California Institute of Technology acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
California Institute of Technology is a private college in California that admits about 3% of applicants, which puts it in the most selective range. A rate like this means it admits roughly one in ten applicants or fewer; the bar is less about clearing a single cutoff and more about how your full profile compares to admitted students.
Use this page to see what California Institute of Technology weighs, where it ranks among California schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1580, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What is California Institute of Technology's acceptance rate?
California Institute of Technology admitted 412 of 13,107 first-year applicants for fall 2023, an acceptance rate of 2.6%.
Source: IPEDS admissions survey, fall 2023. Updated October 28, 2026.
California Institute of Technology application deadlines, 2026-27 · California Institute of Technology supplemental essays, 2026-27
What do students study at California Institute of Technology?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into California Institute of Technology?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into California Institute of Technology, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into California Institute of Technology?
At California Institute of Technology, your real chance depends on far more than the published 3% admit rate. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for California Institute of Technology in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is California Institute of Technology hard to get into?
California Institute of Technology is most selective: it admits roughly one in ten applicants or fewer, with about a 3% acceptance rate. At this level, strong grades and scores are the baseline, so essays, recommendations, and a distinctive story are what separate admits.
What GPA do you need to get into California Institute of Technology?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at California Institute of Technology, but admitted students almost universally present a 3.9 to 4.0 GPA earned in the most demanding courses their school offers. California Institute of Technology reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
What SAT score do you need for California Institute of Technology?
California Institute of Technology does not publish a required score, but the admitted-student 75th-percentile SAT is around 1580. A score at or above that range strengthens your application, while a lower score puts more weight on your rigor, activities, and essays. CollegeCalcAI shows how your exact score shifts your odds at California Institute of Technology.
Your chances at California Institute of Technology by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at California Institute of Technology for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 6 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at California Institute of Technology with a 3.9 GPA and a 1520 SAT?
About 6% (Reach), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.9 unweighted GPA and a 1520 SAT, the middle of California Institute of Technology's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 4.0 GPA with a 1580 SAT comes out near 7%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/california-institute-of-technology.
How to get into California Institute of Technology
Built from California Institute of Technology's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Getting into California Institute of Technology comes down to four decisions, each one visible in the data on this page.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at California Institute of Technology carries about a 3.97 core GPA and a 1530 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. At this selectivity that is the entry ticket, not the deciding factor.
California Institute of Technology rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Selective private colleges admit a larger share of their class in binding Early Decision; if California Institute of Technology is your clear first choice and the net price works, ED is the single biggest lever an applicant controls. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm California Institute of Technology's exact dates at www.caltech.edu.
How many students apply to California Institute of Technology, and how many get in?
13,107 students applied to California Institute of Technology for fall 2023; 412 were admitted (3.1%). 266 enrolled. A yield that high means most admitted students choose California Institute of Technology over their other options, a sign the school is a first choice rather than a backup. California Institute of Technology enrolls about 987 undergraduates in total, 45% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for California Institute of Technology?
California Institute of Technology reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores, so admission turns on your transcript, rigor, and the rest of the file.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What California Institute of Technology looks for
What California Institute of Technology weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
California Institute of Technology signals that it values rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores above the rest of the file. At this level of selectivity, the difference between admits is rarely the transcript alone; essays, recommendations, and a coherent story matter. These ratings come from California Institute of Technology's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at California Institute of Technology
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does California Institute of Technology cost after financial aid?
California Institute of Technology's published cost of attendance, before any aid, is roughly $86,886 per year. Tuition and fees alone are $65,898. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $16,075 a year, and it ranges from $0 for families earning under $30,000 to $54,157 for families earning over $110,000. 18% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do California Institute of Technology graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Ten years after enrolling, the median California Institute of Technology student who received federal aid earns $128,566 a year, up from $132,140 at six years. 94% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 97% return for a second year.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How California Institute of Technology compares in California
California Institute of Technology ranks #1 most selective of 61 schools in California in our database.
Among the 61 California schools we track, California Institute of Technology ranks the most selective by acceptance rate. Nothing else in the state is harder to get into; the next tier down includes Stanford University at 4%.
Similar to California Institute of Technology
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
If California Institute of Technology is on your list, schools with a similar admit profile are worth a look: Columbia University, Harvard University, and Stanford University. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is California Institute of Technology's acceptance rate?
California Institute of Technology admitted 412 of 13,107 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 3.1% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 65% of admitted students enrolled.
Is California Institute of Technology test-optional?
California Institute of Technology reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores.
How much does California Institute of Technology cost after financial aid?
The average net price at California Institute of Technology, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $16,075 a year against a sticker price of about $86,886. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $0 on average.
What do California Institute of Technology graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering California Institute of Technology are $128,566 a year among students who received federal aid, and 94% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does California Institute of Technology value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, California Institute of Technology weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does California Institute of Technology consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. California Institute of Technology's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at California Institute of Technology?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at California Institute of Technology specifically.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.