Caltech Regular Decision

Private institution California Institute of Technology was established in 1891. The campus is 124 acres in size, and its setting is suburban. Despite being among the top research universities in the world in terms of scientific reputation, Caltech stands out from its rivals due to its small size.

This is the location where Charles Richter developed a logarithmic scale for determining the magnitude of earthquakes, where Linus Pauling discovered the nature of the chemical bond, where Theodore Von Kármán developed the theories that made jet flight possible, where Richard Feynman—one of the most original thinkers of the twentieth century—spent the majority of his illustrious career, and where physicists and engineers are currently working toward the first artificial star.

However, Caltech is also a place where 85 percent of students participate in intramural or collegiate athletics, where more than half of students conduct on-campus research before they graduate, and where students have lived under a student-run honor system since the 1920s.

Caltech has produced some of the most significant scientific breakthroughs of the previous century as a leading research center. The undergraduate curriculum at Caltech prepares scientists and engineers for the major discoveries of the future. You don’t just learn the answers to the questions in your textbook in class; you also learn how to ask your own questions and are given the responsibility of finding the solutions.

While this can result in a very challenging curriculum, it also gives students the chance to actively participate in cutting-edge research. Professors frequently treat their students as intellectual peers. More than 300 undergraduates participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships program each summer, and many undergraduates work as research assistants on campus.

A common honor for undergraduates, many of these students will be listed as authors or coauthors of articles in prestigious scientific journals. Graduates are well prepared for a career in research thanks to this unadulterated exposure to the real world of science.

When Is Caltech’s Regular Decision Due?

Currently, the Caltech Regular Decision information is still being updated. Comprehensive details about the requirements, deadlines, and admissions procedure for the fall of 2023 will be posted within July 2022.

To answer “when is Caltech’s regular decision due?”, let’s take a look at the previous school year’s deadline. For the Caltech regular decision, applications must be submitted on or before January 3, 2022. The regular decision notification will fall in the middle of March.

How Selective Is Caltech?

The Common Data Set shows that 536 out of 8,007 applicants were accepted for the 2020–21 academic year, representing a 6.7% acceptance rate. In the end, 225 students signed up for admission.

Although it might seem intimidating, keep in mind that your individual chances of admission depend on a variety of personal factors and statistics. We can examine how selective is Caltech in the following aspects:

What does Caltech seek?

Only 510 of the 13,026 applications for a spot in the freshman class of 2021–22 at Caltech were accepted. The 3.9 percent acceptance rate was nearly the same as MIT’s for the same cycle. The university received 8,007 applications for a place in the Class of 2024 the previous year, and 536 of those applicants were accepted, for an overall acceptance rate of 6.7 percent.

Although the exact numbers for the Class of 2026 have not yet been disclosed, it was revealed that only 432 applicants were selected. This could indicate that the 2022–23 freshman class’s acceptance rate was closer to an even 3 percent.

Admissions to Caltech: SAT, GPA, and Class Rank

Because Caltech is currently test-blind, which means that SAT or ACT scores are not taken into account, it has not yet made any official academic statistics for its Class of 2025 public.

Students in the Class of 2024 received mid-fifty percentile scores between 1510 and 1570.

The ACT Composite score ranged from 35 to 36.

Surprisingly, 96% of this group graduated in the top 10% of their high school class.

The majority of Caltech students have an unweighted 4.0 (or very close to it) earned within a full roster of AP/IB courses, although they do not publicly disclose information on average GPA.

Class of 2026 Admissions Trends & Notes

• Females make up 51.4% of the accepted Class of 2026.
• Public schools were attended by 66% of the admitted Class of 2026.
• 35 QuestBridge applicants were admitted to Caltech
• Setting a record. International students accepted came from 25 countries, including Zimbabwe, Poland, and Jamaica.
• Caltech expects to welcome a class of 235 students to campus in the fall of 2022.

How Caltech evaluates candidates?

When the pandemic first began in 2020, Caltech made two significant updates to their admissions procedure:

1. The requirement for SAT Subject Test scores is being eliminated.
2. A two-year suspension of the SAT/ACT requirement and consideration. Since then, the moratorium has been extended to applicants for the freshman class of 2022–2023.

Caltech has always employed a holistic approach, but the impact of the pandemic and the accompanying changes made by the committee made this even more so.

“If you continue to consider applying to Caltech, I promise that we will take great care of the story you share through an application. We have always reviewed students within the context of the opportunities available to them, and we will hold true to that practice. Additionally, we will be flexible and understanding of extenuating circumstances that may surround your college application process.”, the dean of admissions said.

The rigorousness of your high school course load, standardized test scores, application essays, recommendations, and character/personal qualities are the five elements Caltech lists as being “very important” to the admissions process.

The committee considers class rank, GPA, and extracurricular involvement to be “important.”

Science and Mathematics Proficiency

Academically, the Caltech admissions committee looks for proof of achievement in rigorously proof-based, abstract math courses. They want to see calculus proficiency in order for students to study the following topics:

• Linear Algebra
• Set Theory & Logic
• Differential & Integral Calculus
• Ordinary Differential Equations

Expectations in science are also very high.

In the words of the committee itself: “A student’s science preparedness typically goes beyond foundational science classes taken in their earlier secondary/high school years. While not a concrete requirement, the Admissions Committee will prefer to see science classes – especially physics and chemistry – taken at the most advanced level offered by the school.”

What Is Caltech’s Acceptance Rate for Regular Admission?

Only 510 of the 13,026 applications for a spot in the freshman class of 2021–22 at Caltech were accepted. The 3.9 percent acceptance rate was nearly the same as MIT’s for the same cycle.

The university received 8,007 applications for a place in the Class of 2024 the previous year, and 536 of those applicants were accepted, for an overall acceptance rate of 6.7 percent.

You may wonder “what is Caltech’s acceptance rate for regular admission?”. To answer that query, unfortunately, the specific number of admitted students from early admission or from the Caltech regular decision pool was not disclosed to the public.

The fact that there are only 938 undergraduates enrolled at Caltech as a whole further contributes to the school’s low acceptance rate. Caltech is much smaller than MIT, the other esteemed STEM-focused university, which has more than 4,000 undergraduates. There are only 244 students in the class of 2024. This should help you understand just how challenging it is to get into Caltech. You have to put in a lot of effort if you want to compete for one of these coveted positions.

What Are the Odds of Getting Off the Waitlist?

Out of the 501 students on Caltech’s waitlist for the Fall 2020 semester, 394 chose to join, according to the Common Data Set. However, only 5 were accepted, earning an acceptance rate of 1.3%.

Typically, in order to have the best chance of being removed from the waitlist, students must keep up their senior year grades, work extremely hard on their AP exams and finals, and above all else, maintain a positive attitude in the classroom.

The performance over the course of the entire year is taken into consideration when making the admissions decision, and for waitlisted students, this can make or break their chances of being accepted. It’s not the end of the world if you can’t get off the waitlist at a particular school. If you applied to a variety of colleges that fit you academically, socially, and financially, you ought to have received a number of acceptances.

How Do You Increase Your Chances of Getting into Caltech?

Many students only consider the Caltech average GPA, Caltech SAT scores, or Caltech total enrollment when considering how to get into Caltech. There are other things to take into account to answer “How do you increase your chances of getting into Caltech?”

When the deadlines for Caltech Early Action and the Caltech regular decision applications have passed, Caltech starts the comprehensive review procedure. A student’s strengths, experiences, perspectives, intellectual curiosity, and interests in science, engineering, and technology are evaluated individually for each application.

Naturally, a lot of prospective students wonder how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect their college application. However, Caltech encourages students to put their own and their communities’ needs first, as suggested by the university’s website.

Do not prioritize your Caltech application over yourself as COVID-19 continues to have an impact on the world. Caltech is dedicated to evaluating students in light of the opportunities and resources at their disposal. Therefore, Caltech will be understanding if your application falls short of the Caltech average GPA or Caltech SAT scores due to circumstances like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assisting the community.

To perfect your “how to get into Caltech” plan, you’ll need to do a lot more than just achieve the average GPA or SAT requirements for the university. Admissions officers will take into account each applicant’s potential to contribute to the Caltech community as they review their applications.

Since there are so few students enrolled at Caltech overall, admissions are very important to the school. The community at Caltech prides itself on being “deeply immersed in inclusion, care, and collaboration.” Therefore, in place of a Caltech interview, use the Caltech essays to explain how you will uphold these values as a member of the Caltech community.

As you prepare your application, spend time highlighting your extracurricular and academic accomplishments. In order to help with your “how to get into Caltech” strategy, make sure to create your candidate profile well before the deadline for Caltech applications.

Will Caltech check my social media accounts?

You might wonder if the admissions process could be impacted by your social media activity as you consider how to get into Caltech. You can be sure that Caltech admissions representatives won’t have the time or energy to look through your social media accounts.

This does not, however, imply that you can or should post offensive, discourteous, or disparaging content on your social media accounts. There are many other instances in which your social media accounts can have an effect on your life, even though these posts might not directly affect your application. When you apply for a job or internship with their company, many prospective employers will look at your social media presence.

We advise using social media responsibly above all else. There’s always a chance that Caltech will look at your Instagram or Twitter accounts, even though it’s unlikely.

Consider these questions as you consider how to apply to Caltech:

• Do I want to attend a small, STEM-focused university?
• Is the major or “option” I want to pursue available at Caltech?
• How can Caltech assist me in achieving my future objectives?

If you are researching how to enroll at Caltech, there is a good chance that you have an interest in the scientific fields. However, you need to be much more specific than just having a general interest in STEM; both your interests and your goals need to be extremely specific to be successful.

Biology, Chemistry, Engineering and Applied Science, Geological and Planetary Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, and finally Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy make up the six different divisions that make up the majors at Caltech.

Students have their pick of several specialized concentrations, including “Business, Economics, & Management,” “Geobiology,” and “History and Philosophy and Science” among others.

Courses in the Humanities and Social Sciences division can provide an excellent opportunity for you to take an interdisciplinary approach to your interests if you are a student whose primary focus is in the STEM fields but who is still interested in other subject areas.

Since there is no option for a Caltech interview, think about how your responses can aid you in writing better essays for Caltech as you reflect on them.

If you decide that Caltech is the school for you, you have the option of applying through the Caltech Regular Decision or Early Action.

Admissions through Caltech Early Action are not legally binding. Therefore, even if you are accepted to Caltech, you can still look into other universities. Whichever route you choose, make sure to send in your materials well in advance of the Caltech application deadline.

Additional Advice for Gaining Admission to the California Institute of Technology

1. Create a candidate profile.

You should bear in mind that Caltech seeks out leaders and innovative thinkers as you develop your “how to get into Caltech” strategy.

Before the Caltech application deadline, pursue your interests and look for experiences that will improve your candidate profile.

2. Create dynamic Caltech essays.

You have the opportunity to introduce yourself to the admissions committee through your essays for Caltech.

As you formulate your responses, be thoughtful and genuine.

Last but not least, make sure to emphasize your distinct accomplishments and long-term objectives. Caltech wants to know what kind of student you are and how you will contribute to the community there.

3. Don’t put things off.

Apply as soon as possible; get your materials ready well before the Caltech application deadline. You should give yourself plenty of time to create the strongest application you can. Since there isn’t a Caltech interview available, take the initiative to finish your essays.

Don’t let the average GPA or SAT scores for Caltech discourage you from applying. If you are a student who is interested in attending a competitive college and you have a passion for STEM fields, then you probably have the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in your sights.

This university in Pasadena, which is consistently ranked among the top universities each year and is without a doubt one of the best for STEM, offers coveted research opportunities as well as individualized mentorships for students who are interested in pursuing careers in science and research. Sounds interesting, right? You may check some success stories from Caltech admits to give you motivation and remind you to never give up. AdmissionSight is here to back you up in your Caltech applications.

With our experience and admissions experts, the tough process of college admissions could become bearable. Book a consultation with AdmissionSight now!