Some colleges are more difficult to get into, and a college such as the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is one of them. Caltech is a private institution that offers exceptional programs, especially in fields such as engineering and science. Because it is such a great school, the selection process is very competitive, and, on average, the Caltech acceptance rate is only around 6%. This means that for every 100 people who apply to the school, only about six are accepted. Below, we’ll outline the basics of getting into top universities like Caltech, given the incredibly low and selective Caltech admissions rate and the admissions data surrounding admitted students (the good grades, average SAT score, and other data gleaned from successful applicants and the application process).
Just the Basics
As you can imagine, Caltech has some very strict admissions requirements, mostly because a high number of applicants (including outstanding students at the top of their class) from all over the world are trying to get into the school. For instance, for the class of 2024, roughly 8,000 students applied, but fewer than 550 of them were accepted. This is an acceptance rate of 6.7%. The good news is that Caltech looks at a lot of different things when choosing its next batch of students, including test scores, academic performance, involvement in extracurricular activities, the interview, and essay responses.
In other words, the school doesn’t look at just one thing and consider the rest unimportant. It takes a rather holistic approach to the admission process because its goal is to consider every aspect of the prospective student. What this means, in simple terms, is that the Caltech admissions committee looks at both academic and non-academic aspects of the student’s life, as opposed to just going by their grades and nothing else. Still, when it comes to both your GPA and your ACT/SAT score, both numbers need to be very high if you wish to be admitted into Caltech.
For example, the average GPA for students who get accepted into Caltech is 4.19. As you know, having straight A’s gives you a 4.0, which means you have to go above and beyond that by taking honors, AP, and/or IB courses in order to have anything above 4.0.
If you take the SAT, the average composite score for Caltech admittees is 1545 (on a 1600 scale), but most students have scores that are higher than that because, again, Caltech can take any student it wants to, which means it will only accept students with scores that are higher than average. When it comes to ACT scores, the average for those accepted into Caltech is 36, which is the highest possible score on the ACT. So if you’re interested in getting into Caltech, you should plan to get a perfect ACT score.
These things being said, Caltech has no official ACT requirements or even a minimum GPA requirement. It’s just that the school has gotten so competitive that most first-year students and those applying to its undergraduate programs consistently place at the very top of their class (similar to the applicants seen by Ivy League schools). If you score below 36 on the ACT or below 1570 on the SAT, you might want to consider taking it again so that you can score higher. Nonetheless, it is entirely possible to impress Caltech faculty and admissions officers with a skill, talent, hobby, or outsized accomplishment apart from your academic achievements, in which case a less than perfect GPA or SAT/ACT score may not disqualify you from gaining admission.
Are There Steps You Can Take to Increase Your Odds of Being Accepted?
We’ve gone over the GPA requirements and the average ACT score for getting admitted into Caltech, but what about other strategies that just might help? If you already have a high GPA and a high ACT or SAT score, it doesn’t guarantee your acceptance into this high-class university. There are things you can do, however, to increase those odds, and below are a few of them:
- Always Apply During Early Admission
Like most colleges, Caltech has an early admission deadline, which is November 1st, and a regular decision deadline, which is January 3rd. As a general rule, it’s more likely that you’ll get accepted into Caltech if you apply during the early admission period. This means you’ll need to have all of your admissions materials ready to go a little earlier, but it’ll be well worth it in the end.
- Make Sure Your Essay Responses are Perfect
The application essays (including the personal statement) are a crucial part of the admissions process, in part because they give the university a chance to get to know the student a little better than just knowing you’re at the top of your class by test scores. Make sure the essay includes why you want to go to Caltech, your reason for choosing the major that you did, and what you plan to do with your degree. When you’re finished writing, be sure to proof and edit the essays to make sure they’re perfect. Though the college application process may feel tedious or cumbersome, you can’t skip the important steps of double-checking your application materials and maintaining a standard of excellence if you’re trying to gain admission to one of the world’s most selective institutions of higher education.
- Participate in Academic Competitions
Admissions officers are impressed with academic competitions, especially those involving the STEM field. A few of these competitions include Imagine Cup, Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Competition, Modeling the Future Challenge, NASA eClips Spotlites Video Design Challenge, and MathWorks Math Modeling (3M) Challenge, to name a few.
- Always Participate in Extracurricular Activities
The extracurricular world is a fascinating one, and even if you just participate in two or three clubs or organizations, it shows Caltech that you can balance your academic and personal life, while being intellectually curious and ambitious enough to pursue independent, outside-the-classroom challenges. They like knowing that your interest in school goes beyond the classroom, and it helps if those clubs are related to your interests and/or what your major will be once you get to college.
- Don’t Forget to Get Letters of Recommendation
Caltech requires a minimum of two letters of recommendation from your high school teachers. One has to be from a math or science teacher, and the other one has to be from a teacher of humanities or social science. Always ask for these letters early on in the process, and always ask teachers who know you well and can write a very impactful letter for you. It’s best if the science/math letters come from teachers of physics, chemistry, or calculus; and the humanities/social science letters from teachers of history, English, or foreign language.
If all of this feels a little overwhelming, not to worry. The best advice you can get is to concentrate on academics from the beginning of your freshman year. Not all high school students know early on that they hope to be future Caltech students someday, but striving to exceed average GPA ranges and set yourself apart as an outstanding student will open up those doors later on, should a school like Caltech pique your interest. That said, since Caltech’s acceptance rate is notoriously low, the sooner the school makes its way onto your radar, the better, as you can tailor your academic pursuits towards the traits and achievements the Caltech website claims its college admissions officers are seeking.
A Few Other Considerations
Caltech is a high-quality university that relatively few people are accepted into, so by now, you might be wondering if young people can get in if they’re not aspiring undergraduate students who have just graduated from high school. The truth is that Caltech does accept a certain number of transfer students, but typically less than 2% of the people they admit fall under this category, and the average GPA for these students is around 4.2. In other words, unlike with some other universities, transferring into Caltech from a community college or other school may be even harder than gaining direct undergraduate admission out of high school, so it isn’t exactly an easy backdoor in.
The university also accepts international students, but unlike other schools, they do not accept IELTS scores. Instead, these students must take either the Duolingo English Test or the TOEFL iBT. Still, Caltech has an entire department that can guide international students and help them work through the maze that is required to be accepted, which can be very difficult if you’re trying to do it on your own. This international effort reflects upon Caltech’s interest in making sure their campus population is as diverse as possible.
Keep in mind that high school academic requirements also apply, with the following considered a must if you’re even considering applying to Caltech:
- English: 3 years
- Math: 4 years
- Science: 2 years
- Social studies: 1 year
- History: 1 year
You also have to submit your test scores by December 31st, but remember that the early admission deadline is November 1st, so it behooves you to take the ACT/SAT test even earlier if you intend to meet this particular deadline.
Why Is Caltech So Impressive?
Above all else, Caltech is a private research university, so research is a big draw for people who want to go to school there. It offers a 3:1 student-teacher ratio and offers courses in the natural sciences and even information sciences, as well as all types of engineering. Research opportunities abound for both students and professors, and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is one of the most prestigious centers for exploring the solar system.
So while its application requirements are stringent, they have to be this way in order to keep the school’s impeccable reputation, which includes their small class size and favorable student-teacher ratio. Numerous Nobel Laureates and Nobel Prize winners have attended this school, but there are other benefits of graduating from Caltech as well. They include:
- It is a small school with fewer than 2,500 students and about 300 professors.
- It ranks higher than MIT in many areas.
- It offers excellent financial aid.
And while Caltech doesn’t have a football team, there are lots of other athletic opportunities for students to enjoy, which gives them lots of ways to support the Caltech Beavers. So while academics is the main attraction for students wishing to attend Caltech, they can also have a lot of fun while they’re there.
Other Things You Should Know before Applying to Caltech
In some ways, this excellent private university provides an easy way to get started when you wish to apply. For instance, Caltech allows for students to use the common application to apply, which is a basic application form that is accepted by many different schools. You’ll also need your high school transcripts, three essays that need to be a maximum of 250 words each, and teacher evaluations (recommendation letters). The items you have to submit are not extensive, but of course, the high scores and impeccable GPA are much harder to accommodate.
Caltech also prefers students who have an excellent background in STEM subjects—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In addition to the high school classes mentioned earlier, the school also looks for mastery of calculus, the most advanced English courses, and science classes that include at least one year of physics and one year of chemistry. This is not something every student can accomplish, but it’s what sets Caltech’s students apart from the others.
And if you hate to write and are therefore nervous about your essays, there are websites that offer samples of these essays so you can get a better idea of how to write them. Since each essay is limited to 250 words, you shouldn’t have any problems completing them, and the best way to make sure they are top-notch is to have a few other people look at them and proofread them for you so there are no glaring mistakes in the content.
Of course, you can also increase your odds of getting into Caltech if you go above and beyond what is required. When you’re reading over a list of recommended high school courses, such as English or math, make sure you take advanced English or math courses and not just the basics. When all is said and done, Caltech isn’t just looking at its basic requirements. They’d much prefer that you take some challenging courses that show you’re serious about attending a prestigious university after you graduate, so they’re looking for evidence of your hunger for tackling new obstacles, even if it stretches your capabilities.
Conclusion
Caltech is one of the highest-quality academic and research institutes in the U.S., if not the world. Many people call it the best university in the country (at least as far as science, math, technology, and research is concerned), so there’s little wonder why so many high schoolers apply there each and every year. While Caltech is an extremely competitive school that almost requires you to be in the top 10% of your class, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get in, and driven STEM-interested students shouldn’t be discouraged by the challenge presented by the selective Caltech admissions rate. Instead, ambitious students should include Caltech among the list of their reach schools, thus giving them a challenging goal to shoot for as they pursue the academics and extracurricular activities along their high school career.
