California Institute of Technology
1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 United States |
#9 in Best Global Universities
Summary
The California Institute of Technology, known as Caltech, was founded in 1891 as Throop University and received its current name in 1920. The science and engineering-focused school is located in Pasadena, California, roughly 11 miles northeast of Los Angeles. There are roughly 2,200 students at Caltech, with around 55 percent of them studying at the graduate level. The student-faculty ratio is very low, at 3:1. More than one-fourth of Caltech's total enrollment is international. The school’s academic calendar is based on the quarter system and English is the language of instruction.
Caltech has six academic divisions, many of which have highly ranked graduate programs: biology and biological engineering; chemistry and chemical engineering; engineering and applied science; geology and planetary sciences; humanities and social sciences; and physics, mathematics and astronomy. The university guarantees housing for all first-year undergraduate and graduate students. Instead of typical undergraduate residence halls like those found at many U.S. universities, there are eight undergraduate houses, each with its own government and special traditions. Newly admitted graduate students are given priority for housing in the on-campus Catalina Apartments.
Around 80 percent of undergraduates participate in research during their time at Caltech. The university offers a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships program where students write research proposals, collaborate with mentors and give presentations on their projects. Caltech has around 50 research institutes and centers, such as the Resnick Sustainability Institute and the Tectonics Observatory. Additionally, the university operates NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a center for robotic exploration of the solar system that engages both faculty and students.
University Data
Total number of students
2,237
Number of international students
759
Total number of academic staff
363
Number of international staff
107
Number of undergraduate degrees awarded
207
Number of master's degrees awarded
101
Number of doctoral degrees awarded
146
Number of research only staff
597
Number of new undergraduate students
235
Number of new master's students
21
Number of new doctoral students
248
More from This School
Rankings
California Institute of Technology is ranked #9 in Best Global Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence. Read more about how we rank schools.
Global Universities Rankings
Subject Rankings
2022-2023 Indicator Rankings
Thirteen indicators were used to calculate this institution's overall Best Global Universities rank. Here is a breakdown of how this institution ranked relative to other schools for each indicator.
Global score
85.6
Global research reputation
#9
Regional research reputation
#14
Publications
#196
Books
#459
Conferences
#93
Normalized citation impact
#24
Total citations
#111
Number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#103
Percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#10
International collaboration - relative to country
#43
International collaboration
#297
Number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#64
Percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#12
Biology and Biochemistry overall score
65.1
Biology and Biochemistry global research reputation
#12
Biology and Biochemistry regional research reputation
#10
Biology and Biochemistry publications
#282
Biology and Biochemistry normalized citation impact
#11
Biology and Biochemistry total citations
#124
Biology and Biochemistry number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#107
Biology and Biochemistry percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#8
Biology and Biochemistry international collaboration - relative to country
#393
Biology and Biochemistry international collaboration
#402
Biology and Biochemistry number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#70
Biology and Biochemistry percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#9
Cell Biology overall score
46.6
Cell Biology publications
#306
Cell Biology conferences
#27
Cell Biology normalized citation impact
#16
Cell Biology total citations
#179
Cell Biology number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#175
Cell Biology percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#17
Cell Biology international collaboration - relative to country
#235
Cell Biology international collaboration
#205
Cell Biology number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#100
Cell Biology percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#7
Chemistry overall score
86.5
Chemistry global research reputation
#6
Chemistry regional research reputation
#3
Chemistry publications
#211
Chemistry normalized citation impact
#9
Chemistry total citations
#94
Chemistry number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#85
Chemistry percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#18
Chemistry international collaboration - relative to country
#590
Chemistry international collaboration
#581
Chemistry number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#45
Chemistry percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#16
Computer Science overall score
64.7
Computer Science global research reputation
#11
Computer Science regional research reputation
#16
Computer Science publications
#161
Computer Science conferences
#259
Computer Science normalized citation impact
#164
Computer Science total citations
#136
Computer Science number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#144
Computer Science percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#115
Computer Science international collaboration - relative to country
#268
Computer Science international collaboration
#353
Computer Science number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#200
Computer Science percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#280
Condensed Matter Physics overall score
48.0
Condensed Matter Physics publications
#135
Condensed Matter Physics conferences
#96
Condensed Matter Physics normalized citation impact
#90
Condensed Matter Physics total citations
#113
Condensed Matter Physics number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#115
Condensed Matter Physics percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#107
Condensed Matter Physics international collaboration - relative to country
#252
Condensed Matter Physics international collaboration
#151
Condensed Matter Physics number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#101
Condensed Matter Physics percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#87
Electrical and Electronic Engineering overall score
52.8
Electrical and Electronic Engineering publications
#212
Electrical and Electronic Engineering conferences
#111
Electrical and Electronic Engineering normalized citation impact
#215
Electrical and Electronic Engineering total citations
#211
Electrical and Electronic Engineering number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#202
Electrical and Electronic Engineering percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#228
Electrical and Electronic Engineering international collaboration - relative to country
#454
Electrical and Electronic Engineering international collaboration
#294
Electrical and Electronic Engineering number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#230
Electrical and Electronic Engineering percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#288
Engineering overall score
70.0
Engineering global research reputation
#4
Engineering regional research reputation
#6
Engineering publications
#301
Engineering conferences
#78
Engineering normalized citation impact
#188
Engineering total citations
#234
Engineering number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#243
Engineering percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#295
Engineering international collaboration - relative to country
#678
Engineering international collaboration
#523
Engineering number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#175
Engineering percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#180
Environment/Ecology overall score
77.2
Environment/Ecology global research reputation
#115
Environment/Ecology regional research reputation
#43
Environment/Ecology publications
#470
Environment/Ecology normalized citation impact
#3
Environment/Ecology total citations
#234
Environment/Ecology number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#189
Environment/Ecology percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#2
Environment/Ecology international collaboration - relative to country
#52
Environment/Ecology international collaboration
#248
Environment/Ecology number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#104
Environment/Ecology percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#1
Geosciences overall score
100.0
Geosciences global research reputation
#5
Geosciences regional research reputation
#7
Geosciences publications
#7
Geosciences normalized citation impact
#22
Geosciences total citations
#3
Geosciences number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#3
Geosciences percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#12
Geosciences international collaboration - relative to country
#148
Geosciences international collaboration
#278
Geosciences number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#1
Geosciences percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#36
Materials Science overall score
65.2
Materials Science global research reputation
#7
Materials Science regional research reputation
#4
Materials Science publications
#389
Materials Science normalized citation impact
#77
Materials Science total citations
#242
Materials Science number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#209
Materials Science percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#87
Materials Science international collaboration - relative to country
#580
Materials Science international collaboration
#384
Materials Science number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#116
Materials Science percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#34
Mathematics overall score
64.5
Mathematics global research reputation
#12
Mathematics regional research reputation
#15
Mathematics publications
#252
Mathematics normalized citation impact
#90
Mathematics total citations
#199
Mathematics number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#142
Mathematics percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#69
Mathematics international collaboration - relative to country
#98
Mathematics international collaboration
#219
Mathematics number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#139
Mathematics percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#124
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences overall score
94.7
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences regional research reputation
#1
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences publications
#7
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences conferences
#6
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences normalized citation impact
#32
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences total citations
#6
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#5
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#26
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences international collaboration - relative to country
#20
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences international collaboration
#75
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#4
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#21
Molecular Biology and Genetics overall score
55.4
Molecular Biology and Genetics global research reputation
#21
Molecular Biology and Genetics regional research reputation
#24
Molecular Biology and Genetics publications
#302
Molecular Biology and Genetics normalized citation impact
#40
Molecular Biology and Genetics total citations
#190
Molecular Biology and Genetics number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#166
Molecular Biology and Genetics percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#16
Molecular Biology and Genetics international collaboration - relative to country
#417
Molecular Biology and Genetics international collaboration
#338
Molecular Biology and Genetics number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#130
Molecular Biology and Genetics percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#22
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology overall score
44.4
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology publications
#239
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology conferences
#71
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology normalized citation impact
#105
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology total citations
#190
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#163
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#78
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology international collaboration - relative to country
#258
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology international collaboration
#184
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#132
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#74
Neuroscience and Behavior overall score
55.9
Neuroscience and Behavior global research reputation
#20
Neuroscience and Behavior regional research reputation
#14
Neuroscience and Behavior publications
#458
Neuroscience and Behavior normalized citation impact
#9
Neuroscience and Behavior total citations
#304
Neuroscience and Behavior number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#230
Neuroscience and Behavior percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#3
Neuroscience and Behavior international collaboration - relative to country
#24
Neuroscience and Behavior international collaboration
#235
Neuroscience and Behavior number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#196
Neuroscience and Behavior percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#8
Optics overall score
100.0
Optics publications
#57
Optics conferences
#6
Optics normalized citation impact
#1
Optics total citations
#14
Optics number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#13
Optics percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#6
Optics international collaboration - relative to country
#129
Optics international collaboration
#126
Optics number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#2
Optics percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#2
Physical Chemistry overall score
62.6
Physical Chemistry publications
#174
Physical Chemistry conferences
#30
Physical Chemistry normalized citation impact
#113
Physical Chemistry total citations
#135
Physical Chemistry number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#123
Physical Chemistry percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#127
Physical Chemistry international collaboration - relative to country
#431
Physical Chemistry international collaboration
#333
Physical Chemistry number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#104
Physical Chemistry percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#87
Physics overall score
93.7
Physics global research reputation
#4
Physics regional research reputation
#5
Physics publications
#44
Physics normalized citation impact
#43
Physics total citations
#14
Physics number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#17
Physics percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#49
Physics international collaboration - relative to country
#355
Physics international collaboration
#542
Physics number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#9
Physics percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#28
Space Science overall score
100.0
Space Science global research reputation
#2
Space Science regional research reputation
#3
Space Science publications
#2
Space Science normalized citation impact
#132
Space Science total citations
#1
Space Science number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
#1
Space Science percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
#94
Space Science international collaboration - relative to country
#43
Space Science international collaboration
#196
Space Science number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#1
Space Science percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited
#118
