Address: 1200 East California Boulevard, 91125 Pasadena, California, United States
Physics and Astronomy, Engineering, Biology
Founded in 1891 as Throop University and renamed in 1920, Caltech is a world-renowned private research university in Pasadena, California. It is known for its exceptional strength in science and engineering, and its management of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
Caltech is among the smallest of the world’s leading research universities. It has about 2,400 students, roughly half of them undergraduates, and a faculty of a few hundred professors, so most classes and laboratories are small. The campus in Pasadena, about 17 kilometres northeast of downtown Los Angeles, has Mediterranean-style buildings, courtyards and gardens. The institution began in 1891 as Throop University and took its present name in 1920, when the astronomer George Ellery Hale and the physicist Robert Millikan shaped its scientific direction.
Research at Caltech has been exceptional for its size. Linus Pauling worked there on the chemical bond and on molecular medicine, Richard Feynman taught the physics lectures that became famous, and Murray Gell-Mann developed the theory of quarks. Kip Thorne and Barry Barish contributed to the LIGO detection of gravitational waves, which brought the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics to Rainer Weiss, Thorne and Barish. Charles Richter developed his earthquake magnitude scale at Caltech.
The university manages the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA, located a short distance away in La Canada Flintridge. JPL built many of the robotic spacecraft that explored the planets, including the Mars rovers. Caltech also operates the Palomar Observatory, and it has strong programmes in astronomy, planetary science, geology, chemistry, biology, applied mathematics and engineering. There are no schools of law, business or medicine.
Undergraduate admission is highly selective and puts weight on mathematics and science preparation. Financial aid is need-based. Check the current tariff for tuition. Teaching is in English. First-year students take a common core in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology before choosing a major, and the Honor Code governs academic life.
Housing is organised in student houses, and the Metro line in Pasadena links the campus to Los Angeles.
Domains taught:
Aerospace, AI and Machine Learning, Astroscience, Engineering, Life Sciences, Materials, Physics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Private
Partnerships:
Manages NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Strong collaborations with other research institutions (e.g., Palomar Observatory) and observatories worldwide. Close-knit scientific community. Member of AAU.
Research:
A powerhouse in fundamental science and engineering research, with major contributions in physics, astronomy, aerospace, seismology, biology, and chemistry. Extremely high research output per faculty member. Numerous Nobel laureates.
Famous Alumnis:
Richard Feynman, Linus Pauling, Gordon Moore, Kip Thorne, Charles Richter, Frank Capra, Harrison Schmitt
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
3600
Current students***:
2400
Foreign students***:
30%
Cumulative former students***:
25500
Pros
World-leading in science and engineering research, exceptionally high faculty-to-student ratio, intense and focused academic environment, manages JPL, promotes interdisciplinary work.
Cons
Extremely small and highly selective, incredibly demanding workload and honor code, intense focus on STEM fields with fewer options in humanities.
Best For
Exceptionally gifted students with a profound passion for science and engineering, seeking an incredibly rigorous and research-intensive education in a small, focused institution geared towards fundamental discoveries.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology overlaps with this institution on physics, materials and AI and machine learning, so the two are easy to compare, and it is far larger, with about 11,900 students against roughly 2,400 here, and is also a private institution.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of aerospace, materials and life sciences can consider Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and it is far larger, with about 7,900 students against roughly 2,400 here, and is also a private institution.
Princeton University is the closest domestic counterpart for physics, life sciences and AI and machine learning; it is far larger, with about 9,100 students against roughly 2,400 here, and is also a private institution.
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology follows much the same lines as this institution, with astroscience, physics and materials as common ground, and it is public, whereas this institution is private, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Stanford University shares the core fields of this institution, namely physics, life sciences and AI and machine learning; it is also a private institution and also offers mba programmes.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
In India, Indian Institute of Science teaches much the same core subjects, aerospace, physics and materials, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers mathematics as well.
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on astroscience, aerospace and physics is Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology in India, and it is public, whereas this school is private, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Pohang University of Science and Technology (South Korea) works on the same fields as this institution, chiefly physics, materials and engineering; it covers mechanical engineering as well, and is slightly larger, at about 3,500 students against roughly 2,400 here.
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on physics, materials and life sciences is Imperial College London in the United Kingdom, and it also offers mba programmes and covers mathematics and software engineering as well.
Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (Israel) works on the same fields as this institution, chiefly aerospace, physics and materials; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers chemistry and mathematics as well.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Caltech?
In Pasadena, California, about 17 kilometres northeast of downtown Los Angeles.
When was it founded?
In 1891 as Throop University, and it took the name Caltech in 1920.
How large is it?
About 2,400 students, around half of them undergraduates.
What is JPL?
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which Caltech manages for NASA and which built many robotic spacecraft, including the Mars rovers.
Who worked there?
Linus Pauling, Richard Feynman, Murray Gell-Mann and Charles Richter, who developed the Richter scale.
What is the link with gravitational waves?
Caltech scientists contributed to LIGO, which brought the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics to Rainer Weiss, Kip Thorne and Barry Barish.
What observatory does it operate?
The Palomar Observatory.
Does it have a law, business or medical school?
No.
How is admission decided?
It is highly selective and weighs mathematics and science preparation. Financial aid is need-based. Check the current tariff.
What is the Honor Code?
The rule that governs academic life at Caltech.
Aerospace, Astrophysics, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Innovation, Robotics, Space
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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