What GPA do you need to get into Caltech?

Among 102 applicants who posted a Caltech admission on r/collegeresults, the median unweighted GPA was 4.00 and the middle half reported 3.93 to 4.00 (90 reported a GPA). Caltech sets no minimum GPA; these are what admitted posters reported.

What SAT score do you need for Caltech?

Among 102 applicants who posted a Caltech admission on r/collegeresults, the median SAT was 1,560 and the middle half scored 1,530 to 1,580 (77 reported an SAT). The median ACT was 35.

Does applying early help at Caltech?

In these posts, 28% of early applicants who reported a result were admitted (31 of 111), against 18% in regular decision (38 of 206). Early pools differ in who applies, so this is a description, not a promise.

What extracurriculars do Caltech admits have?

The most common activity types among admitted posters were stem club/competition (73%), research (66%), nonprofit/service (61%), athletics (42%). 84% held at least one leadership role and 83% listed a national or international award.

What is the Caltech acceptance rate?

The official rate is published by Caltech in its Common Data Set. These pages do not compute one: people who post results are a self-selected group, so the share of admits among them is far higher than the real rate.

College admissions data

How to get into Caltech

What 102 admitted applicants actually had: their grades, test scores, activities, awards and intended majors, counted from 577 Caltech results that students posted for the 2016 to 2026 cycles. Every number below is counted, not estimated.

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Caltech admits by the numbers

Median unweighted GPA

4.00

Middle half 3.93 to 4.00

Median SAT

1,560

Middle half 1,530 to 1,580

Median ACT

Middle half 34 to 36

Median weighted GPA

4.60

Middle half 4.50 to 4.80

Results posted: 102 admitted, 419 rejected, 56 waitlisted. People who post results are a self-selected group, so this is not the Caltech acceptance rate; the official rate is in Caltech’s Common Data Set.

Admitted vs. rejected: grades are not the difference

Median	Admitted	Rejected
Unweighted GPA	4.00	3.98
SAT	1,560	1,550
ACT	35	35

When the rejected applicants’ numbers sit this close to the admitted ones, the decision was made somewhere else in the file: the activities, the essays and the letters. That is where the rest of this page looks.

What Caltech admits did outside class

Share of admitted applicants listing at least one activity of each type.

STEM club/competition73%
Research66%
Nonprofit/Service61%
Athletics42%
Summer program40%
Tutoring/Teaching39%
Coding/Tech33%
Internship26%

Held a leadership role

84%

Founded something

43%

National or intl. award

83%

Did research

66%

Early vs. regular decision at Caltech

Early (111 results)28%
Regular (206 results)18%

Share of posters in each round who were admitted. Early applicants are a different group (often stronger and more certain), so read this as a description of these posts, not as odds.

Intended majors of Caltech admits

Computer Science25%
Engineering25%
Math13%
Physics11%
Biology9%
Chemistry4%

Who got in

Of the admitted posters, 17% first-generation, 27% low income, 24% underrepresented minority, 6% legacy, 2% recruited athlete and 13% international. Of those who said where they enrolled, 34% chose Caltech.

Three recent Caltech admits

2026 cycle · Computer Science
CS researcher with ISEF-placing ML work, robotics, cybersecurity research at UCLA, and suicide-prevention volunteering.
GPA 4.00 UW · ACT 36 · Original post
2026 cycle · RD · Physics
Physics-focused student with T5 quantum computing research, an international competition semifinal, and extensive tutoring.
GPA 4.00 UW · SAT 1570 · Original post
2026 cycle · Physics
Physics-focused self-starter with ISEF awards, a founded youth education nonprofit, and independent research.
GPA 3.90 UW · SAT 1600 · ACT 36 · Original post

Where else Caltech admits got in

Caltech admissions questions

What GPA do you need to get into Caltech?: Among 102 applicants who posted a Caltech admission on r/collegeresults, the median unweighted GPA was 4.00 and the middle half reported 3.93 to 4.00 (90 reported a GPA). Caltech sets no minimum GPA; these are what admitted posters reported.
What SAT score do you need for Caltech?: Among 102 applicants who posted a Caltech admission on r/collegeresults, the median SAT was 1,560 and the middle half scored 1,530 to 1,580 (77 reported an SAT). The median ACT was 35.
Does applying early help at Caltech?: In these posts, 28% of early applicants who reported a result were admitted (31 of 111), against 18% in regular decision (38 of 206). Early pools differ in who applies, so this is a description, not a promise.
What extracurriculars do Caltech admits have?: The most common activity types among admitted posters were stem club/competition (73%), research (66%), nonprofit/service (61%), athletics (42%). 84% held at least one leadership role and 83% listed a national or international award.
What is the Caltech acceptance rate?: The official rate is published by Caltech in its Common Data Set. These pages do not compute one: people who post results are a self-selected group, so the share of admits among them is far higher than the real rate.

Applying to Caltech?

A Specialist who got into a school like Caltech can read your student’s file against these numbers and say where it stands out and where it doesn’t.

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Source: self-reported results posts on r/collegeresults, each linked from our Database, counted across the 2016 to 2026 cycles with transfer applicants excluded. Aristo Scholars is not affiliated with Caltech. All colleges