California Institute of Technology Admission Requirements & GPA

California Institute of Technology commonly known as Caltech, is widely known for its science and engineering research and institution of education. It is located in Pasadena, California, 11 miles northeast of downtown Los-Angeles. This is a private institution that was established in the year of 1891 by Robert Andrews Millikan and Amos G. Throop. CIT ranked at 9th position among National universities. The main objective is to reshape the education of scientists among the world and highly educate the students about science. CIT has highly educated faculties that makes the university one of the best universities across the world. Beside this the most attractive part of the university is NASA is related with it, NASA pays Caltech to run JPL for them, JPL means Jet Propulsion Laboratory, it is a federally funded research and development center which is managed by Caltech for NASA. President of CIT is Jean-Lou Chameau. It has more than hundreds of campuses located in Pasadena. Let us know ‘California Institute of Technology Admission Requirements & GPA’.

California Institute of Technology Admission Requirements and GPA

About The College

It is a dream of every science student to study at this university. Here all kinds of support are provided to the students to learn and build a great career for themselves. California Institute of Technology is very selective and not that much easy for anyone to get in. The acceptance rate of the university is only 6.4%. Due to extremely selective nature every student needs to work too hard to get admission. If a student is really passionate about science and wants to research it, always score good in their school, CIT will provide best mentorship for the young scientists, and guide them to research on new topics. It has many subjects like- Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Humanities and Social science, etc. Some other choices are also available for students here such as- Business, Economics & Managements, History and many more. Caltech does not take a minimum GPA.

Admission requirements

Minimum number of students get the chance of admission, a candidate must have at least 1500-1600 SAT score else 35-40 ACT score required. An application fee of 75 dollars. Secondary school report of the applicant is important for admission, this document is required to be sent to the university from the school counselor. If the school performance of the applicant is good then it will help the student to get in. Academic transcript is also mandatory. A standardized test score is needed as well. GPA of at least 3.5 out of 4 is essential for admission. CIT does not undergo minimum GPA.

Requirements for international candidates

Duolingo English Test or TOEFL ( Test of English as a Foreign Language) essential for all international applicants except, firstly the applicant’s native language is English, secondly the applicant has studied in a school where English is the official language. The other requirements should be completed before the deadline is over. If the candidate does not fulfill the criteria, then he/she should need to give TOEFL, there is no substitute for TOEFL and IELTS are not accepted by them.

Financial support for international students

At the time of freshman admission some questions about financial purpose will be asked by the university so that the candidate can understand the financial requirements of Caltech, after that the applicant has to confirm their intention to CIT. For international candidates the amount of financial aid funds is limited as Caltech is need-sensitive for these students. Caltech always tries to provide financial help to all the foreign students. They always accept those students, applications who are able to fulfill all the curriculums given by their home countries. Except for some other criteria like IGCSE, AS, A level curriculums, International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), Cambridge Pre-U, Other local public options. Although they will not grant credit for the above courses, every student who is accepted by CIT has to give a math and physics placement exam during enrollment. If the candidate score’s good marks in this exam, then only he/she will get granted credit on the above courses. If any student does not receive assistance at the first year of the CIT then they will not be able to get in the remaining academic year, except Mexican and Canadian applicants.      

Admission Procedure

Caltech or CIT offers two processes of admission:: 

1) Early Action- It is a non-binding and non-restrictive policy. If anyone apply under this system, they will not get any type of financial aid from the university.  

2) Regular Decision- This system is much better than the Early Action because in this system the student can financial, backing. A student who has received financial support on the first year can apply again for the remaining academic years subsequently. No, merit-based scholarships will be offered by them because they meet all the demonstrated needs.

Additional help for Ukrainian candidates

Due to the war between Russia and Ukraine in 2022, CIT gives full support to them. Those students whose post-secondary education was hampered due the war accepted those students directly. Although there is no deadline for the students who apply first, they will be given more priority than the later ones. External requirements for high school applicants are 1) four years of math, with at least one year of calculus 2) One year of both physics and chemistry. If the candidate school is closed at the time of admission, then he/she may apply self-report of their respective classes and grades into the Coalition Application form. CIT requires two letters of evaluation from the candidate’s teacher, but in case of Ukrainian candidates they are needed to submit it.

Conclusion

To get admission in the CIT an applicant should need an excellent GPA that is 3.5 out of 4. If a student belongs to Ukraine his/her study is interrupted due war then will get benefits during the time of admission. SAT and ACT scores depend a lot on getting in. It has two admission policies: Early Action and Regular Decision. Regular decision is better in comparison with Early action. Overall if a student has the capability, talent and knowledge about science and research they should try to get into this university. Although it’s not so easy for a candidate to get in.

Frequently Asked Questions
  • Is it hard to get into this university?

Yes, it always accepts students who have good performance and good performance at the school level. SAT or ACT matter a lot during admission.

  • What GPA is needed to get in?

A GPA of 3.5 out of 4 is required. It does not have a minimum GPA requirement.

  • Is the applicant required to give any exam at the time of enrollment?

Yes, a math and physics test is required during enrollment otherwise he/she will not get granted credit on the courses like IGCSE, AS, A level curriculums, International Baccalaureate (IB), etc.