California Institute of Technology SAT & ACT Scores

Caltech paused its test requirement in 2020 and reinstated it for students entering in fall 2025. You may send either the SAT, paper or digital, or the ACT, and Caltech has no preferred test and no minimum score. For fall 2027 applicants, the ACT writing and science sections are not required. Caltech does not look at composite scores; it reviews each section and superscores, taking your highest score in each section across all the test dates you report. You must report every sitting, and you self-report scores, with official scores needed only if you enroll. Caltech groups section scores into bands: in the top two bands, reviewers see only the band, not your exact score; below them, they see the exact score. Caltech also asks you to report all AP and IB exams you have taken.

Caltech does not publish a combined SAT range, because it does not use the composite score. Among enrolled first-year students, the middle half scored 790–800 on SAT Math and 760–780 on Reading and Writing.

78% of the enrolled class reported SAT scores. Because every applicant must send a test, the SAT and ACT figures together describe the whole enrolled class, not a self-selected group. Some students sent only the ACT.

Caltech says faculty research found only small differences in Caltech grades among students with the highest section scores, and larger differences below them. That is why it uses score bands. In practice, getting each section into the top bands matters more than chasing a perfect score, and Caltech says retaking just to get a perfect score is not a good use of your time.

The middle half of enrolled students who reported the ACT had composites of 35–36, with a median of 35. English scores ran 35–36 and Math scores ran 35–36. 22% of the class reported ACT scores.

Although composites are shown here, Caltech reviews each ACT section on its own and superscores across sittings. Science and writing are optional for fall 2027 applicants. The faculty research Caltech cites looked at ACT Math and English results, so those are the sections to strengthen.

Caltech offers Restrictive Early Action and Regular Decision. Restrictive Early Action is non-binding, so you can still compare offers in the spring, but you may not apply Early Action or Early Decision to other colleges, with exceptions such as colleges outside the US, non-binding public universities and military academies. Caltech does not offer Early Decision.

Plan to send a test, since Caltech requires one. A practical target is SAT section scores at the top of the ranges above (790–800 in Math and 760–780 in Reading and Writing), or an ACT composite of 36. Caltech has no cutoff, and it reviews scores in the context of your school and background.

Caltech treats scores as one data point in a holistic review. It looks closely at your math and science preparation, and its admissions site describes other ways to show readiness for its core curriculum. With an admit rate of 3.8%, even top scores do not secure a place, so your course record, essays and recommendations matter as much.