Admissions · United States
Caltech Acceptance Rate: Admissions Statistics and TOEFL & IELTS Requirements
Caltech admitted 3.8% of first-year applicants for fall 2025: 428 of 11,285, according to its Common Data Set.
Caltech TOEFL and IELTS requirements at a glance
| Applying for | TOEFL iBT | IELTS Academic |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate (first-year, international) | TOEFL iBT5 total and 5 per section for exams taken on or after 21 January 2026; 100 total and 25 per section for exams taken before that date. | IELTS Academic7 total and 7 in each area |
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Caltech publishes its admissions figures in the Common Data Set, released by the Institutional Research Office; the newest covers fall 2025. Below are the last two cycles, the wait-list, transfer and yield figures Caltech has published, what the Common Data Set leaves blank, and the TOEFL, IELTS and Duolingo scores Caltech requires from international applicants.
Figures read from official sources on · English requirements updated · LingoLeap Admissions Research
Caltech acceptance rate by year
Caltech acceptance rate by applicant group
| Group | Cycle | Rate | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yield (admits who enrolled) | Fall 2025 entering class | 57.9% | 248 enrolled of 428 admitted source |
| Yield (admits who enrolled) | Fall 2024 entering class | 61.2% | 218 enrolled of 356 admitted source |
| Wait list (admitted of those who accepted a place) | Fall 2025 entering class | 0.5% | 1 admitted of 211 who accepted a place; 263 were offered one source |
| Wait list (admitted of those who accepted a place) | Fall 2024 entering class | 24.0% | 41 admitted of 171 who accepted a place; 206 were offered one source |
| Transfer | Fall 2025 | 6.2% | 10 admitted of 162 source |
| Transfer | Fall 2024 | 6.2% | 11 admitted of 178 source |
What the numbers mean
Caltech's acceptance rate rose from 2.6% for fall 2024 (356 admitted of 13,856 applicants) to 3.8% for fall 2025 (428 of 11,285). Applications fell by about 2,570 while admits rose by 72, which lifted the rate. Caltech enrolls a very small class: 248 first-year students for fall 2025 and 218 for fall 2024, a yield of 57.9% and 61.2%. Only two cycles are shown because the fall 2023 edition suppresses small cells and its totals cannot be computed.
Caltech's Common Data Set reports that it has no early decision plan and runs a restrictive early action plan (closing 1 November, notification 15 December), but it leaves the early action applicant and admit counts blank, so there is no published early action rate. The residency table (in-state, out-of-state, international) is also blank in the 2025-26 edition, so there is no published international acceptance rate either. This page does not estimate either.
The wait list swings widely from year to year: for fall 2025 Caltech offered 263 applicants a place, 211 accepted and 1 was admitted; for fall 2024 it offered 206, 171 accepted and 41 were admitted. Transfer admission is very selective: 10 of 162 applicants were admitted for fall 2025 and 11 of 178 for fall 2024 (6.2% each).
Caltech requires an English proficiency exam from all international applicants and strongly recommends one for non-native speakers at English-medium schools. It lists minimums of IELTS 7 total and 7 in each area, Duolingo 130, TOEFL 100 total with 25 per section for exams taken before 21 January 2026, and TOEFL 5 total with 5 per section for exams taken on or after that date. The English exam must be taken before the application deadline.
Caltech TOEFL and IELTS requirements
Minimums for international applicants from the university's own pages. Since 21 January 2026 TOEFL iBT reports a 1–6 band score; the notes give the older 0–120 equivalent where the university states one. Convert TOEFL and IELTS scores.
Undergraduate (first-year, international)
TOEFL iBT: 5 total and 5 per section for exams taken on or after 21 January 2026; 100 total and 25 per section for exams taken before that date.
IELTS Academic: 7 total and 7 in each area
Required of all international applicants; strongly recommended for non-native speakers at English-medium schools. Duolingo English Test 130 total and 130 per area. The exam must be taken before the application deadline. InitialView is recommended but does not replace the English exam. The page describes no waiver.
Caltech Undergraduate Admissions: International applicants (English proficiency) · checked 13 October 2026
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FAQ
What is Caltech's acceptance rate?
Caltech admitted 428 of 11,285 first-year applicants for fall 2025, an acceptance rate of 3.8%, according to its Common Data Set. The rate was 2.6% for fall 2024 (356 of 13,856).
What is Caltech's early action acceptance rate?
Caltech does not publish one. Its 2025-26 Common Data Set shows a restrictive early action plan and no early decision plan, but leaves the early applicant and admit counts blank.
What is Caltech's international acceptance rate?
Caltech does not publish one in the editions used here. The residency table in its 2025-26 and 2024-25 Common Data Sets is blank, so there is no admit rate for international applicants.
What is Caltech's transfer acceptance rate?
Caltech admitted 10 of 162 transfer applicants for fall 2025 (6.2%) and 11 of 178 for fall 2024 (6.2%).
What is Caltech's waitlist acceptance rate?
For fall 2025, Caltech offered 263 applicants a wait-list place, 211 accepted and 1 was admitted (0.5% of those who accepted). For fall 2024 it offered 206, 171 accepted and 41 were admitted (24.0%).
What is Caltech's yield?
For fall 2025, 248 of 428 admitted students enrolled, a yield of 57.9%. It was 61.2% for fall 2024 (218 of 356).
What TOEFL score does Caltech require?
Caltech requires an English proficiency exam from all international applicants. For TOEFL it lists 100 total with at least 25 per section for exams taken before 21 January 2026, and 5 total with at least 5 per section for exams taken on or after that date. IELTS 7 and Duolingo 130 are also accepted.
What IELTS score does Caltech require?
Undergraduate (first-year, international): IELTS Academic 7 total and 7 in each area. Check your programme page, as some courses set higher scores.