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.
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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.

Academic Organization Top
Caltech has six academic divisions:
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
Fall Enrollment 2008
Undergraduate Students:
Total: 921
Men: 610
Women: 311
African American: <1 %, Asian American: 39%, Caucasian: 40%, Hispanic: 5%, International: 11%
Graduate Students:
Total: 1205
Men: 842
Women: 363
2008 Freshman Class
There were 3,956 applications for the '08 freshman class; 686 offers of admission were made, and 241 students matriculated.
98 percent of those ranked were in the top 10 percent of their classDegrees Awarded, June 2008 Top
BS 208
MS
128
Engineer
1
PhD
185
(as of December 2008)
Professorial faculty 294 Emeriti 108 Research faculty 57 Other faculty 65 Visiting faculty 138 Visitors 115
Caltech also employees 535 Postdoctoral scholars and 35 Senior Postdoctoral scholars who work with professors in exisiting research programs.
Employees Top
(as of December 2008)
Campus (excluding faculty and students) 2,650 JPL (excluding contractors) 5,200
Living Alumni Top
(as of December 2008)
Total 22,227
BS 11,282 MS 7,754 Engineer 370
PhD 6,822 Ex student 639 Total 26,945
(The total number of degrees is greater than the number of living alumni because many graduates have multiple Caltech degrees.)
Campus Budget (fiscal year 2008) Top
Total Campus Operating Expenditures: $577,790,000
Sources of Operating Revenue:
| Student Tuition & Fees | 4% |
| Net Gifts & Investment Returns | 31% |
| Grants & Contracts | 48% |
| Auxiliary & Other Income | 17% |
Use of Operating Revenue:
| Instruction & Academic Support | 41% |
| Organized Research | 40% |
| Institutional & Student Support | 12% |
| Auxiliary Expenses | 7% |