skip to main content
Caltech
Undergraduate Admissions
Home  /  Apply  /  First-Year Applicants  /  Supplemental Application Essays

Supplemental Application Essays

Fall 2026 Supplemental Application Essays

When you apply to Caltech through the Common App or QuestBridge Application, you will also submit the Caltech Specific Questions (for QuestBridge applicants, these questions come if you become a Match Finalist and you ranked Caltech). These questions change annually, are updated, and published in the summer.

The essays are an opportunity to tell us about yourself in your unique voice. There are no right or wrong answers but we do have some advice:

  • Remember, Caltech is an unapologetic STEM institution. Literally, there is no way to write about too much STEM in your supplemental questions. So lean all the way in on the STEMiest of STEMmy topics (yep, those are made-up words but totally appropriate). Review our What We Look For page before you get started.
  • Faculty at Caltech review files of the most competitive applicants. So don't worry that your science won't make sense to a lay-person because our faculty with PhDs conducting research that will change the world will understand what you're saying. We promise.
  • If there is anything important about who you are, what you've done, or how you've experienced your life - we want to know about it. Holistic review means whole person review. We're here for whatever you want to share.

All Fall 2026 applicants will be asked to review Caltech's guidelines on the ethical use of AI before submitting their supplemental essays.

STEM Journey

Required STEM Academic Interest Question

Your STEM Future - STEM Academic Interests

Caltech has a rigorous core curriculum and students don't declare a major until the end of their first year. However, some students arrive knowing which academic fields and areas already most excite them, or which novel fields and areas they most want to explore.

If you had to choose an area of interest or two today, what would you choose?

*Note that you are under no obligation to follow this choice if admitted.

Why did you choose your proposed area of interest? If you selected 'other', what topics are you interested in pursuing? (Min: 100 / Max: 200 words)

Required Short Essay Questions

Your STEM Present - STEM Curiosity

Regardless of your STEM interest listed above, take this opportunity to nerd out and talk to us about whatever STEM rabbit hole you have found yourself falling into. Be as specific or broad as you would like. (Min: 50 / Max: 150 words)

Your STEM Past - STEM Experiences

At Caltech, we investigate some of the most challenging, fundamental problems in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We are interested in learning more about your engagement with STEM.

Select one of the following two STEM Experience prompts to respond to:

  1. Tell us how you initially found your interest and passion for science or for a particular STEM topic, and how you have pursued or developed your interest or passion over the last few years. (Min: 100 / Max: 200 words)
  2. Tell us about a meaningful STEM-related experience from the last few years and share how and why it inspired your curiosity. (Min: 100 / Max: 200 words)

Creativity in Action Question

The creativity, inventiveness, and innovation of Caltech's students, faculty, and researchers have won Nobel Prizes and put rovers on Mars. But Techers also innovate in smaller-scale ways everyday, from imagining new ways to design solar cells or how to 3D-print dorm decor, to cooking up new recipes in the kitchen. How have you been a creator, inventor, or innovator in your own life? (Min: 50 / Max: 150 words)

Required Short Answer Questions

Now it's time for a little fun! Choose two of the four questions below and answer both in 250 words or less. 

It's up to you how you use your 250 words, whether that means you use exactly 125 words for each answer or you tell us about a niche interest in 30 words so you can spend 200 telling us about a core piece of your identity.

There is no ‘right' way to choose which question to answer. If you're all STEMmed out, feel free to tell us about a creative hobby. Or if you just can't get enough math, tell us about a concept you can barely wrap your head around. Just remember the Caltech Honor Code and stick to 250 words for both answers combined. 

  • What is an interest or hobby you do for fun, and why does it bring you joy?
  • If you could teach a class on any topic or concept, what would it be and why?
  • What is a core piece of your identity or being that shapes how you view and/or interact with the world?
  • What is a concept that blew your mind or baffled you when you first encountered it?

(Two Essay Boxes, each with Min:1 Max: 249 words)

Optional Academic Short Answer Question

OPTIONAL: Have you had any extenuating circumstances (such as limited course selection or disruptions), that have affected your coursework, but that are not described elsewhere in your application? If so, tell us about them here.