Other Resources
In addition other financial resources are available. A brief listing is included below. The student newspaper, The California Tech, announces some of these and their eligibility criteria, as do we on our Scholarship News page.Emergency Loans are often available to students regardless of their eligibility for financial aid. The Hoover Loan Fund enables students to borrow small sums of money to cover unforeseen emergencies. These loans are administered by the Dean of Students on a case-by-case basis. Additional information and applications may be obtained from the Dean of Student's Office. The Caltech Y also has a no-interest, 30-day, emergency-loan program. Maximum loans are $50.
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships Program (SURF) is a unique opportunity for Caltech undergraduates to obtain practical research experience, working directly with Caltech faculty members or JPL staff scientists. Students take on ten-week projects, both on campus and in international locations. More information is available from the Caltech SURF Office.
Army and Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) scholarships are available through arrangements with the University of Southern California and the University of California at Los Angeles. Details are published in the Caltech Catalog.
A number of private organizations offer loans and payment plans that allow families to spread their annual college payments. Loans that enable families to borrow to meet their financial obligations are also available. These programs are available whether or not the student applies for need-based financial assistance. More information on these programs is available from the Financial Aid Office.
A number of both local and national organizations offer outside scholarships to continuing students throughout the year, some of these regardless of need. Outside scholarships acquired by students are considered, by Federal regulation, to be a resource available during the academic year. In general, the amount of each outside merit award will be used to replace a like amount of the self-help (loan and/or work) portion of the financial aid award. If the amount of the outside award exceeds the self-help portion, the excess amount will replace Caltech grant eligibility. The student newspaper, The California Tech, announces eligibility criteria for several such scholarships. Those relevant to undergraduate students will also be posted in our Scholarship News section. Such scholarships can also often be found with the help of a search service. We recommend fastWEB, SRN Express, College Board FUND FINDER, CollegeNet/MACH25 and Sallie Mae to assist you.