1200 E. California Boulevard
Pasadena, CA 91125
General Information
Type: Private institution
Year Founded: 1891
Religious Affilation: None
Academic Calendar: Quarter
Size of Undergraduate Student Body: 913
Geographical Setting: Suburban
Endowment: $1,520,478,000
Admissions
Application Fee: $60
Application Deadline: January 1
Selectivity: Most selective
Expenses
Tuition and Fees: $29,595
Room/Board: $9,102
Student Services
Basic Services Offered: nonremedial tutoring, women’s center, health service, health insurance
Remedial Services Offered: N/A
Counseling Services Offered: minority student, career, personal, academic, older student, psychological, birth control, religious
Careers
Career Services Offered: on-campus job interviews, internships, resume assistance, career/job search classes, alumni network, interest inventory, interview training, other
Students That Enter the Job Market…
Within 6 Months of Graduation: 25%
Within 1 Year of Graduation: N/A
Within 2 Years of Graduation: N/A
Firms that Hire Most Graduates: Northrop, Altera Corporation, City of Hope, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Nvidia, Oracle, Pfizer, Price Waterhouse Coopers, JPL-NASA, Intel, Google, Caltech, Sun Microsystems
Library
Does the school have a library on campus? – Yes
Is it a member of a library consortia? – Yes
Number of books, serial backfiles, and other material including government documents: 344,020
Number of current serial subscriptions: 2,620
Number of microforms: 647,861
Number of audiovisuals: 1,352
Number of ebooks: 2,431
Other library facilities: Caltech has close ties and joint programs with the nearby Huntington Library, which houses a large collection of Anglo-American art, literature, rare books and manuscripts.
Museums or other Special Academic Buildings on Campus: Caltech Research Facilities (Off-site)
Jet Propulsion Laboratory(JPL). Caltech owns and/or operates a number of off-campus research facilities including Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The world’s leader in robotic planetary exploration, JPL is managed by Caltech for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In addition to its interplanetary spacecraft, JPL is a major participant in NASA’s Mission to Planet Earth Program. The Lab also conducts research and technology development in advanced microelectronics and is involved in the design and implementation of defense and civil programs.
W. M. Keck Observatory. The Institute owns the Keck Observatory, located in Mauna Kea, Hawaii, and operates it jointly with the University of California through the California Association for Research in Astronomy. It houses the world’s two largest optical and infrared telescopes, Keck I and Keck II, each 10 meters in diameter. With the two Kecks operating together, observers are able to search for planets orbiting stars other than our sun. Together, the two telescopes are powerful enough to collect starlight emitted only a billion or so years after the birth of the universe, when galaxies were first forming.
Other Observatories. Caltech owns and operates a number of other observatories, including the Palomar Observatory, which houses the 200-inch Hale telescope on Palomar Mountain in San Diego County, California, the Owens Valley Radio Observatory at Big Pine, California, and the Submillimeter Observatory in Mauna Kea, Hawaii.
Other Research Facilities. Another off-campus research facility owned and operated by the Institute is the William G. Kerckhoff Marine Biological Laboratory in Corona del Mar, California. Caltech also operates (with MIT) LIGO Observatories (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) in Hanford, Washington and Livingston, Louisiana.
Technology
Is a computer course required? – No
Is a computer required? – No
Number of available computers for all students: 50
Available internet access? – Yes
Available email accounts? – Yes
Computers available in: computer center/labs, residence halls, library
Number of available wired connections available in…
The Library (not including computer labs): 200
Classrooms: 1,000
Labs: 200
Other areas: 18,600
Is there a wireless network? – Yes
Where is wireless available? – in some of the libraries (excluding computer labs), in some classrooms, in computer labs, in administrative/faculty offices and work areas, in some of the college-owned, operated, or affiliated housing
Wireless simultaneous connection capacity: 10,000
Recommended operating system: N/A
Percentage of hosting units owned by college for internet access: 100%
Are students permitted to have webpages? – Yes
Is there online registration? – Yes
Safety
Campus Safety Services Offered: 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc)
Campus Life Overview
Percentage of undergrads that live in college-owned housing: 90%
Percentage of Male Undergrads Living in Fraternities: N/A
Percentage of Female Undergrads Living in Sororities: N/A
Percentage of students on campus on weekends: 90%
College Housing
Does the school offer students housing? – Yes
Percentage of students living in college-owned housing: 90%
Housing available for all unmarried students? – Yes
If on-campus housing is unavailable, does school provide assistance? – Yes
Available types of campus housing: coed dorms (89%), apartments for married students (1%), special housing for disabled students (1%), other housing options (9%)
Percentage of college-owned housing units that are…
Singles: 32%
Doubles: 63%
Triples or Suites: 5%
Apartments: N/A
Other: N/A
Number of college-owned housing buildings: 25
Percentage of college-owned housing units that have…
A sprinkler system: 48%
Fire alarms: 100%
Wired high-speed internet access: 100%
Campus Size: 124 acres
Transportation (distances in miles)
Nearest airport(s): Los Angeles International Airport (28), Burbank (17)
Nearest train station: Los Angeles (10)
Nearest bus station: Pasadena (3)
Does public transportation serve campus? – Yes
Are all students allowed to have cars on campus? – Yes
Percentage of students with cars on campus: 60%
Student Employment
Is there school employment? – Yes
Percent of undergraduates that worked on campus in 2005-2006: – 34%
Average undergraduate wage: 3,713
Are freshmen discouraged from working their first term? – Yes
Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC)
Army ROTC: Offered at cooperating institution (University of Southern California)
Navy ROTC Not offered
Air Force ROTC: Offered at cooperating institution (University of Southern California, California State University–
Rules and Regulations
Is legal alcohol permitted on campus? – Yes
Other policies: class attendance policies set by individual instructors, honor code, hazing prohibited
Campus
Most popular events: Ditch Day, ME-72 Engineering Design Competition, International Week, Asian Pacific Cultural Week, Semana Latina, Earnest C. Watson Lecture Series, Annual Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition, Choral and Orchestral Performances, Iron Chef Cooking Competition