California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California, USA
Caltech is a small, intensely research-focused institute with about 1,000 undergraduates. It has produced more Nobel laureates per capita than any other university and operates NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Last updated

Location
Pasadena, California
Established
1891
Degree levels
Bachelor's, Master's, PhD
Instruction
English-taught
Rankings
Rankings are published annually by their respective organisations and change every year. Confirm the current-year position on the official ranking website before relying on it.
How to apply
Common App / Coalition App / QuestBridge
Region
United States →Admission tests
SATDigital SAT
College Board · 8 weekend test dates a year (2026–27: Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Mar, May, Jun; same for U.S. and international)
ACTThe ACT Test
ACT (ACT Education Corp.) · 7 test dates a year, in the U.S. and outside it (2026–27: Sep, Oct, Dec, Feb, Apr, Jun, Jul; most non-U.S. dates are two-day windows)
TOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language (Internet-Based Test)
ETS (Educational Testing Service) · Offered more than 170 times a year at test centres (Home Edition: 24 hours a day, 4 days a week)
Requirements change from one intake to the next — confirm the current ones on California Institute of Technology’s official site (opens in a new tab) before you apply.
Applying to universities in the United States
- Application platform
- Common App
- Intakes
- Fall (Aug/Sep) · Spring (Jan)
- Student visa
- F-1 Student Visa
- Working while studying
- Up to 20 hrs/week on-campus during term; full-time on breaks. OPT after graduation.
Official sources: Study in the States — U.S. Department of Homeland Security · U.S. Department of State — student visas. Visa and work rules change — verify on the official source before relying on them.
Popular fields of study
Source: California Institute of Technology official website. Details here are for guidance only — tuition, deadlines, rankings and eligibility change every academic year, so confirm on the official university site before applying.
Related / Next steps
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Stanford University
Stanford, California
Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey
Admissions guides
7 min read
The University of California System and How Its Application Works
How the University of California's undergraduate campuses work as one system, and how the single UC application and its personal-insight questions let you apply to several at once.
8 min read
PhD in USA: Funding & Admission
How US doctoral admissions work — research fit, the funding model through assistantships and fellowships, what the application includes, and what to verify on official sources. No guarantees; outcomes vary by programme.
7 min read
How to Build a College List (Reach, Match, Safety)
Building a balanced college list using the reach, match, and safety framework — how to categorise schools, how many to apply to, and how to choose colleges that fit your goals and finances.
7 min read
How to Get Into Top Engineering Schools (USA)
Applying to leading US engineering programmes — what schools evaluate, how to prepare, and which factors matter most; verify current requirements on each university's official site.
6 min read
What Is the Ivy League?
The eight Ivy League universities — what the Ivy League actually is, which schools belong to it, what they share in common, and why many strong applicants also look beyond it.
6 min read
How to Get Into MIT
Applying to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — MIT's holistic admissions criteria, testing requirements, and what makes a strong application, with MIT's official admissions site as the place to confirm current details.
Thinking about California Institute of Technology?
Ask GSB how to build a competitive application for this university.
Ask GSB →Studying in the United States
Continue exploring the United States
Universities, entrance tests, costs and visa facts for the United States — all in one place, each linked to its official source.
Popular topics · United States
Popular guides
View all →