Supporting Refugee Applicants
Caltech is a founding member of the Global Student Haven Initiative (GSHI), a new consortium that aims to support more effectively student refugees from around the world. The GSHI provides a clear pathway for students to apply and access resources that may allow them to attend the participating U.S.-based colleges and universities.
The Fall 2025 application asks both domestic and international students about their status as a displaced person. Applicants will be able to identify themselves as the following:
- Asylee currently residing in the United States
- Refugee
- Asylum Seeker
- Internally Displaced Person
- Stateless Person
We are committed to helping displaced students overcome the barriers to the application process and we understand that flexibility regarding deadlines and requirements is key to ensuring qualified, bright students can attend Caltech.
All admitted refugee and displaced students will receive need-based financial aid that meets 100% of their demonstrated financial need.
Class of 2028
For the class of 2028, Caltech enrolled six students through the GSHI from the Democratic Republic of Congo (1), Russia (1), Syria (2), and Ukraine (2).
As political crises continue to roil the world, students are often caught in the crossfire or, as in the recent protests in Iran, become the direct subjects of government attacks," says Thomas F. Rosenbaum, the Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair and professor of physics. "The Global Haven Initiative helps Caltech, in concert with like-minded partners, serve as a refuge for young scholars in an approachable and affordable manner.
Student Spotlight
Kate Mygushchenko '28
A refugee from Kharkiv, Ukraine, Mygushchenko relocated to Chicago, Illinois, in eleventh grade due to the war in her home country. "It's really hard to adapt to America, especially when you move as a teenager," Mygushchenko says. That's why, she says, she was surprised by how easy it was to make connections during Caltech Up Close, the fall fly-in program she attended in 2023. "I made a lot of friends when visiting Caltech, many more than I made in my high school. I feel like Caltech is a really warm atmosphere and already feels like home; I feel like I belong there." Mygushchenko was admitted through the QuestBridge National College Match program, which matches outstanding low-income students to their top-choice school with a full four-year scholarship. In addition to conducting research on signal processing, Mygushchenko was a member of her school's robotics team. She says hopes to study electrical engineering.
Need more info?
For more information about the program, visit the Global Student Haven Initiative website. For questions, please contact Nic Lee, at +1 626-395-6341 or [email protected].