Caltech, founded in 1891, is a private research university located in Pasadena, California. Its mission centers on expanding human knowledge and benefiting society through research integrated with education. The institution is organized into six academic divisions covering Biology and Biological Engineering, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Engineering and Applied Science, Geological and Planetary Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy.
The university maintains a notably small student body, with approximately 975 undergraduate students, fostering a high faculty-to-student ratio. Caltech emphasizes bold, collaborative exploration, cultivating an environment where scientific discovery is central to its work. As a nonprofit institution, its operations are directed toward fundamental research and training the next generation of scientists and engineers rather than commercial objectives.