California Institute of Technology
About
The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes of technology in the United States that are devoted to the instruction of pure and applied sciences.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates, a notably small equity gap.
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 58 Title IV programs, 2 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 56 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing2 · 3.4%
- No Data56 · 96.6%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
WASC Senior College and University Commission
Action history · 1
- Feb 2021Renewal of AccreditationWASC Senior College and University Commission
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 231 students received $1.4M in Pell grants, alongside $1.0M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 80 borrowers who entered repayment, 0 (0.0%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Caltech
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 9
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus30
- Public property2
Includes 7 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Caltech vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Caltech selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectCalifornia Institute of Technology | 94% | 2.6% | 2,430 | $16,075 | R1 Research |
| 94% | 11.7% | 15,888 | $31,944 | R1 Research | |
| 96% | 4.0% | 35,173 | $21,590 | R1 Research | |
| 95% | 8.8% | 26,793 | $28,690 | R1 Research | |
| 94% | 14.1% | 53,363 | $12,116 | R1 Research | |
| 98% | 3.6% | 30,259 | $19,066 | R1 Research | |
| 96% | 4.5% | 11,886 | $20,111 | R1 Research | |
| 88% | 9.2% | 56,832 | $37,050 | R1 Research | |
| 98% | 4.6% | 9,137 | $6,128 | R1 Research | |
| 95% | 8.0% | 8,961 | $13,370 | R1 Research | |
| 92% | 3.6% | 18,625 | $13,807 | R1 Research | |
| 93% | 11.0% | 45,882 | $13,481 | R1 Research | |
| 96% | 4.5% | 18,566 | $14,860 | R1 Research | |
| 97% | 5.4% | 29,109 | $28,699 | R1 Research | |
| 96% | 3.9% | 15,564 | $23,777 | R1 Research | |
| Peer group median | 95% | 4.6% | 18,625 | $19,066 |
Institutions like Caltech
Explore the federal data for institutions in Caltech's comparison group.
- R1 ResearchPennsylvania
Carnegie Mellon University
Grad rate94%Admit rate11.7%Enrollment15,888Net price$31,944View data - R1 ResearchNew York
Columbia University in the City of New York
Grad rate96%Admit rate4.0%Enrollment35,173Net price$21,590View data - R1 ResearchNew York
Cornell University
Grad rate95%Admit rate8.8%Enrollment26,793Net price$28,690View data - R1 ResearchGeorgia
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Grad rate94%Admit rate14.1%Enrollment53,363Net price$12,116View data - R1 ResearchMassachusetts
Harvard University
Grad rate98%Admit rate3.6%Enrollment30,259Net price$19,066View data - R1 ResearchMassachusetts
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Grad rate96%Admit rate4.5%Enrollment11,886Net price$20,111View data - R1 ResearchNew York
New York University
Grad rate88%Admit rate9.2%Enrollment56,832Net price$37,050View data - R1 ResearchNew Jersey
Princeton University
Grad rate98%Admit rate4.6%Enrollment9,137Net price$6,128View data - R1 ResearchTexas
Rice University
Grad rate95%Admit rate8.0%Enrollment8,961Net price$13,370View data - R1 ResearchCalifornia
Stanford University
Grad rate92%Admit rate3.6%Enrollment18,625Net price$13,807View data - R1 ResearchCalifornia
University of California-Berkeley
Grad rate93%Admit rate11.0%Enrollment45,882Net price$13,481View data - R1 ResearchIllinois
University of Chicago
Grad rate96%Admit rate4.5%Enrollment18,566Net price$14,860View data - R1 ResearchPennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
Grad rate97%Admit rate5.4%Enrollment29,109Net price$28,699View data - R1 ResearchConnecticut
Yale University
Grad rate96%Admit rate3.9%Enrollment15,564Net price$23,777View data
Caltech Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The mission of Caltech's Institutional Research Office is to support campus leadership and community members by providing data from a variety of sources to inform decision making and process improvement.
Visit IR office page- Lindsey Malcom-PiqueuxChief Institutional Research Officer | Associate Vice President for Campus Climate, Engagement, and Success
Reports & documents (1)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
Notable alumni of Caltech (30)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Marc AaronsonPhysics and Astronomy
- George O. AbellPhysics and Astronomy
- Eric G. AdelbergerPhysics and Astronomy
- Berni AlderPhysics and Astronomy
- Carl D. AndersonPhysics and Astronomy
- Eric BetzigPhysics and Astronomy
- Andrea M. GhezPhysics and Astronomy
- Donald A. GlaserPhysics and Astronomy
- Peter ShorMathematics and Computer Science
- Eric BecklinPhysics and Astronomy
- Charles R. AlcockPhysics and Astronomy
- James M. BardeenPhysics and Astronomy
Frequently asked questions about California Institute of Technology
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Caltech.
What is the acceptance rate at California Institute of Technology?
What is the graduation rate at California Institute of Technology?
How many students attend California Institute of Technology?
What is the average net price at California Institute of Technology?
What is the yield rate at California Institute of Technology?
Where is California Institute of Technology located?
Who runs Institutional Research at California Institute of Technology?
About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
Have a question this page can’t answer?
Ask Clema anything about California Institute of Technology and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card