2025 College Rankings

The California Institute of Technology was founded to provide instruction in pure and applied science; but in recent years, it has drifted from that mission, taking on a range of extraneous commitments.

Like many of its peers, Caltech is now led by an administration that shows little regard for free speech. According to a survey by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), only 20 percent of students believe that it is “extremely” or “very” likely that the administration would defend a speaker’s right to express controversial views. Just 25 percent say that it is “extremely” or “very” clear that the school protects speech at all. FIRE gives Caltech a “red” speech code rating, indicating that its policies actively suppress open expression on campus.

Caltech’s administration harbors a persistent band of activists intent on steering the school away from its core mission. In the recent Students for Fair Admissions case before the Supreme Court, Caltech filed an amicus brief in support of affirmative action—a disappointing stance for a science-focused institution, where merit is more readily demonstrable than in the liberal arts. That said, all is not lost. The administration has affirmed a commitment to institutional neutrality, a potentially encouraging sign for the future.

Caltech also maintains a disproportionately large Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) bureaucracy. While faculty hiring does not currently require DEI statements, the school employs roughly ten DEI staff members per 1,000 students, a significant number.

The student body is overwhelmingly liberal. According to FIRE, there are 16 liberal students for every conservative—the second-most lopsided ratio among the 100 colleges in our study. Unsurprisingly, Caltech ranks near the bottom in student ideological diversity and falls into the bottom third for political tolerance. Still, students report relatively low levels of personal offense: 71 percent say that they “rarely” or “never” feel offended by classmates’ views, suggesting that self-censorship may be less pervasive than at peer institutions.

Caltech’s curriculum has shortcomings. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) gives it a C in its What Will They Learn? ratings, which assign letter grades based on how many of seven core subjects are required in the core curriculum or general education program. The mediocre grade reflects a lack of strong course offerings rather than the presence of poor ones. While Caltech does not require students to take DEI-focused courses to graduate, it also does not mandate instruction in basic American civics or history.

Caltech typically serves its graduates well economically. We rank it in the top 5 percent for the career boost that it provides. Ten years after enrollment, median earnings exceed expectations—based on SAT scores and Pell Grant data—by over $27,000. Ph.D. attainment also surpasses projections by more than 160 per 1,000 students. Caltech’s retention and graduation rates are similarly strong: 98 percent of students return after their first year, and 94 percent graduate within six years.