Supplemental 3/2 Application Essays
The application and requirements for Fall 2027 will be available in late Fall. Below are the requirements for Fall 2026 applicants. If you wish to be informed when the application for Fall 2027 applicants becomes available, please tell us here.
Fall 2027 Supplemental Application Essays
When you apply to Caltech, you will be required to submit supplemental application essays. These essays are an opportunity to tell us about yourself in your unique voice. There are no right or wrong answers but we do have some advice:
- Remember, Caltech is an unapologetic STEM institution. Literally, there is no way to write about too much STEM in your supplemental questions. So lean all the way in on the STEMiest of STEMmy topics (yep, those are made-up words but totally appropriate). Review our What We Look For page before you get started.
- Faculty at Caltech review files of the most competitive applicants. So don't worry that your science won't make sense to a lay-person because our faculty with PhDs conducting research that will change the world will understand what you're saying. We promise.
- If there is anything important about who you are, what you've done, or how you've experienced your life - we want to know about it. Holistic review means whole person review. We're here for whatever you want to share.
- We don't want essay writing to be intimidating, but we know it often is. We have put together some advice to help you get started writing your Caltech supplemental essays, so you can worry less and enjoy the application process.
All Fall 2027 applicants will be asked to review Caltech's guidelines on the ethical use of AI before submitting their supplemental essays.
Required Academic Question
3/2 students declare their majors by the start of their first term at Caltech, after which they take major specific courses. Dual degrees cannot be in the same major unless the programs differ substantially.
If you had to choose a major today, what would you choose? Why do you think Caltech is the right place to pursue this interest? Why did you choose that area of interest? (Min: 100/Max: 200 words)
Required Educational Background Question
Why do you want to continue your studies through the 3/2 program at Caltech? What are you hoping to accomplish that you cannot do at your current institution? (Min: 200/Max: 400 words)
Required Short Essay Questions
Scholarly Character
How do you learn when there is no easy answer? Caltech's learning environment asks students to work through difficulty, collaborate around hard ideas, and contribute to one another's understanding. Use these responses to show us how you learn and grow.
Choose one of the following prompts: (Max: 200 words)
Option 1 -- COLLABORATION: STEM as shared learning
Tell us about a time your learning in STEM was shaped by another person or group — either because you needed help, offered help, changed your thinking through collaboration, or contributed to someone else's understanding. What did that experience teach you about learning and working with others?
or
Option 2 -- PROCESS: The thought behind the outcome
Tell us about a time your approach to a STEM problem, concept, or project mattered as much as the outcome. How did you work through uncertainty or persist creatively in tackling the problem? What would you still defend about your process, regardless of the outcome?
Scientific Drive
How does STEM come alive in your life through learning, pursuing, or making? Caltech faculty review applications, so feel free to get technical in your response!
Choose two of the following prompts: (Two Essays, Max: 200 words each
Option 1 -- LEARNING: STEM as a never-ending rabbit hole
Regardless of your STEM interest listed above, take this opportunity to nerd out and talk to us about whatever STEM rabbit hole you have found yourself falling into. Be as specific or broad as you would like.
Option 2 -- PURSUING: STEM as sustained intellectual engagement
Tell us about a STEM question, problem, idea, or project that has held your attention over time. What drew you to it, how have you pursued it, and what do you still want to understand?
Option 3 -- MAKING: STEM as creation
Tell us about something you created, tested, repaired, modeled, coded, built, or redesigned. What problem were you trying to solve and what did the process reveal to you?
Fun Question
Caltech students bring more than academic ability to the communities they join. What is something you would be excited to do, share, teach, make, start, or contribute as part of the Caltech community? (Min: 100 / Max: 150 words)
Optional Academic Short Answer Questions
Caltech cares about context. Is there anything about your academic preparation, coursework, school context, or learning experiences that would help us better understand your readiness for Caltech?