Top Tech Schools: MIT or Caltech? (2024)

Table of contents

• Introduction
• QS World University Rankings: USA2021
• Subject strengths
• Location
• Student community
• Tuition fees and financial support

Table of contents

• Introduction
• QS World University Rankings: USA2021
• Subject strengths
• Location
• Student community
• Tuition fees and financial support

View the full QS World University Rankings 2021: USA

If you want to study at one of the leading tech schools in the US, chances are you’re making a choice between theMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyorCalifornia Institute of Technology.

From quantum physics to supercomputers, string theory to nuclear reactors, these are the places where the world’s best and brainiest gather to push back the frontiers of scientific and technological knowledge.

But how do thesetop tech schoolscompare, and how can you decide whether MIT or Caltech would suit you best? Here’s a quick overview, with more detailed explanation below.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technologyperforms extremely well in theQS World University Rankings: USA, ranking third this year. The California Institute of Technologyfallsslightlybehind MIT,in21st.

MIT scores betterthan Caltechacrossthree of the fourindicatorsin the USA rankings: research, diversity and internationalisation,and employability.However, Caltech outperforms MITin learning experience, claiming the title of the bestschool in the USA for learning experience.

In the latestUSArankings, the biggest gap between the two is in the diversity and internationalisation,where MIT has a sizeable lead.

Both MIT and Caltech are well known as leading techschools andare particularly strong in the science and technology fields. Thanks to its prestigious Sloan School of Management, MIT also has a strong international reputation for social sciences and business-related courses.

These strengths are reflected in theQS World University Rankings by Subject 2021, which is based upon academic reputation, employer reputation and research citations. Despite itsspecialisedfocus, MIT features in the top15of each broad subject area in the subject rankings, including arts and humanitieswhere it ranksjoint 13th.

Caltech doesn’t have quite such a strong all-round performance, though it still places within the world’s top 270for every broad subject area – no small feat. Its strongest areas by far are natural sciences (seventh) and engineering and technology (14th).

As you can see in the table below, MIT boastsmanyfirst-placerankings (12 in all), especially in engineering and technology subjects, and features in 34of the51different subject rankings. By comparison, Caltech only features in19subjects.

Both top tech schools are in small university towns within easy reach of a major city. MIT is based in Cambridge,Massachusetts, a university town of under 150,000 inhabitants. This townis also home to Harvard University – makingitone of the world’s most prestigious hubs of academic tuition and research. Cambridge is close toBoston, one of the most culturally vibrant and historic cities in the Northeast US, which was ranked in the top 15 of thelatestQS Best Student Citiesranking.

Around3,000 miles away, Caltech is in the Californian city of Pasadena, a university town of a similar size to Cambridge, and a stone’s throw from the second-largest city in the US,Los Angeles, which was ranked25thin the Best Student Cities ranking.

One of the major bragging points for Caltech students over theirnorth-easternrivals is the climate –southernCaliforniaenjoys sunshine and warmth all year round, while MIT students get hot summers but freezing winters. Then again, a little seasonal variation is not necessarily a bad thing, and the New England region is famed worldwide for its beautifulautumncolours.

Though both top tech schools are on the smaller side for world-class universities, MIT’s 11,520-strong student body makes it roughly five times the size of Caltech’s 2,231. Both institutions have a greater number of postgraduates than undergraduates, reflecting their research-intensive focus.

Well-established among the world’s top tech schools, both attract applications from talented students all around the world, leading to highly diverse student bodies. International students account for around 29 percent of enrolments at both MIT and Caltech.

At Caltech, the proportion of international students is much higher among graduate students, with 41 percent coming from outside the US, whereas only seven percent of undergraduates are international.

US private universities charge some of the highest tuition fees in the world. At either MIT or Caltech, annual fees for most students (undergraduate and postgraduate, domestic and international) amount to around $54,000-$57,000(approximately £38,000-£40,000).

When accommodation, living expenses, health insurance, extra fees, transport and study supplies are added on, the total figure for the year is likely to exceed US$79,900(approx. £57,000).

However, there is a substantial silver lining: MIT and Caltech offer some of the most generous financial aid packages among US universities – so, in reality, manystudents pay far less than these initial figures would suggest.

MITsays38percent of its undergraduates receive scholarships or grants equal to or greater than the cost of their tuition, with26 percent ofstudents graduating debt-free.

MITis one of a handful of elite US institutions which offer need-blind admission for all undergraduate candidates, including those from outside the US. This means students’ ability to pay is not considered during the application process, and, once a place has been offered, the university pledges to contribute enough to make attendance possible.

Caltechreports thatalmost 60 percent of undergraduates receive financial aid and approximately 98 percent of graduate students and 99 percent of doctoral students receive full financial support, in the form of fellowships and assistantships.

While Caltech’s need-blind policy does not extend to international students, it does have a commitment to help all US citizens and permanent residents meet the cost of attendance.

Browse a range ofscholarships to study in the US.

This article was originally published in July 2013. It was last updated in May 2021 to include the latest data from the QS World University Rankings and other sources.

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