Graduate Expenses

The tuition and fees charge for all students registering for graduate work is currently $68,001.00 per academic year, payable at the beginning of each term, Fall (9/29/2025), Winter (1/5/2026), and Spring (3/30/2026). Graduate students who cannot devote full time to their studies are allowed to register only under special circumstances. Students desiring permission to register for fewer than 36 units must therefore petition the dean of graduate studies for an underload.

The payment of tuition by graduate students is required (a) without reference to the character of the work by the student, which may consist of research, independent reading, or writing a thesis or other dissertation, as well as attendance at regular classes; (b) without reference to the number of terms in which the student has already been in residence; and (c) without reference to the status of the student as an appointee of the Institute, except that members of the academic staff of rank of instructor or higher are not required to pay tuition.

All bills owed the Institute must be paid when due. Any student whose bills are past due may be refused registration for the following term. All graduate students with an outstanding bursar’s bill balance of $1,500.00 or more will have a hold placed on their registration for the subsequent term the day before online registration opens. The hold will be released once payment reducing the balance to less than $1,500 has been cleared by the Institute’s bank, which typically occurs 3-5 business days after payment is initiated through Transact/CASHNet. Diplomas will not be released until the bursar’s account is paid in full.

If a graduate student owes more than $1,500.00, the student’s charging privileges will be suspended. Charging privileges will be reactivated once students have paid their bill in full with the Bursar’s Office.

A $50.00 late fee penalty will be charged by the Bursar’s Office for failure to clear a past-due account at the beginning of each term.

Registration is not complete until the student has registered for a program approved by their adviser and has paid tuition and other fees. A penalty fee of $50 is assessed for failure to register within five days of the scheduled dates.

Monies owed to the Institute resulting from a disciplinary matter may be collected through the Bursar’s Office, at the request of the dean of graduate studies.

The Catalina Central complex provides approximately 152 single rooms in four-bedroom furnished units. Another, Catalina North, has 156 single rooms in two-bedroom furnished units, and Catalina South has 78 single rooms in two-bedroom furnished units, and 29 one-bedroom furnished units. These apartments are also available to married or partnered students.

Rates for housing vary, depending upon the accommodations and services provided. A contract is required to live in these houses for the academic year.
Complete information here.

There is one Residential Life Coordinator (RLC) and four Resident Associates (RAs) in the Catalina Complex. An RLC is a specially trained full-time university employee, specializing in college student development, community building, counseling, and crisis intervention. The RLC supervises the RAs on programming and overall student wellness. The RLC also assists Housing with the management and daily operations of the complex. There are also Catalina Community Associates (student volunteers) who work with the RLC and RAs on programming and community building in the Catalinas.

The Institute also owns a limited number of apartments and single-family houses that are available for rental, on a lease basis, to single or married/partnered graduate students or graduate students with families. Because of limited availability, there is a waiting list for these properties. Additional information and application.

Students preferring to live in non-Institute housing typically pay approximately $1,100 to $1,400 per month/each, in rent for a shared apartment, and somewhat more for a private apartment. Please note that the Institute cannot make negotiations for individual housing off campus.

Graduate students are granted the privilege of joining the Athenaeum (faculty club), which affords the possibility of contact with fellow graduate students and with others using the Athenaeum, including the Associates of Caltech, distinguished visitors, and members of the professional staffs of the Huntington Library and the Caltech.

Caltech Dining Services operates several eateries located on campus for breakfast, lunch and dinner. See Dining Locations

Health services available to graduate students are explained in section one of this Catalog.