College · Private nonprofit · Pasadena, CA · City
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA
Admit rate3%
6-yr median pay$132k
Net price / yr$16k
Undergrad size987
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $16k/yr for a shot at a $132k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 3% means this is a reach for most people, even strong applicants.
If you get in
987 undergrads. Tiny. Every professor will know your name.
Where you live
City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $87k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $16k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$348k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$64k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$283k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback0.5x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $65.9k
- Room & board
- $20.3k
- Books & supplies
- $1,428
How students pay for it.
Pell grants18%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans4%
Share taking out federal student loans.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
1-yr retention98%
Very high — students stay.
Graduation · 6 yr94%
Most finish on time.
6-yr median pay$132k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$129k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out3%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- City
- Control
- Private nonprofit
- Undergrad size
- 987
- Location
- Pasadena, CA
- Region
- Far West (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)
- Carnegie class
- Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity (R1)
- Size & setting
- Four-year · small · highly residential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
- Accreditor
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
- Also known as
- Caltech
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- Asian36%
- White19%
- Hispanic17%
- International14%
- Two or more races9%
- Black5%
Part-time0%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$45k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 25
What you can study.