha Memorial Scholarship, and Ernest S. Crew Scholarship. Filing FAFSA applications coded 001131 also determines Federal Pell Grant, SEOG Grant, Work-Study Program, and Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan coverage.
Search through 60+ degrees in six top-ranked STEM divisions at the California Institute of Technology website.