New York University (NYU) vs California Institute of Technology

New York University (NYU) and California Institute of Technology (Caltech) stand as two prominent institutions of higher learning, each offering a distinct educational experience. NYU, a private research university in the heart of New York City, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs, while Caltech, a private research university in Pasadena, California, is renowned for its strength in science and engineering. With acceptance rates of 16% and 7%, respectively, both universities are highly selective, attracting top students from around the world. While NYU's popular majors include social sciences, business, and arts, Caltech's strengths lie in physics, engineering, and computer science. Explore the comparison table below to delve deeper into the differences between these two prestigious universities and find the best fit for your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
California Institute of Technology logo

California Institute of Technology

New York University logo

New York 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% 94.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 3.9% 13.0%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $75

Graduate: $100
Undergraduate: $80

Graduate: $110
SAT range N/A 1450 - 1570
ACT range N/A 32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score 23.0%
Students submitting ACT score 9.0%
Total number of applicants 13,026 95,517
Total number of admissions given out 510 12,380
Admitted students who chose to enroll 270 6,097
Yield rate 52.9% 49.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required 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 $79,746
Average net price $30,162 $50,991
Tuition $56,364 $53,770
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $10,398

Meal plan: $7,350
Room/dormitory: $14,232

Meal plan: $5,450
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

54.0%
Average amount $47,556
75.0%
Average amount $25,047
Students receiving federal student loan 5.0%
Average amount $5,333
25.0%
Average amount $5,094
Students taking out private loans 15.0%
Average amount $4,732
3.0%
Average amount $37,948

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 987
Men 55.3% Women 44.7%
28,772
Men 41.8% Women 58.2%
Graduate students 1,410
Men 66.7% Women 33.3%
29,454
Men 42.4% Women 57.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students 92.2% 67.6%
International students 29.4% 30.2%
Campus local/setting City: Midsize City: Large
Dormitory capacity 1,572 13,063
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 New York California New Jersey Texas Florida

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Engineering
  • Physical Science
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Engineering
  • Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio 3:1 8:1
Institutional accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 92.9% 86.9%
Dropout rate 4.6% 6.5%
Transferred out 1.7% 5.9%
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: $189,685
  • Year 2: $174,714
  • Year 3: $209,134
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $178,151
  • Year 3: $180,551
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $148,198
  • Year 2: $145,543
  • Year 3: $162,625
Legal Professions and Studies, Other (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $161,093
  • Year 2: $137,921
  • Year 3: $158,306
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $99,979
  • Year 2: $111,769
  • Year 3: $135,122
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $93,668
  • Year 2: $112,328
  • Year 3: $125,640
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $119,483
  • Year 2: $111,833
  • Year 3: $121,619
Real Estate (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $102,871
  • Year 2: $104,597
  • Year 3: $117,508
Dentistry (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $72,198
  • Year 2: $81,886
  • Year 3: $113,230
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $75,653
  • Year 2: $79,957
  • Year 3: $104,670

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 California Institute of Technology vs Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs Art Center College of Design Art Center College of Design
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs Harvey Mudd College Harvey Mudd College
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs University of Southern California University of Southern California
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs Northwestern University Northwestern University
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs Lawrence Technological University Lawrence Technological University
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs University of Michigan-Ann Arbor University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs Washington University in St Louis Washington University in St Louis
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs Dartmouth College Dartmouth College
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs Duke University Duke University
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs Brown University Brown University
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs University of Virginia-Main Campus University of Virginia-Main Campus
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs University of Advancing Technology University of Advancing Technology
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs Southern California Institute of Technology Southern California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs Franklin W Olin College of Engineering Franklin W Olin College of Engineering
California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology vs California Intercontinental University California Intercontinental University
New York University NYU vs University of Arizona University of Arizona
New York University NYU vs California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology
New York University NYU vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
New York University NYU vs University of California-Davis University of California-Davis
New York University NYU vs University of Southern California University of Southern California
New York University NYU vs Wesleyan University Wesleyan University
New York University NYU vs American University American University
New York University NYU vs George Washington University George Washington University
New York University NYU vs University of Miami University of Miami
New York University NYU vs Nova Southeastern University Nova Southeastern University
New York University NYU vs University of Georgia University of Georgia
New York University NYU vs Columbia College Chicago Columbia College Chicago
New York University NYU vs Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois Institute of Technology
New York University NYU vs Northwestern University Northwestern University
New York University NYU vs University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame
New York University NYU vs Tulane University of Louisiana Tulane University of Louisiana
New York University NYU vs University of Maryland-College Park University of Maryland-College Park
New York University NYU vs Bentley University Bentley University
New York University NYU vs Boston College Boston College
New York University NYU vs Boston University Boston University
New York University NYU vs Brandeis University Brandeis University
New York University NYU vs Hampshire College Hampshire College
New York University NYU vs Northeastern University Northeastern University
New York University NYU vs Suffolk University Suffolk University
New York University NYU vs University of Michigan-Ann Arbor University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
New York University NYU vs University of Missouri-Columbia University of Missouri-Columbia
New York University NYU vs Washington University in St Louis Washington University in St Louis
New York University NYU vs Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
New York University NYU vs Culinary Institute of America Culinary Institute of America
New York University NYU vs Fordham University Fordham University
New York University NYU vs Hofstra University Hofstra University
New York University NYU vs Jewish Theological Seminary of America Jewish Theological Seminary of America
New York University NYU vs Manhattan College Manhattan College
New York University NYU vs Molloy College Molloy College
New York University NYU vs The New School The New School
New York University NYU vs St. John's University-New York St. John's University-New York
New York University NYU vs State University of New York at New Paltz State University of New York at New Paltz
New York University NYU vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
New York University NYU vs University of North Carolina School of the Arts University of North Carolina School of the Arts
New York University NYU vs University of Cincinnati-Main Campus University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
New York University NYU vs George Mason University George Mason University
New York University NYU vs University of Virginia-Main Campus University of Virginia-Main Campus
New York University NYU vs Northeastern University Professional Programs Northeastern University Professional Programs