1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [California Institute of Technology](/school/california-institute-of-technology/) 4. / 5. Cost & financial aid brief Cost & financial aid brief Copy linkPrint brief # California Institute of Technology Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid Updated October 21, 2026 [Overview](/school/california-institute-of-technology/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/california-institute-of-technology/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/california-institute-of-technology/admissions/)[Majors](/school/california-institute-of-technology/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/california-institute-of-technology/similar/) **On this page**+ ## How much does California Institute of Technology cost after financial aid? California Institute of Technology publishes a total cost of attendance of $86,886. That figure combines $65,898 in tuition and fees with $20,283 for room and board. Aid covers about 81% of the published cost, a reduction of $70,811 from the sticker price. That average net price sits $6,272 below the $22,347 median at comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #416 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 71st percentile. The published cost of attendance at California Institute of Technology is $86,886. The aid structure is deeply progressive. Both figures are negative, meaning aid exceeds billed costs and covers some living expenses. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $56,290. The difference between the lowest and highest bands is $56,290. 18.0% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, the students the lowest band applies to. Aid covers about 81% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, reducing the sticker price by $70,811 on average. The pattern across income bands is steeply progressive. The two lowest bands see negative average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s, meaning aid more than covers the billed cost. Costs then increase through the middle bands to $54,157 for the highest-income families. The published cost of attendance is $86,886. Azimuth ranks California Institute of Technology #416 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $56,290. Aid covers about 81% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. A minority of undergraduates, 34.8%, take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $27,881 in [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans. ## Student loans: what does repayment look like? Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $152,843. That figure sits in the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from a downside of $70,318 to an upside of $200,511, with a typical scenario of $152,843. The spread between the downside and upside scenarios is wide. The median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $55,915, which puts California Institute of Technology $96,928 above the peer median. Azimuth ranks the university #12 for return. The federal data for this school does not include a median debt figure for completers, so a direct comparison with the peer median of $25,000 is not possible. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $27,881 in [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans. For the separate population of parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $27,881. [Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes). ## Parent loans: what can the family afford? [How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) **Median Parent PLUS debt** $27,881 **Estimated parent payment** $354/mo Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income | Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level | | --- | --- | --- | | $35,000 | No room | High pressure | | $50,000 | No room | High pressure | | $75,000 | 20.9% | High pressure | | $100,000 | 9.4% | Caution | | $150,000 | 4.5% | Safe | | $200,000 | 2.9% | Safe | The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. [Open the parent tool for your own numbers](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=california-institute-of-technology#parent-tool). [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes). ## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments Financial GPS ### What does repayment look like? **Institution median student debt** No federal loan data **Institution Parent PLUS debt** $27,881 Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included. **Estimated student payment · monthly** No federal loan data **Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly** $354/mo Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s. Payment assumptions Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. [Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=california-institute-of-technology#student-tool) ## Data & methodology Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/). Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth. Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source. Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/). **Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/). A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone. Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.