Admission to the First-Year Class

Students are admitted to the first-year class on the basis of strong academic performance in a rigorous course of college preparatory study, especially in the areas of math and science; teacher and counselor recommendations; personal characteristics; a strong demonstrated interest in math, science, or engineering; and information provided on the application. Information on the application process can be found on the admissions office website at admissions.caltech.edu. Students are encouraged to apply online through the Common App or the QuestBridge program. For further information on admission, please e-mail [email protected]. To be considered for admission, applications to the first-year class must be submitted online by November 1 for Restrictive Early Action or January 5, 2026 for Regular Decision.

Information on the application process can be found on the admissions office website at admissions.caltech.edu. Students are encouraged to apply online through the Common Application or the QuestBridge program. For further information on admission, please call (626) 395-6341 or e-mail [email protected]. To be considered for admission, applications to the first-year class must be submitted online by November 1 for Restrictive Early Action or January 5, 2026 for Regular Decision.

Since 2008, Caltech has been a proud QuestBridge partner school. QuestBridge partners with approximately 50 institutions to connect the nation’s brightest students from low-income backgrounds with leading institutions of higher education where they are given a full ride with no loan. Applications are due to QuestBridge annually at the end of September. Students are able to rank Caltech as one of fifteen institutions they’d like to attend and, if chosen as a QuestBridge Match Finalist, Caltech reviews student applications in November and matches with QuestBridge Match students on December 1 each year. For more information about QuestBridge, visit www.questbridge.org.

Restrictive Early Action is a non-binding option that limits the number of schools an applicant may apply to during the early period, but in return offers a student the opportunity to receive an offer of admission from their first-choice school. The Restrictive Early Action process requires that the completed application be submitted online by November 1 through the Common App. Under this application plan, students will be notified in mid-December of their admission decision. Students admitted under Restrictive Early Action have until May 1 to make their commitment to attend.

Students who choose to apply REA to Caltech may not apply Early Action nor Early Decision to any other institution, with the following exceptions:

• An institution outside of the United States;
• Any public institution that has a non-binding admissions policy with a fall application deadline (such as the University of California system);
• An institution's non-binding rolling admissions process;
• Any military academy;
• Any scholarships or special academic programs with an early deadline at another institution, public or private, if the early application submission is a necessary aspect for consideration, and the outcome is non-binding;
• If you are deferred admission after applying REA to Caltech, you may apply to another institution's Early Decision II program. If you are admitted to that institution's Early Decision II program, you are required to withdraw your application of admission to Caltech.

Students are expected to prepare for Caltech by successfully completing the following curriculum:

• Four years of math, including one year of calculus*
• One year of physics*
• One year of chemistry*
• One year of biology (recommended)
• Four years of English
• Two years of history and/or social sciences courses (3+ years recommended)

If a student is unable to take a calculus, chemistry, or physics course in high school because it was not available to them or they experienced unresolvable course conflicts, Caltech will accept examination scores or certification showing proof of knowledge in the subject in lieu of an academic course requirement, provided both the student and their counselor document the underlying, unresolvable issue(s).

The following examinations and certificates can substitute for the course requirements for calculus, chemistry, or physics:

• A score of 5 on AP exams in AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, or AP Physics C
• A score of 6 or 7 on the IB Mathematics HL; Chemistry SL or HL; or Physics SL or HL examinations. Note, IB Mathematics SL does not meet our requirements.
• A certification from Schoolhouse.world in one of the following courses: AP/College Calculus AB or BC; AP/College Chemistry; High School Physics or AP/College Physics 1

For the class of 2029, these are the only avenues for substituting course requirements in calculus, chemistry, and/or physics at Caltech. There will be no exceptions.

Caltech requires first-year applicants to submit either the SAT or the ACT for admissions to Caltech. For fall 2026 applicants, Caltech does not require the ACT writing or science subscores. In fairness, Caltech will not consider a student’s composite score and instead, Caltech will consider each individual subscore: Math, English, Reading, Science (optional), and Writing (optional)

For more information on the standardized testing policy, visit the UGA Standardized Testing page.

SAT Subject Tests: As of January 2020, Caltech eliminated the requirement for applicants to submit two SAT Subject Tests. These sections will not be considered in the application review process.

English Proficiency Scores are required of all international students unless 1) the student's native language is English or 2) English is the primary language of instruction in the student's secondary school.

Acceptable English proficiency exams include:

• TOEFL Internet Based Test (IBT)
• IELTS
• Duolingo English Test (DET)

The essays, which are required as a part of the application, are intended to provide students the opportunity to communicate their interests, experiences, and background. Since Caltech is interested in learning about each applicant, the essays are viewed as an important part of the admission decision process. Caltech's supplemental essays are updated annually and listed on the admissions website each August 1.

Two letters of recommendation and a Secondary School Report are required. One letter must be from a STEM teacher (math, chemistry, physics, or biology), and one letter from a humanities or social science teacher (English, history, government, or economics). A Secondary School Report must be filled out by the applicant’s secondary school counselor or other school official.

Students are welcome to provide supplemental materials that they believe will help the admissions committee learn more about them. These materials may include but are not limited to:

• Research paper, abstract, or publication (citation if published, letter of evaluation, and research description required)
• STEM portfolio
• Non-STEM portfolio

After the application deadline, students will receive a link to the Caltech application portal (Beaver Breakroom), which will include instructions on submitting supplemental materials.

Caltech is a member of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling and therefore agrees to comply with the national candidate’s reply date of May 1. Places in the entering class will not be held after May 1. Restrictive Early Action applicants will be informed of their admissions decision in mid-December and Regular Decision applicants will be informed by mid-March. Regardless of round, admitted students have until May 1 to respond to their admissions offer.

Caltech will consider requests from admitted students for a one-year gap year (and occasionally two-year gap years in the case of students on religious missions or doing required military service). Students who request a gap year must accept their offer of admission and then submit a written request stating the purpose of postponement to the Director of Undergraduate Admissions. Instructions are provided to admitted students annually in the Caltech applicant portal, called the Beaver Breakroom.

Caltech encourages all prospective undergraduate applicants to prepare by challenging themselves with the most rigorous course of study available, including the Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs. However, college credit for AP or IB classes is not automatic. Course credit and/or placement in an accelerated program is sometimes granted as deemed appropriate by the department faculty. The awarding of Caltech course credit takes place at the time of registration each fall.

Biology majors who have passed Bi 8 and Bi 9 (with 9 units on grades) are considered to have met the core requirement of Bi 1.

The student’s qualifications for placing out of Ch 1 ab will be determined by the performance on an advanced placement examination to be administered in the summer prior to registration. Qualified students, with the instructor’s consent, are allowed to substitute either Ch 8 or Ch/ChE 9 for the ”core” chemistry laboratory requirement (Ch 3 a or Ch 3 x).

All incoming students (first-year and transfers) will take a placement assessment to determine whether they are adequately prepared for the substantial writing component that is part of all first-year humanities courses. Most new students participate in a web-based version of this assessment, which is usually conducted in early June. A makeup assessment is held just before fall classes begin. Based on results of this writing assessment, students may be required to take Wr 1 or Wr 2 in the fall quarter. (Wr 1 and Wr 2 count for general Institute credit only.) After completing these courses, students may, at the discretion of humanities faculty, be required to go on to subsequent coursework in academic writing, such as Wr 3, Wr 4, or Wr 50, before or concurrently with first-year humanities coursework. During the first week of classes, students will be required to produce an in-class writing sample to confirm the initial placement.

During the summer before the first year, entering first-year students are required to take the Foundations Assessment, which includes a test in basic calculus that will determine which students will be placed in a special section of Ma 1 a for those with less complete preparation, and later take Ma 1 d; if students are interested in placing out of some of the core Math series, they may also take an advanced placement examination to determine whether they will begin the mathematics core sequence at an advanced level.

Normally, an entering first-year student takes Ma 1 abc, Calculus of One and Several Variables and Linear Algebra. This course covers the calculus of functions of one and several variables; infinite series; vector algebra; basic and advanced linear algebra; derivatives of vector functions, multiple integrals, line and path integrals; and theorems of Green and Stokes. The course is divided into a lecture part and a recitation part that focuses mainly on problem-solving.

Students in need of additional problem-solving practice may be advised to take Ma 8 (in addition to Ma 1 a) in the first quarter.

The required first-year physics course, Ph 1 abc, is considerably more rigorous than most advanced placement work, and entering first-year students are encouraged to take Ph 1. All students are required to take a Physics test as part of the Foundations Assessment during the summer to aid in the organization of Ph 1; students who are interested in placing out of some of the core Physics series may also take an advanced placement examination online over the summer.

Undergraduate housing includes the eight houses (Avery, Blacker, Dabney, Fleming, Lloyd, Page, Ricketts, Venerable), the Bechtel Residence, Marks House and Braun House. First- and second-year students are required to live on campus. Caltech Accessibility Services for Students (CASS) provides the opportunity for students to request housing accommodations based on a diagnosed disability. For questions regarding this process, students should contact CASS or visit https://cass.caltech.edu/housing-accommodations.

To help students understand their own preparation in relation to the First-Year Core, all new first-year students are required to take the Foundations Assessment, which covers principles of high school Chemistry, Physics, and Math. Taken early in the summer, the tool provides students feedback on areas essential to the Core, coordinated with summer resources that can help deepen familiarity and confidence with key topics. Additional information can be found at https://deans.caltech.edu/foundations-assessment-information

All first-year, transfer, 3/2 and exchange students are expected to attend the New Student Orientation as part of the regular registration procedure. Orientation takes place the week prior to the beginning of classes. Faculty members, staff and upperclass student leaders participate to introduce new students to the Caltech community. The orientation period provides an opportunity for new students to become acquainted with the campus, the Honor System, and other aspects of life at Caltech. In addition, they will meet classmates, upperclass students, and faculty during this time.