About Caltech

Through access to a vast array of resources, a community of intellectual equals, and an environment that promotes collaboration over competition, Caltech challenges, encourages, and nurtures our students to become some of society's most innovative thinkers, leaders, and doers.

At Caltech, you will be one of almost 1,000 undergraduates, and part of a larger community of over 1,200 graduate students, more than 320 professorial faculty, and over 600 research scholars investigating and designing solutions to address society's most challenging problems. Students enjoy virtually unlimited research opportunities and close interaction with professors. Many Caltech alums go on to become key figures in academia, government, and industry.

In short, those at Caltech set the discourse and lead the discussions and innovations in their field.

Since its founding, Caltech has remained committed to changing the world through scientific discovery. Our students choose Caltech to become part of our world-class scientific community, find meaning in the work they're doing, and change the world.

Caltech's bold, trailblazing science has led ground breaking discoveries, such as antimatter, the nature of the chemical bond, quarks, and the foundations of molecular biology. Our tradition of pushing forward the frontiers of science and engineering continues today as our researchers work on improving tools for generating, storing, and distributing clean power; building new technologies and devices to aid in diagnosing and treating diseases; advancing knowledge of Earth and the environment; creating novel materials and devices that are designed to meet a specific function; engineering the next revolution in technology and computing; exploring the universe — and our neighboring planets — in ways never possible before; and unraveling the complexities of human thought and behavior.

Caltech is located in Pasadena, California — a vibrant and culturally rich city of 140,000 at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains that boasts sunshine year-round. Caltech's 124-acre campus is 10 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles and 27 miles from the ocean. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is located just up the road and managed by Caltech, offering our students opportunities for research and exploration of Earth and the solar system.

At Caltech, campus safety and security are shared responsibilities. Many departments are dedicated to making campus a safer place to live and work.

Caltech's Annual Security and Fire Safety report provides information concerning safety and security on campus, as well as policies and initiatives to prevent and respond to crime and emergencies.

This year's report is now available on Security's website.