On-Campus Cost of Attendance
The charts below list the estimated nine-month, full-time cost of attendance budgets that are generally applicable to:
- Caltech undergraduate students
- Enrolled full-time in the 2026-27 school year
- Living in Caltech-owned housing
Direct Costs
Direct costs are educational costs that are payable to Caltech. These are the costs that Caltech will bill you for before receiving any financial aid.
| Category | On-Campus |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $68,574 |
| Fees1,2 | 2,655 |
| Housing | 12,711 |
| Food/Meals | 9,285 |
| Total Direct Costs | $93,225 |
Indirect Costs
Indirect costs are educational costs that are not payable to Caltech. These costs are estimates of what a family may pay.
| Category | On-Campus |
|---|---|
| Books, Course Materials, Supplies, and Equipment3 | $1,428 |
| Personal Expenses | 3,969 |
| Total Indirect Costs4 | $5,397 |
Cost of Attendance Summary
The cost of attendance is an estimate of the total cost of attending school for one academic year. The cost of attendance includes some costs that Caltech does not bill your family for. Because of this, the cost of attendance is not the same as the bill you will receive from Caltech. The cost of attendance is a figure that is used to establish your eligibility for financial aid.
To construct a financial aid offer, we add indirect costs into your total cost of attendance. This shows a more complete picture of the total cost of Caltech. Including indirect costs also increases the amount of financial aid a student receives.
Footnotes
1 Fees do not include the Caltech Student Health Insurance Plan. Students are not required to purchase health insurance through Caltech provided they have coverage through a comparable plan. Costs for the 2026-27 Caltech Student Health Insurance Plan and details about the student health insurance waiver are expected to be available in June 2026. (The plan cost $5,049 for the 2025-26 school year.) Financial aid recipients who enroll in the Caltech Student Health Insurance Plan may request that the expense be added to their estimated cost of attendance by completing the Financial Aid Request for Caltech Student Health Insurance Plan form. Students will be offered grant assistance to cover the additional expense.
2 All entering undergraduate students are charged a one-time, $600 Orientation Fee in addition to the mandatory fees applicable to all undergraduate students.
3 A reasonable allowance for the purchase of a personal computer may be added to this estimated cost upon request.
4 A Travel Allowance to (partially) offset the cost of two roundtrips from a student's primary residence may be added to this estimated cost of attendance for U.S. Citizens or eligible non-citizens who reside in the US, associated US territories, Canada, or Mexico.