California Institute of Technology United States of America

California Institute of Technology

United States of America

Caltech at a Glance

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is a world-renowned science and engineering research and education institution, where extraordinary faculty and students seek answers to complex questions, discover new knowledge, lead innovation, and transform our future.

Caltech's 124-acre campus is located in Pasadena, California.

Mission

The mission of the California Institute of Technology is to expand human knowledge and benefit society through research integrated with education. We investigate the most challenging, fundamental problems in science and technology in a singularly collegial, interdisciplinary atmosphere, while educating outstanding students to become creative members of society.

History

Founded as Throop University in 1891 in Pasadena, California, and renamed the California Institute of Technology in 1920.

Research and Education

Academic Divisions

•Biology & Biological Engineering

•Chemistry & Chemical Engineering

•Engineering & Applied Science

•Geological & Planetary Sciences

•Humanities & Social Sciences

•Physics, Mathematics & Astronomy

Academic options (majors)

Cross-disciplinary research institutes and centers

Faculty (1)

Approximately 300 professorial faculty

More than 600 research scholars

3:1 student-faculty ratio

Honors

Nobel Laureates (2): 34

National Medal of Science Recipients (2): 58

National Medal of Technology and Innovation Recipients (3): 13

National Academies Memberships (4): 128

Students

1,001 undergraduate students

1,254 graduate students

33% female / 67% male

99% placed in the top tenth of their high school graduating class

Class of 2019:

6,507 applicants

241 members of the freshman class

46% female / 54% male

Affording Caltech (1)

Students receiving need-based assistance: 50%

Average need-based financial-aid package: $41,669

Average need-based scholarship: $37,557

Second in the U.S. in return on investment of degree (5)

Living Alumni

22,930 in the U.S. and around the world

Global Facilities

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Founded by Caltech in the 1930s and managed for NASA since 1958

19 spacecraft and eight instruments employed in active missions

Recently launched missions include the Mars Science Laboratory, Juno, Aquarius, and NuSTAR

More than 100 research and mission collaborations with Caltech faculty

Caltech Seismological Laboratory

Internationally recognized for excellence in geophysical research

Research centers for seismic studies, high-performance computing, and mineral physics

Preeminent source for earthquake information in Southern California and around the world

International Observatory Network

W. M. Keck Observatory, Hawaii

Palomar Observatory, California

W. M. Keck Array, Antarctica

Owens Valley Radio Observatory, California

Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, Washington and Louisiana

Cerro Chajnantor Atacama Telescope, Chile (anticipated 2017)

Thirty Meter Telescope, Hawaii (anticipated 2020)

Employees (1)

Caltech: 3,900

JPL: 5,000

Budget

The FY 2014 budget, including Campus and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) totals approximately $2 billion.

JPL: $1.5 billion

Campus: $580 million

Campus Budget Allocation:

Revenue

Contracts and grants: 56.5%

Endowment payout: 16.8%

Gifts: 7.6%

Student tuition and fees: 5.8%

Other: 13.3%

Expenses

Instruction and Academic Support: 41.7%

Organized research: 40%

Institutional support: 13.1%

Auxiliary: 5.2%

Caltech endowment valued at $1.96 billion

(1) 2015–16 academic year

(2) Faculty and alumni

(3) Includes trustees

(4) Faculty only