California Institute of Technology

Summary

California Institute of Technology is a private institution that was founded in 1891. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 951, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 124 acres. It utilizes a quarter-based academic calendar. California Institute of Technology's ranking in the 2011 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 7. Its tuition and fees are $36,282 (2010-11).

Caltech, which focuses on science and engineering, is located in Pasadena, Calif., approximately 11 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Social and academic life at Caltech centers on the eight student houses, which the school describes as "self-governing living groups." Student houses incorporate an admired Caltech tradition: dinners served by student waiters. Only freshmen are required to live on campus, but around 80 percent of students remain in their house for all four years. The Caltech Beavers have a number of NCAA Division III teams that compete in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Integral to student life is the Honor Code, which dictates that "No member of the Caltech community shall take unfair advantage of any other member of the Caltech community."

In addition to its undergraduate studies, Caltech offers top graduate programs in engineering, biology, chemistry, computer science, earth sciences, mathematics, and physics. Caltech participates in a significant amount of research, receiving grants from institutions such as NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Health and Human Services, among others. Caltech maintains a strong tradition of pranking with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, another top-ranked science and technology university. Companies such as Intel, Compaq, and Hotmail were founded by Caltech alumni. Famous film director Frank Capra also graduated from Caltech.

School mission (as provided by the school):

Highly regarded as one of the world's premiere institutions of science and engineering, the California Institute of Technology is home to some of the brightest...

Applying

When applying to California Institute of Technology, it's important to note the application deadline is January 1, and the early action deadline is November 1. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due December 31. The application fee at California Institute of Technology is $60. It is most selective, with an acceptance rate of 15.3 percent and an early acceptance rate of 21.7 percent.
For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.

Selectivity	most selective
Fall 2009 acceptance rate	15%
Application deadline	January 1
SAT/ACT scores must be received by	December 31

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Academic Life

The student-faculty ratio at California Institute of Technology is 3:1, and the school has 63.7 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at California Institute of Technology include: Biological and biomedical sciences; Computer and information sciences and support services; Engineering; Mathematics and statistics; and Physical sciences. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 97.8 percent.

Class sizes
Student-faculty ratio	3:1
4-year graduation rate	73% - High
Five most popular majors for 2009 graduates
Biological and biomedical sciences 13% Computer and information sciences and support services 9% Engineering 34% Mathematics and statistics 14% Physical sciences 29%

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Student Life

California Institute of Technology has a total undergraduate enrollment of 951, with a gender distribution of 62.3 percent male students and 37.7 percent female students. 95.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 5.0 percent of students live off campus. California Institute of Technology is part of the NCAA III athletic conference.

See what students are saying about life at California Institute of Technology.

Total enrollment	2,130
Student gender distribution
Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity	N/A
Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority	N/A
Collegiate athletic association	NCAA III

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Campus Info & Services

California Institute of Technology offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, women's center, health service, and health insurance. California Institute of Technology also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). 35 percent of students have cars on campus. Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at California Institute of Technology.

Students who have cars on campus	35% - Low
Health insurance offered	Yes
Students required to own/lease a computer	No

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Paying for School

At California Institute of Technology, 54.6 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $30,069.
Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.

Tuition and fees	$36,282 (2010-11)
Room and board	$11,397 (2010-11) - High
Financial aid statistics

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Student Reviews Ratings data provided by Unigo

Caltech is one of those schools where, looking back, you are quite fond of the uniqueness and zaniness of the experience, but during your time there, you longed to be elsewhere. I should stress that the dorm situation at Caltech is quite unique: each "house" at 'tech has a unique personality ( the hippie/druggie house, the sadistic house, the mostly christian house, the sporty house, etc.) that you will soon adopt as your own, whether you want to or not ( I was in the hippie/druggie). Once selected into one of these houses, a majority of the students will essentially confine themselves with this one group of people for the rest of their four years. So be careful about which house you choose to live in.

Ben Alum

There are a couple of things at Caltech that I don't think can be found in many other places. One is that Caltech is very small, but very selective, so all the people here are incredibly smart and have many talents. It's a great community. Also the hard work is overwhelming many times, and people are being pushed to their limits. But those limits are many times a lot farther than they think. A third aspect is the Honor Code, which works great. All tests are take-home, collaboration is encouraged and profs trust students in whatever reason they give for not turning hw in on time, or similar... Read More

Marybeth Senior

One of the things that makes Caltech distince is the honor code. Students are trusted to not cheat, steal, or do anything that negatively affects the community. Though it may sound futile, it has been shown that less cheating occurs at Caltech than at similar universities. Because of the honor code, we get many priveleges unique to Caltech. These include: *All tests are take home *We are trusted, and even encouraged to cooperate on almost everything *Many students have a "south master" key, which gives us access to most of the buildings on campus whenever we want. Another aspect that defines... Read More

Ryan Freshman