Small Town and Rural Applicants
No matter where you are from, curiosity, creativity, and love of learning can take you far.
Every year, students from small towns and rural communities apply to Caltech and stand out. They stand out not because of where they live, but because of their passion for STEM, their drive to learn, and the unique paths they've taken to get there.
Suggestion: Caltech is committed to bringing together exceptional STEM students from around the world to learn, collaborate, and pursue groundbreaking research in an interdisciplinary community dedicated to advancing knowledge for the benefit of society. Talent knows no boundaries—the next generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators comes from every background, experience, and community. It is our responsibility to ensure those students see Caltech as a place where they belong.
How we Support Rural Students
We know that students in rural and small-town communities may not always have the same access to resources or information about colleges like Caltech. That's why we're intentional about meeting you where you and connecting you with the resources you need.
We:
- Connect with high school counselors and educators in rural communities
- Attend rural education conferences and events
- Expand opportunities and pathways for students to apply
- Build programs designed to better support your college journey
Most importantly, we listen to students, counselors, and communities, so we can continue improving how we support you.
The STARS College Network
Caltech became an inaugural member of the The Small Town and Rural Students (STARS) College Network in 2022. The STARS College Network is committed to working with high schools and access organizations to widen pathways to higher education for rural and small-town students and create a more comprehensive approach to college access through partnership. Sixteen of the nation's most prominent universities and colleges, including Caltech, have teamed up in a new effort to help students from small-town and rural America enroll in, succeed at, and graduate from the undergraduate program of their choice.
This new college access model aims to bridge the gaps in access that currently exist. Member institutions are dedicated to piloting new programs for students, college advisors and counselors, and access organizations in order to bring the nation's best and brightest, no matter where they live, to a school that is the best for them. The Network provides students with access to a wide variety of pre-college programming at member institutions, ongoing support in their college search process, and a streamlined application process that breaks down many of the barriers these students face in accessing opportunities in higher education. All programming is free to students who register with STARS.
Member institutions of STARS will support efforts including:
- Pipeline programs that bring students from rural communities and small towns to campus over summer break to help them prepare academically and for college life
- On-campus events for prospective students from rural areas and small towns, including flying students in from their hometowns
- Support for students in the college application process, including workshops and sessions designed to help students throughout their college search
- Fly-in and virtual programs for counselors, teachers, and administrators from rural and small-town high schools, to help them better support their students on the path to college
- Creating ambassador and mentor roles for current students, faculty, and staff, to promote a campus community that welcomes and supports students from small-town and rural America
Connect with the STARS College Network here.
Student Spotlight
We all come from different walks of life and have different experiences that have led us to STEM. Living in the heartland of southeastern Minnesota farm country, I have learned to be resourceful and find opportunity in the smallest things. Whether it was repairing our chickens' electric fence, replacing the disconnect switch on our water well, or spending hours working on our lawn mower. By working as a trainee helicopter mechanic, I became fascinated with the math and science behind every bolt and every screw. I have done turbo engine overhauls, part replacement, and master electric box retrofitting, as well as prototyping and machining a repair scheme for a crack in one of the helicopter's frames. The horizons of aviation are expanding to other worlds, pushing the perceived limits of flight.
Living in the heartland of southeastern Minnesota farm country, I have learned to be resourceful and find opportunity in the smallest things.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Caltech utilizes holistic review, which means we consider students on the opportunities available to them. If you are able to complete our academic requirements for admission, you are eligible for admission, regardless of the level it was completed in. If coursework is not offered at your school, or you're facing an unresolvable course conflict, we encourage you to read our alternative pathways.
No! Securing a research opportunity is not realistic for many students, for many reasons. The majority of students admitted to Caltech have never conducted research. There are many ways to showcase your passion for science and your ability to learn or do well in a research environment like Caltech's. Don't despair if you haven't done research…yet. You will have all the research you can handle once you're here.
By being you. If you are interested in Caltech, you are likely a curious, tenacious individual. Illustrate who you are, where you are, and where you hope to go in STEM with Caltech. Tell us your STEM journey. Take advice from our rural ambassadors:
"If you are reading this, I'm sure you already overcame some adversity in the process to reach here, whether it's spotty wifi or navigating a space not designed for small town folk, everyone has a story. Tell us yours. Define your town, not the other way around." -Reiden W., CNS ‘27, (Okemah, OK)
"Don't be afraid to give Caltech a try–in doing so, you're giving yourself the opportunity to grow more than you ever thought possible. Leaving home for college doesn't mean leaving home forever, and the lessons you'll learn at Caltech will enrich your life, wherever you go from here."-Grace D., Physics ‘27 (Elkton, SD)
Well, you do and you don't. Do you believe in yourself? Do you have a resilient spirit? Do you love STEM so much that you will see it through the hard times? Do you want to push yourself for a future in STEM? Caltech is hard, but it is not impossible. We admit small town and rural students each year who are hungry for the challenge, and you won't be the only one:
"I think the biggest misconception I had before I got to Caltech is that I would have to figure everything out on my own, and that it would be a sink-or-swim sort of environment. But there are so many incredible resources to help you! My school only offered 2 AP courses, so I was a bit less prepared for Core than some of my peers. After the first year, I felt like I had caught up and we were all on even footing, but Dean's Tutoring, Office Hours, and Recitations (and actually going to class) were all really helpful for the classes I wasn't as strong in. It also helped to work on sets in groups, and I was surprised at how willing people are to help each other, and working on sets together is how a lot of people socialize and connect."-Tessa P., Biology ‘25 (Newport, WA)
Caltech has teamed up with Khan Academy and the non-profit tutoring platform Schoolhouse to offer a free, online math curriculum and peer tutoring for students in small towns and rural communities, leading to certification of mastery in calculus — an important credential for admission to more selective colleges and universities (including Caltech) that is not available from all high schools.