Caltech Regular Decision Notification Date

When Does Caltech’s Regular Decision Come Out?

The California Institute of Technology is one of four colleges in Pasadena, California, which is located northeast of Los Angeles. Caltech is the city’s most prestigious institution and the city’s only technical university.  To get into Caltech, you must examine the two rounds of application: Restrictive Early Action and Regular Decision. Now, we will focus on answering the query “When does Caltech’s regular decision come out?” Caltech’s regular decision application deadline is on January 3rd, while the Caltech regular decision notification date is around mid-March.

Restrictive Early Action (REA) is a non-binding early admissions process for students who are certain that Caltech is their top choice, are enthusiastic about attending Caltech, and want to know if they have been admitted as soon as possible.

At the same time, students will not be obliged to accept a Caltech REA offer and will be able to compare financial aid possibilities if they apply to other institutions during the Regular Decision period.

The deadline for applications is on November 1, and students will be notified of their admissions decision (either admit, defer, or deny) by mid-December of the same year. Admitted students will then have until May 1, 2023, to decide whether to accept Caltech’s admission offer.

Regular Decision is the most popular admissions process at Caltech, and most applicants admitted will have applied through this process.

When students receive the admission decisions during the Caltech regular decision notification date, the following are possible admission decision outcomes:

• Admit: When a student is admitted, they have until May 1, 2023, to accept or decline their offer.
• Waitlist: When a student is waitlisted at Caltech, he/she has until mid-April to request reconsideration if a spot in the class becomes available after May 1. Students are highly urged to include supplemental materials with their applications.
• Deny: When a student is denied admission to Caltech, he/she cannot appeal as all denied application decisions are final. You may reapply for the next autumn admission term if you are still interested to study at Caltech.

You must accept or reject your seat at Caltech by May 1 for both early and regular candidates.

If space in the class becomes available after May 1, the admissions officers will assess the applications of students who requested reconsideration. There is no rating system on the queue. Caltech will notify students accordingly and end the waitlist activity by mid-July.

How Does The Caltech Admissions Process Work?

How does the Caltech admissions process work? Before decisions are released during the Caltech regular decision notification date and early action notification date, a Caltech application has several components that students are required to complete. All Caltech essays, optional test scores, and other materials should be sent well before the Restrictive Early Action or Regular Decision application deadline.

Caltech accepts applications via the Common Application or the Coalition Application. The institution is also a QuestBridge Partner, which means that low-income students who have been chosen as Finalists can apply to Caltech for free through Questbridge’s National College Match program or Questbridge Regular Decision. Caltech also provides students with other choices for fee waivers, including an email from a school counselor.

Although there is no minimum GPA required for admission to Caltech, most candidates should work to maintain a GPA that is comparable to the Caltech average. Caltech’s average GPA spans from 3.9 to 4.19, implying that most students had a GPA of about 4.0.

Caltech will look at your GPA at the end of your junior year. This implies you should aim for excellent marks throughout high school, which begins with selecting the appropriate classes for you. Make the most of all the resources available to increase your chances of attaining the Caltech average GPA.

The following are the application requirements you need to complete:

• The Common Application or Coalition Application
• The Caltech essay (including three 250-word maximum responses)
• An official transcript
• School report
• Two teacher evaluations

Compiling all these materials well before the Caltech Early Action or Regular Decision application deadline is the key aspect to your admission to Caltech. The sooner you begin strategizing, the better your application will be.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Caltech instituted a test-optional policy. However, you are encouraged to submit high scores to increase your chances of acceptance.

Applicants must submit three essays to Caltech. The purpose of these short-answer Caltech essays is to provide the admissions committee with a better picture of who you are as a student, scientist, and person.

Caltech begins the holistic evaluation process after the Caltech Early Action and Regular Decision applicant deadlines have passed. Each application is carefully assessed to determine a student’s strengths, experiences, views, and intellectual curiosity. Since Caltech is a world-renowned institute of science and engineering, the admissions officers will look through your interests in science, engineering, and technology.

Many prospective students are concerned about how the COVID-19 pandemic may affect their college applications. However, as the Caltech website says, Caltech wants students to prioritize the applicant’s safety and the wellness of their communities. As COVID-19 continues to have an impact on the world, you should prioritize yourself over your Caltech application.

With that, Caltech is committed to reviewing the applications in the context of the students’ opportunities and resources. Caltech will understand if your application falls short of the Caltech average GPA or Caltech SAT scores due to situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, you will need to do more than just meet the Caltech average GPA or SAT scores. Admissions officers will assess how each applicant will contribute to the Caltech community as they review applications.

Caltech cares deeply about who they admit because total enrollment at Caltech is so low. Caltech prides itself on being a community “deeply immersed in inclusion, care, and collaboration.” Instead of a Caltech interview, utilize the Caltech essays to illustrate how you will embody the Caltech values as a member of the Caltech community.

As you prepare your application, spend time strengthening your academic achievements and extracurricular talents. Furthermore, prepare your candidate profile well in advance of the Caltech application deadline.

How Many People Get Waitlisted By Caltech?

How many people get waitlisted by Caltech? For Fall 2021 admissions, two hundred sixty-eight (268) eligible applicants were offered a spot on the waiting list. Two hundred thirteen (213) students accepted a spot on the waiting list however, no students were admitted from the waitlist.

At Caltech, it is difficult to predict your odds of approval if you are on the waitlist. If you are contemplating what to do once you are offered a spot on the waitlist during the Caltech regular decision notification date, first, decide whether to remain on the list. Your next step is to respond and inform the college whether you want to remain on the waitlist. It makes sense to keep your name on the list only if you are determined about attending college.

Now, before you come up with a decision, check if there are any requirements for being waitlisted. You may have fewer housing and financial aid alternatives because you are notified later than other applicants.

Even if you decide to stay on the waitlist, you should plan on attending another college. Select the best fit from the universities that accepted you, complete the paperwork, and send a deposit. However, if Caltech gives you a place and you accept, your deposit to another school will be forfeited. Nonetheless, you must ensure your place in an incoming first-year class next year.

Also, take the initiative if you decide to remain in the queue of waitlisted students. Here is what you can do to improve your chances of acceptance.

• Determine your odds of admittance. To find out if the college ranks waitlisted students or have a priority list, contact the admissions office, or visit the college’s website. Most are eager to inform you of your situation. The higher you rank on the list, the more likely you are to get admitted.
• Send an email to the admissions office. The college has already determined that you meet the academic requirements for admission. Now is the opportunity to bring up any fresh academic or non-academic variables that may aid your case—any new accomplishments or supplemental materials. Make sure to highlight your strong ambition and ongoing interest in attending Caltech. State reasons why you are the right fit for the institution. For example, you can tell them you will enroll if they accept you, but only if you are 100% sure you’ll join.
• Study diligently. This is not the time to relax. If you are waitlisted, your third and fourth-quarter grades may be used to reassess you.
• Maintain your involvement. Demonstrate to admissions staff that you are involved in athletics, clubs, and other activities. Recognize that you have already accomplished something. You were waitlisted rather than denied. Many students did not make it even to the waitlist.

Also, do not forget to reconsider the colleges which sent you admission offers. Send in a deposit if you would be just as happy with one of your other options. Then, prepare to enroll in the specific college. Make sure to decline the position on the waiting list as well if you made up your mind. You’ll be astonished at how much better you feel once you’ve made your decision.

Does Early Action Increase Chances At Caltech?

Caltech received 13,026 applicants for a spot in the 2021-22 freshmen class; only 510 were admitted. This 3.9% acceptance percentage was nearly comparable to the MIT admission rate in the same admissions cycle. In the previous year, the university received 8,007 applications for a slot in the Class of 2024 and admitted 536 students. This constitutes an overall acceptance percentage of 6.7%.

Although the official Class of 2026 numbers has not been released, it was revealed that just 432 students were accepted. This could imply that the acceptance rate for the incoming freshmen class of 2022-23 was closer to 3%.

After seeing these admission rates, you might wonder “Does early action increase chances at Caltech?” We’ll go over Caltech’s early application option first. The Restrictive Early Action (REA) is a non-binding early admissions process for students who are certain that Caltech is their top choice, are enthused about the prospect of attending Caltech, and want to know as soon as possible if they have been admitted.

At the same time, students will not be forced to accept a Caltech REA offer and will be able to compare financial aid possibilities if they apply to other institutions during the Regular Decision period.

As discussed earlier, the deadline for the Restrictive Early Action applications is on November 1. The students will be notified of their admissions decision (admit, defer, or deny) by mid-December in contrast to the Caltech regular decision notification date that falls in mid-March. Admitted students will then have until May 1, 2023, to decide whether to accept Caltech’s admission offer.

Students who apply REA to Caltech may not apply Early Action or Early Decision to any other university, with the limitations listed below:

• Any institution outside the US;
• Any public institution with a non-binding admissions policy with a fall application deadline, such as the University of California system;
• Any military academy;
• Any scholarships or special academic programs with an early application deadline at another school, whether public or private, if early application submission is a requirement for consideration and the decision is non-binding;
• If you are deferred after applying REA at Caltech, you may apply to another institution’s Early Decision II program. If you are accepted into that institution’s ED II program, you must withdraw your application to Caltech.

Caltech has had a significant surge in applications over the previous two years, more than doubling the entire candidate pool since the Fall of 2020. With a first-year class of only 235 students, the application pool greatly outnumbers the available space on campus.

Caltech’s goal is not to lower its admit rate; rather, it seeks applications from students who are excited about the prospect of immersing themselves in science, technology, and engineering in Southern California.

Though exact numbers are not released, Caltech revealed that their acceptance rate is less than 5% for both Early Action and Regular Decision, having slight differences only. As such, Caltech recommends Early Action for students who:

• are enthusiastic about the prospect of attending Caltech for their undergraduate career;
• have completed the calculus, chemistry, and physics courses required for admission to Caltech; and
• have prepared a competitive application, including letters of recommendation, by November 1.

If you are still unprepared a few months before the Early Action deadline, then you should opt to apply via the Regular Decision option. To make sure that you will be able to provide a strong and impressive application to Caltech, it is better to apply along with the majority of the applicants and wait for the admission outcomes on the Caltech regular decision notification date set for the specific cycle. If you need further assistance, AdmissionSight is available to help you through the tough admissions process.

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