Affording Caltech
We are committed to making a Caltech education accessible to all students who gain admission. Our nationally recognized need-based financial aid program has been highlighted by several leading publications including, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, The Princeton Review, and US News and World Report.
Notable characteristics of Caltech's financial aid program include:
- Need-blind admissions consideration for all US Citizens and Permanent Residents. Financial aid awards meet 100% of demonstrated need.
- Substantial need-based financial aid for international freshmen.
- Financial aid awards with comparatively modest levels of student loans and work-study.
- Financial aid awards that include no loans and no parental contribution for most families with incomes of $60,000 or less.
We strive to keep academic-year work and student loans to manageable levels, so that the academic aspirations of our students are not impacted. Caltech's average financial aid package for the 2008-2009 academic year was $31,069 for full-time undergraduates, while the maximum loan expectation was $3,500.
Because of our students' extraordinary success in earning outside scholarships, the average indebtedness for the class of 2008 was $9,871 total for four year of education. This total is among the lowest for a four-year education at any college or university.
For complete information about financial aid, please visit the Financial Aid website.
