Admissions Factors
What California Institute of Technology Looks For
California Institute of Technology rates 5 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, standardized test scores, application essay, recommendations and character and personal qualities.
How California Institute of Technology rates each factor
Each college sorts 18 factors into four levels on its Common Data Set.
Very important
Considered
The numbers behind the class
Overall admit rate
3.8%
428 of 11,285 applicants
Early decision admit rate
No early decision
Admitted from the waitlist
0.5%
1 of 211 who stayed on it
97.3% of those who reported a class rank were in the top tenth of their class.
Frequently asked questions
What does California Institute of Technology look for in applicants?
California Institute of Technology rates 5 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, standardized test scores, application essay, recommendations and character and personal qualities.
Does California Institute of Technology consider legacy status?
California Institute of Technology rates alumni relation as "not considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.
Does California Institute of Technology track demonstrated interest?
California Institute of Technology rates the level of an applicant's interest as "not considered".
What is California Institute of Technology's waitlist acceptance rate?
211 students stayed on the waitlist and 1 were admitted, a rate of 0.5%. The number changes a lot from year to year because it depends on how many admitted students enroll.
Source: California Institute of Technology’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section C. Last checked 2026-10-08. The ratings are the college’s own description of its process. Counts are for one entering class.
