California Institute of Technology

Caltech Undergraduate Admissions

The mission of the California Institute of Technology is to expand human knowledge and benefit society through research integrated with education. We investigate the most challenging, fundamental problems in science and technology in a singularly collegial, interdisciplinary atmosphere, while educating outstanding students to become creative members of society.

Contents

• Location
• Academic Organization
• Student Body Profile
• Degrees Awarded
• Faculty in Residence
• Other Employees
• Living Alumni
• Campus Budget

Location Top
Caltech's 124-acre campus is situated in Pasadena, California, a city of 141,000 at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, approximately 30 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean and 10 miles northeast of the Los Angeles Civic Center.

The Institute is an independent, privately supported university, and is not affiliated with either the University of California system or the California State Polytechnic universities.

Academic Organization Top
Caltech has six academic divisions:

• Biology
• Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
• Engineering and Applied Science
• Geological and Planetary Sciences
• Humanities and Social Sciences
• Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy

Beneath this apparently simple organization lie some 40 areas of concentration in science, mathematics, engineering, and the humanities and social sciences.

Student Body Profile Top

Enrollment (first term 2006): 853 undergraduates (615 men, 249women)

Fifty-eight percent of undergraduates receive need-based financial assistance.

2007 Freshman Class:

• There were 3,595 applications for the '07 freshman class; 605 offers of admission were made, and 235 students matriculated.

• 70 percent of 2007 freshmen attended public high schools; 15 percent attended private schools; 14 percent attended international schools.
  

• 29 percent are from California; 14 percent from the Northeast; 27 percent from the Midwest; 14 percent from the South; 27 percent from the West (excluding California); 8percent from the Southwest; 11 percent are international students.

• Their most popular extracurricular activities were science/math teams (74%); volunteering/community service (55%); music (42%); scientific research (38%); and sports (29%).

• Their SAT mid-50% scores were 2190-2320 ACT mid-50% composite scores were 33–35.

• 99 percent of those ranked were in the top 10 percent of their class (40 percent weren't ranked).

Degrees Awarded, June 2006 Top

BS	247 (146 with honors)
MS	120
Engineer	0
PhD	177

Faculty in Residence Top

(as of December 2006)

Professorial faculty	293
Emeriti	104
Research faculty	66
Other faculty	49
Visiting faculty	87
Postdoctoral scholars	534
Senior postdoctoral scholars	24
Visitors	115

Employees Top

(as of December 2006)

Campus (excluding faculty and students)	2,553
JPL (excluding contractors)	5,200

Living Alumni Top

(as of January 2007)

BS	11,027
MS	7,650
Engineer	385
PhD	6,498
Ex student	642
Total	26,286

(The total number of degrees is greater than the number of living alumni because many graduates have multiple Caltech degrees.)

Campus Budget Top
(Fiscal Year 2005)

Total Campus Operating Expenditures	$495.93 M
Sources of Operating Revenue:
Student Tuition & Fees, Net	3%
Gifts and Investment Return	49%
Grants & Contracts	41%
Auxiliary and Other Income	7%
Uses of Operating Revenue:
Instruction & Academic Support	43%
Organized Research	37%
Institutional & Student Support	13%
Auxiliary Enterprises	7%