California Institute of Technology

Caltech Undergraduate Admissions

The mission of the California Institute of Technology is to expand human knowledge and benefit society through research integrated with education. We investigate the most challenging, fundamental problems in science and technology in a singularly collegial, interdisciplinary atmosphere, while educating outstanding students to become creative members of society.

Contents

• Location
• Academic Organization
• Student Body Profile
• Degrees Awarded
• Faculty in Residence
• Other Employees
• Living Alumni
• Campus Budget

Location Top
Caltech's 124-acre campus is situated in Pasadena, California, a city of 141,000 at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, approximately 30 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean and 10 miles northeast of the Los Angeles Civic Center.

The Institute is an independent, privately supported university, and is not affiliated with either the University of California system or the California State Polytechnic universities.

Academic Organization Top
Caltech has six academic divisions:

• Biology
• Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
• Engineering and Applied Science
• Geological and Planetary Sciences
• Humanities and Social Sciences
• Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy

Beneath this apparently simple organization lie some 40 areas of concentration in science, mathematics, engineering, and the humanities and social sciences.

Student Body Profile Top

Enrollment (first term 2007): 913 undergraduates (634 men, 279 women)

Fifty-eight percent of undergraduates receive need-based financial assistance.

2008 Freshman Class:

• There were 3,956 applications for the '08 freshman class; 686 offers of admission were made, and 241students matriculated.

• 73 percent of 2008 freshmen attended public high schools; 17 percent attended private schools; 9 percent attended international schools and 1% were home schooled.
  

• 28 percent are from California; 14 percent from the Northeast; 18 percent from the Midwest; 12 percent from the South; 10 percent from the West (excluding California); 7 percent from the Southwest; 11 percent are international students.

• Their most popular extracurricular activities were science/math teams (74%); volunteering/community service (79%); music (52%); scientific research (48%); and sports (29%).

• Their SAT mid-50% scores were 2170-2310 ACT mid-50% composite scores were 33–35.

• 98 percent of those ranked were in the top 10 percent of their class
  

Degrees Awarded, June 2007 Top

BS	207
MS	128
Engineer	1
PhD	187

Faculty in Residence Top

(as of December 2007)

Professorial faculty	296
Emeriti	104
Research faculty	60
Other faculty	53
Visiting faculty	100
Postdoctoral scholars	577
Senior postdoctoral scholars	33
Visitors	108

Employees Top

(as of December 2007)

Campus (excluding faculty and students)	2,650
JPL (excluding contractors)	5,200

Living Alumni Top

(as of January 2008)

BS	11,120
MS	7,693
Engineer	378
PhD	6,670
Ex student	642
Total	26,284

(The total number of degrees is greater than the number of living alumni because many graduates have multiple Caltech degrees.)

Campus Budget Top
(Fiscal Year 2007)

Total Campus Operating Expenditures	$541,526,000
Sources of Operating Revenue:
Student Tuition & Fees, Net	3%
Gifts and Investment Return	56%
Grants & Contracts	35%
Auxiliary and Other Income	6%
Uses of Operating Revenue:
Instruction & Academic Support	40%
Organized Research	42%
Institutional & Student Support	11%
Auxiliary Enterprises	7%