Columbia vs California Institute of Technology

Columbia University and California Institute of Technology (Caltech) stand as two of the most prestigious academic institutions in the United States, each offering a unique educational experience. Columbia, located in the heart of New York City, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs, while Caltech, situated in Pasadena, California, is renowned for its strength in science and engineering. With acceptance rates of 6.1% and 7.7%, respectively, both universities are highly selective, attracting top students from around the world. While Columbia's popular majors include political science, economics, and psychology, Caltech's strengths lie in physics, engineering, and computer science. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these institutions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic future.

	California Institute of Technology	Columbia University
Overview
Location	Pasadena, California	New York, New York
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	99.0%	99.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	3.9%	4.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $100	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $120
SAT range	N/A	1470 - 1570
ACT range	N/A	34 - 35
Students submitting SAT score		43.0%
Students submitting ACT score		28.0%
Total number of applicants	13,026	61,110
Total number of admissions given out	510	2,524
Admitted students who chose to enroll	270	1,641
Yield rate	52.9%	65.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$82,122	$90,882
Average net price	$30,162	$12,411
Tuition	$56,364	$60,514
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,398 Meal plan: $7,350	Room/dormitory: $9,450 Meal plan: $6,000
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $47,556	53.0% Average amount $57,726
Students receiving federal student loan	5.0% Average amount $5,333	7.0% Average amount $5,511
Students taking out private loans	15.0% Average amount $4,732	2.0% Average amount $34,119

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	987 Men 55.3% Women 44.7%	8,832 Men 50.6% Women 49.4%
Graduate students	1,410 Men 66.7% Women 33.3%	24,944 Men 44.8% Women 55.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	92.2%	N/A
International students	29.4%	37.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,572	13,071
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Texas Georgia Maryland Florida	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Physical Science Computer and Information Science Biological and Biomedical Sciences Mathematics and Statistics	Business Health Professions Engineering Computer and Information Science Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	3:1	6:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.9%	97.4%
Dropout rate	4.6%	1.7%
Transferred out	1.7%	0.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $155,297 Year 3: N/A Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $129,693 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: N/A Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $59,996 Year 2: $89,875 Year 3: N/A	Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $193,362 Year 2: $180,752 Year 3: $230,020 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $162,427 Year 2: $170,426 Year 3: $179,305 Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $153,730 Year 2: $160,605 Year 3: $167,216 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $133,851 Year 2: $143,033 Year 3: $166,695 Operations Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,312 Year 2: $114,503 Year 3: $148,040 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $108,903 Year 2: $103,078 Year 3: $135,658 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $115,222 Year 2: $127,993 Year 3: $131,926 Construction Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,322 Year 2: $110,878 Year 3: $125,926 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,569 Year 2: $109,659 Year 3: $119,899 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,223 Year 2: $100,127 Year 3: $118,332

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

California Institute of Technology

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott