Admissions & selectivity
California Institute of Technology Acceptance Rate & Admissions
What is the acceptance rate at California Institute of Technology?
California Institute of Technology’s reported acceptance rate is 2.6%.
- Acceptance rate · Fall 2024
- 2.6%
Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.
How to interpret the acceptance rate
California Institute of Technology admits 2.6% of applicants. The median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is 75.7%.
A rate this low means most applicants are not admitted, and the number itself describes the pool, not a personal chance.
What SAT and ACT scores do California Institute of Technology students report?
SAT and ACT ranges are not available for California Institute of Technology in the data shown here. Missing scores do not establish whether tests are required, optional or excluded from review.
Figures cover fall 2024.
Who enrolls at California Institute of Technology?
- Pell Grant recipients
- 18.0%
- Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group
- 4.4%
- First-year retention
- 97.4%
Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.
About these student measures
The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.
California Institute of Technology enrolls 987 undergraduates, a small student body by any measure. 18.0% of those students receive Pell Grants, and an estimated 4.4% enter as transfers or part-time students.
The admission rate is 2.6%, far below the 75.7% median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
At California Institute of Technology, 97.4% of full-time bachelor's-seeking students return for a second year, and 94.4% finish within six years. Both figures sit well above the medians for comparable institutions (same type and size), where retention is 74.2% and the six-year rate is 54.9%.
The university serves a small undergraduate population of 987, and an estimated 4.4% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students. 18.0% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants.
Enrolled students can expect a high likelihood of persisting and completing a degree within six years.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.