California Institute of Technology vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Acceptance Rate, SAT & Net Price

California Institute of Technology is the more selective of the two, admitting 3.8% of applicants versus 4.6% at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $10,241 per year at California Institute of Technology versus $9,013 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

California Institute of Technology vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology: admissions and cost statistics from the most recent Common Data Set, IPEDS, and College Scorecard
MetricCalifornia Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Overall acceptance rate3.8%4.6%
Early acceptance rate6.0%6.0%
SAT middle 50%1530–15701520–1570
Avg unweighted GPA3.973.96
Yield rate59.0%87.0%
Class size2181,100
Net price, $48,001–$75,000 income$10,241$9,013
Net price, over $110,000 income$40,846$41,291

Admissions and cost data as of July 3, 2026 (CDS 2024–25 cycle), from the most recent Common Data Set, IPEDS, and College Scorecard. Rows appear only where both colleges report the statistic.

Frequently asked questions

Is California Institute of Technology harder to get into than Massachusetts Institute of Technology?

Yes. California Institute of Technology admits 3.8% of applicants, compared with 4.6% at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, making it the harder school to get into, based on the most recent Common Data Set.

Which is cheaper for a middle-income family, California Institute of Technology or Massachusetts Institute of Technology?

For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $10,241 per year at California Institute of Technology and $9,013 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, so Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the lower-cost option at that income level (source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard/IPEDS data).

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