Applicants are encouraged to submit applications online as opposed to a paper application. Online admission provides several benefits to the student. Online applicants will have the opportunity to check the status of their application daily and see which materials have been received and logged in. For those applicants who do not have online access, you may submit a paper application however, the processing of your application may be delayed slightly and you may not have the opportunity to review the current status of your application. If you are submitting a paper application, you are encouraged to do so well before the published application deadline.

For online applicants, have you:

• Completed the application form (be sure to press the 'submit' button to complete the process)
• Included application fee information
• Uploaded a Statement of Purpose
• Requested test scores be sent directly from the Educational Testing Service to the California Institute of Technology (Institutional Code 4034)
• Submitted one copy of your transcripts from each college of university attended or uploaded a copy of your transcripts electronically
• Requested at least three letters of recommendation
• If applicable, submitted additional documents such as abstracts, resume, list of publications, etc.

For those students who cannot submit the application online and are sending it by mail, have you:

• Completed and signed the application form
• Included the application fee
• Included the Statement of Purpose
• Requested a transcript from each college and university attended
• Requested at least three letters of recommendation
• Requested test scores be sent directly from the Educational Testing Service to the California Institute of Technology (Institutional Code 4034)
• If applicable, submitted additional documents such as abstracts, resume, list of publications, etc.

Paper applications should be mailed to:

Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies
Mail Code 230-87
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA 91125

Note: DO NOT send your application by mail if you have already sent it electronically.

Applications for Social Science must be received by December 15. Applications for Applied Mechanics, Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Physics must be received by January 1. For all other departments the deadline is January 15. Applications received after the deadline may be considered, but late applicants may be at a disadvantage in terms of being admitted and/or receiving financial aid. Applicants are considered for admission to the fall term only.

There is a non-refundable processing fee of USD $80. Payments can be made online via credit card, check or money order made payable to "Caltech" and mailed to the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies, California Institute of Technology, Mail Code 230-87, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125. Do not send cash through the mail.

Applicants living outside the United States should submit an international money order or a check drawn on a United States bank.

In addition to a completed application form, applicants are required, where applicable, to submit several additional supporting documents. These include:

Statement of Purpose

On page 11 Documents/Essays of the online application, or on a separate document, please provide a brief statement of your scientific and professional interests and objectives. Include a description of your past accomplishments that are not evident from the examination of other documents submitted. Report, if applicable, on any research in progress. The statement must be written by the applicant in English. It must not be written in another language and translated for the applicant by another person.

Letters of Recommendation

At least three letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with your academic and/or work performance are required for all applicants. We prefer that you utilize the new Online Recommendation functionality (see Step 5 Recommendations on the online application). If for some reason you are unable to use the online method, please call or fax the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies to request a paper recommendation form. Paper recommendations can be requested by calling 626-395-6346 or by faxing a request to 626-577-9246 and completed forms should be mailed to the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies.

Transcripts

Transcripts from all colleges or universities attended are required. Transcripts may be sent directly from the Registrar of the institution you attended or transcripts issued directly to the applicant, and so marked, are acceptable, and can be submitted online following the electronic submission process. If you attended Caltech as an undergraduate, you must request an official transcript from the Office of the Registrar. We cannot obtain one on your behalf.

In the "Additional Information" section (page 12 of the online application), please provide an explanation of any nonstandard grading system. Foreign transcripts or records of all courses, seminars, and examinations, including grades, scores, grading scales, and conferrals of degrees, must be in English. All translations must be complete versions of the original records. An official transcript documenting the award of an undergraduate degree is required prior to enrollment in the graduate program at Caltech.

In assessing your academic background, the admissions committees find it useful to have additional information about the content of courses you have taken. On page 10 Documents/Essays of the online application, or on a separate document, briefly describe the advanced courses you have taken in science and mathematics that are most relevant to your field of study. List the major topics covered, the name of the professor who taught the course, and the names and authors of the textbooks that were used.

List of Papers and Publications

On page 7 Documents/Essays of the online application or on a separate document, please list any titles of publications, major papers, or theses authored or co-authored; if published provide citation. Do not upload the entire document as the admissions committee often does not have the time to read a large file. It is preferred that you either list or provide links or a URL where publications can be located.

The Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical components of the Graduate Record Examination are required by all graduate options, and advanced GRE Subject scores are required or strongly recommended by most options as part of the application for graduate admission. These tests are given at centers throughout the world on several dates each year. Testing schedules and information on the GRE may be obtained on the Internet at http://www.gre.org. You may also obtain this information by writing to the Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 6000, Princeton, NJ 08540, or by calling 1-800-GRE-CALL. Caltech’s institution code is 4034. It usually takes four to six weeks for Caltech to receive your test scores from ETS. You may also submit scores as an image file along with your online application.

Details about the required tests for each options can be found here.