At a glance
- Address
- 1200 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91125
- City
- Pasadena, CA
- Country
- United States — process, visa & costs
- Website
- caltech.edu
- Type
- Private
- Founded
- 1891
- Students
- 2,397 (2021)
- Map
- Open the campus on a map ↗
Where it ranks
#9 in the world — ShanghaiRanking ARWU 2025.
Strongest subjects (GRAS 2025)
| Physics | #5 |
| Chemistry | #6 |
| Earth Sciences | #6 |
| Mechanical Engineering | #11 |
| Aerospace Engineering | #13 |
| Remote Sensing | #23 |
How to get in
read on the university's own pages, 28 September 2026Bachelor's (after Class 12)
- Apply via
- Common App or QuestBridge (no preference between them) — application page ↗
- Cycle
- Fall 2027 entry
- Tests
- SAT or ACT required; superscored; no cutoff, uses a 3-tier score-bucket system
- English
- IELTS 7.0 in all areas · TOEFL 100 overall / 25 per section (tests before Jan 21, 2026); 5 per section (tests from Jan 21, 2026) · Duolingo 130 in all areas
Waived if native language is English or English was primary language of instruction - Tuition
- USD 68,574 / year (2026-27) · about ₹65.7 lakh
- Financial aid
- Need-aware for international applicants (limited fund pool); meets 100% of demonstrated need once admitted; no merit scholarships; aid must be requested at first application or never
Deadlines
| Round | Apply by | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Restrictive Early Action | 1 November 2026 | mid-December |
| Regular Decision | 4 January 2027 | mid-March |
For Indian applicants: Students in India must complete both Class X and Class XII state board or CBSE examinations (math requirement)
Master's / PhD (after graduation)
- Apply
- Application page ↗
- Intake
- Fall
- Deadlines
- Set per department, all for fall-term-only entry; per the Graduate Studies Office's 2024-25 deadline sheet (the latest found): Dec 1 (e.g. Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, Bioengineering, Biology, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Computation & Neural Systems, Neurobiology), Dec 10 (Mathematics), Dec 15 (most other departments incl. Aeronautics, Physics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering)
- Tests
- GRE General: not required institution-wide (no minimum score); Recommended for most PhD programs, Mandatory for Geobiology/Geochemistry/Geology/Geophysics/Social Science, Not accepted for Mathematics
- English
- Not required for admission, but international admits without an English-medium degree are evaluated for proficiency before the academic year starts and may be required to take ESL coursework; TOEFL/PTE/IELTS/Duolingo all recognized if submitted
- Tuition
- USD 65,622 / year (2025-26) · about ₹62.9 lakh
- Funding
- PhD stipend $48,244/yr (2025-26), rising to $50,000/yr (Sept 2026); tuition and fees $68,001 (2025-26); first-year housing guaranteed
In numbers
US Department of Education, College Scorecard- Admission rate
- 2.6% of applicants admitted
- Tuition (non-resident)
- USD 65,898 / year · about ₹63.1 lakh
- Undergraduates
- 987
- International undergrads
- 14.1%
- Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
- USD 128,566 / year (all graduates)
Source: College Scorecard — California Institute of Technology. Tuition excludes housing, food, insurance and fees.
Studying in United States
The US offers the widest range of degree programmes and research universities in the world, with flexible majors and strong graduate schools. Indian students go for choice of subject, name-brand universities, and post-study work through OPT, though costs and visa steps are the highest of any major destination.
- Visa
- F-1 student visa
- Work while studying
- Pre-completion OPT/on-campus work: up to 20 hours/week while school is in session, full-time when school is not in session (USCIS).
- After graduating
- Optional Practical Training (OPT): up to 12 months post-completion (pre-completion OPT time is deducted from it); STEM-degree graduates working for an E-Verify employer may add a 24-month STEM OPT extension (USCIS).
Every subject ranking
ShanghaiRanking GRAS 2025| Subject | Rank | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | #5 | GRAS 2025 |
| Chemistry | #6 | GRAS 2025 |
| Earth Sciences | #6 | GRAS 2025 |
| Mechanical Engineering | #11 | GRAS 2025 |
| Aerospace Engineering | #13 | GRAS 2025 |
| Remote Sensing | #23 | GRAS 2025 |
| Oceanography | #24 | GRAS 2025 |
| Robotic Science & Engineering | #26 | GRAS 2025 |
| Atmospheric Science | #30 | GRAS 2025 |
| Mathematics | #39 | GRAS 2025 |
| Materials Science & Engineering | #48 | GRAS 2025 |
| Biological Sciences | 51–75 | GRAS 2025 |
| Chemical Engineering | 101–150 | GRAS 2025 |
| Environmental Science & Engineering | 101–150 | GRAS 2025 |
| Electrical & Electronic Engineering | 151–200 | GRAS 2025 |
| Ecology | 201–300 | GRAS 2025 |
| Telecommunication Engineering | 201–300 | GRAS 2025 |
| Nanoscience & Nanotechnology | 201–300 | GRAS 2025 |
| Energy Science & Engineering | 201–300 | GRAS 2025 |
| Human Biological Sciences | 201–300 | GRAS 2025 |
| Economics | 201–300 | GRAS 2025 |
| Statistics | 201–300 | GRAS 2025 |
| Computer Science & Engineering | 301–400 | GRAS 2025 |
| Psychology | 301–400 | GRAS 2025 |
Prepare here, free
Admission facts on this page were read from: admissions.caltech.edu/apply/first-year-applicants · admissions.caltech.edu/apply/first-year-applicants/deadlines · admissions.caltech.edu/apply/first-year-applicants/international-applicants · admissions.caltech.edu/apply/first-year-applicants/standardized-tests · admissions.caltech.edu/afford · finaid.caltech.edu/costs · admissions.caltech.edu/apply · gradoffice.caltech.edu/admissions · gradoffice.caltech.edu/admissions/checklist · gradoffice.caltech.edu/financialsupport/budget · gradoffice.caltech.edu/documents/32606/AppInstructions_Required_Tests_2025.pdf · gradoffice.caltech.edu/documents/28935/Application_Deadlines_2024-25.pdf — checked 28 September 2026.