California Institute of Technology (Caltech): Fees 2026-27, Deadlines, Scholarships and Rankings

Popular Courses and Fees at California Institute of Technology 2027

California Institute of Technology charges a single flat tuition across most graduate divisions, with 2026-27 graduate tuition set at USD 68,574 plus USD 2,448 in mandatory fees, giving a per-year cost of USD 71,022 (₹65.49 Lakhs).

• Most MS programmes run 9 to 12 months, while research MS and coursework MS in aerospace and space engineering extend to two academic years.
• Undergraduate BS degrees run four years across a shared curriculum before option-specific specialisation, placing Caltech among the fee-heavy but funding-rich universities in the USA.

Caltech Fees for Popular PG Programs

The table below shows total programme cost using 2026-27 tuition applied over the standard duration. 

For 2026–27, Caltech’s annual graduate tuition is $68,574 (₹65.49 Lakhs); mandatory fees are $2,448 (₹2.34 Lakhs), bringing the total annual tuition and mandatory fees to $71,022 (₹67.83 Lakhs).

[Source: Caltech Graduate Studies Office, 2026-27]

Caltech Fees for Popular UG Programs

Caltech offers a single four-year BS across 28 options; undergraduate tuition sits at USD 68,574 per year with the same fee schedule applied to each option.

Read More: Caltech Fees and Cost of Living Guide

California Institute of Technology Admission 2027

Caltech runs one primary September intake for both undergraduate and graduate applicants; the institute does not admit international students in January or summer. Graduate deadlines vary by academic option, so Indian applicants must confirm the exact date under their target department page.

Caltech PG Admission Dates 2027

Graduate admissions are decentralised: each division sets its own deadline within the December window and reviews applications independently.

Caltech UG Admission Dates 2027

Undergraduate deadlines are fixed institute-wide across the two admission rounds.

Read More: Caltech Admissions Guide for Indian Students

California Institute of Technology Admission Requirements for Indian Applicants 2027

Caltech assesses Indian applicants on academic depth in mathematics and sciences rather than on rigid cutoffs, but competitive profiles cluster at the top of the Indian scale.

PG Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree: Four-year BE, BTech or BSc with 85% or CGPA 8.5/10 (recommended); Caltech publishes no minimum GPA
• English proficiency: TOEFL, IELTS, PTE or Duolingo accepted; Caltech sets no minimum score, though competitive PG applicants typically report TOEFL iBT 100+ or IELTS 7.5
• Credential verification: WES evaluation recommended for Indian transcripts
• Standout requirement: Research statement and 3 letters of recommendation; GRE optional for most divisions

UG Requirements

• Class 12: CBSE, ISC or state boards with 90% or higher (recommended), strong grades in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics
• Standardised tests: SAT or ACT required for 2027 entry; TOEFL, IELTS, PTE or Duolingo for medium-of-instruction verification

California Institute of Technology Acceptance Rate 2027

Caltech’s undergraduate acceptance rate sits at 2.6% (estimated) for the most recent admitted class, one of the tightest gates in US higher education. Graduate acceptance rates vary sharply by division but average in the 5% to 8% band across the top engineering options.

Acceptance rates in this range mean fewer than 1 in 35 applicants receives an offer. Indian applicants should treat Caltech as a stretch school regardless of profile strength.

California Institute of Technology Cost of Living for Indian Students 2027

An Indian student self-funding a Caltech MS should budget roughly USD 105,000 (INR 100.3 lakh) for one academic year of tuition plus Pasadena living costs; PhD candidates receive a package that leaves only personal spending uncovered. Fees run higher than most MBA universities in USA because Caltech charges the same flat rate across all divisions.

The figures below use Caltech’s official 2025-26 shared-housing estimate as the anchor.

[Source: Caltech Graduate Studies Office official cost estimate]

Read More: Cost of Living in USA for Indian Students

California Institute of Technology Campus, Facilities and Student Life

Caltech occupies a 124-acre single campus in Pasadena, 18 km northeast of downtown Los Angeles, connected by the Metro L Line light rail and the campus shuttle to nearby research sites.

• Location and transport: Pasadena is a mid-density Los Angeles suburb with L Line rail links to downtown LA in 35 minutes and direct access to LAX via FlyAway bus
• Housing: Graduate housing costs USD 1,100 to USD 1,800 per month; the institute guarantees on-campus housing for all first-year undergraduates and offers priority placement for incoming international PhD students
• Notable facility: Caltech operates the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and shares access to the Palomar Observatory, giving research students direct instrument time unmatched at most global peers
• Indian student community: The Caltech Y and the South Asian Student Association host Diwali, Holi and monthly cultural evenings; Indian students form roughly 8% of the graduate cohort

What Indian students say: Workload is intense from week one, but the small cohort means faculty know every student by name and lab access is unusually open compared with larger US research universities.

California Institute of Technology Scholarships 2027

Caltech runs 4 institute-funded aid streams open to Indian applicants; PhD funding is automatic while undergraduate need-based aid requires a separate financial-aid application.

[Source: Caltech Financial Aid Office]

Read More: USA Scholarships for Indian Students 

California Institute of Technology Rankings 2027

Caltech’s strongest positions sit in the QS World Rankings 2027 at #7 and Times Higher Education 2026 at #7, with a five-edition upward trajectory in QS and a steady top-10 lock in THE.

Read More: Caltech Rankings Analysis

California Institute of Technology Placements and Career Outcomes 2027

Caltech reports strong graduate outcomes: over 90% of MS and PhD graduates secure roles or postdocs within six months of graduation, driven by proximity to JPL, SpaceX and the wider Los Angeles tech corridor.

• Employment within 6 months: 90% for MS and PhD graduates (institute-reported)
• Median MS starting salary: USD 120,000 (INR 114.6 lakh) per year (market median for Caltech STEM MS)
• Top recruiters: Google, Apple, NASA JPL, SpaceX, Intel, Nvidia, Northrop Grumman, Boeing
• Indian alumni: Satya Nadella-linked alumni network in Big Tech; multiple Caltech PhDs lead R&D at Indian deep-tech startups
• Post-study work: All STEM MS and PhD graduates qualify for 3 years of OPT under the study in USA STEM extension, giving Indian graduates a longer job-search runway

Insider note: JPL and SpaceX hiring lean heavily on Caltech alumni referrals; Indian PhDs in propulsion and aerospace routinely convert internships into full-time roles well before graduation.

Caltech makes sense for the Indian applicant whose profile is research-first and STEM-deep, with a Class 12 aggregate above 95% or a BTech CGPA above 8.5, and a genuine willingness to publish before graduation. The total four-year investment of USD 262,488 (INR 250.7 lakh) is only recoverable through funded PhD entry or an MS-to-OPT-to-H1B pathway feeding a USD 120,000 median STEM salary and a fast-track F1 student visa route.

Caltech is not the right fit for applicants seeking broad business, humanities or design programmes, for those who need part-time work or scholarship-covered MS funding, or for candidates whose profile leans heavily on extracurriculars over research. Stanford or UC Berkeley usually give Indian applicants a stronger match on both fronts.