How to Apply to Life Sciences and Pre-Med Study at Caltech: No Major on the Application, a Shared Core in the First Year, Declare an Option at the End of It, Biology, Bioengineering, Chemistry and Computation and Neural Systems, and the Path for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Caltech is in Pasadena, California, and is very small: its website says the first-year class has only 245 students. Caltech calls majors “options”. As elsewhere in the United States there is no pre-med major. This guide summarises Caltech’s published information for fall 2027 entry for U.S. applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students.

1. Relevant undergraduate options

• On the “Majors & Minors” list, the life-science and health-related options are:
  • Biology, in the Division of Biology and Biological Engineering (BBE). The catalog says the option is a basis for graduate study in any field of biology or for admission to the study of medicine, and it encourages research participation;
  • Bioengineering, also in BBE, with engineering methods applied to biological systems;
  • Computation and Neural Systems (CNS), offered by BBE: a foundation in math, physics, biology and computer science to prepare for interdisciplinary graduate study in neuroscience;
  • Chemistry, with a Biochemistry Track whose diploma reads “Chemistry (Biochemistry)”;
  • Chemical Engineering, where the catalog says students specialise from the third year in one of five tracks, one of them biomolecular.
• Minors only: Neurobiology. The catalog says the Neurobiology minor is not available to CNS or Biology majors. Biology also has a minor.
• The option list we read has no nursing, public health, nutrition, health sciences or kinesiology. There is no separate biomedical engineering option on that list; engineering gets only the Bioengineering mention here.
• BA versus BS and whether these options are STEM-designated: not stated on the pages we read. Ask admissions.

2. Admission: no major on the application, declare at the end of the first year

• The “Majors & Minors” page says every first-year student takes the same classes for the first two terms and does not declare a major until the end of the first year. The application pages we read do not ask you to pick an option.
• 2026-27 core (catalog): first-year math Ma 1 abc, physics Ph 1 abc, chemistry Ch 1 ab, one biology course (any Bi 1, or Bi 8 and Bi 9), a “menu class”, chemistry lab, introductory programming (CS 1), another introductory lab, scientific writing, humanities and social science courses, and physical education. The catalog also describes an “Integrated Core” alternative path that replaces many of these courses. Core courses cannot also count as option electives.
• Biology option (catalog): Bi 8, Bi 9, Bi 117, Bi 122, NB/Bi/CNS 150 and Ch 41 abc; Ma 2, Ma 3 and any two terms of Ph 2 abc; one advanced laboratory course (or Bi 21 with a presentation, or three terms of senior thesis Bi 90 abc); two from Ch/Bi 110 a, 110 b, 111 and others; scientific writing (Bi/BE 24); at least 8 biology electives; at least 170 units of biology; 486 units passed in total. The catalog says these required courses must be taken on grades (exceptions: Bi 8 if taken as a first-year student, and Bi 22). Prerequisites listed for biology courses are advisory, not compulsory, and may be waived with the instructor’s explicit permission.
• Bioengineering option (catalog): quantitative analysis (for example BE/Bi 103 a, BE 150), BE/Bi/APh 161, BE/ChE 163, experimental methods (Bi 1x and others), biology/chemistry/physics foundations (Bi 8, Bi 9, BE/Bi 25, Ch 41 a, Ch/Bi 110 a and two terms of Ph 2 abc), mathematical and computational methods (ACM 95 ab, Ma 2, Ma 3 and others), 36 units of BE electives and Bi/BE 24; also 486 units. Students should give their adviser a plan for all degree requirements by the end of the third term of the second year.
• CNS option (catalog): four extended-math core courses, CS 1, 2 and 3 or more advanced alternatives, NB/Bi/CNS 162 plus 9 units of lab courses, Bi 8, Bi 9, NB/Bi/CNS 150 and 164, five CNS-labelled 3-digit courses and 45 units of electives. A senior thesis (CNS X abc) is optional.
• Chemistry option (catalog): Ch 14, Ch 21 abc, Ch 41 abc, Ch 90, Ma 2 and Ph 2a, at least five terms of laboratory work and five terms of advanced electives. The Biochemistry Track instead requires Bi 8, Bi 9 and Ch/Bi 110 ab, four lab courses (including Ch 4a, Bi 10 and Ch 11), at least four terms and 36 units of advanced biology or chemistry electives, and a three-term senior thesis.
• Conditions for staying in an option: for a student with a grade-point average below 1.9, the Bioengineering and CNS pages say the student will not be allowed to continue in the option without the option representative’s special permission; Chemistry says the student is admitted to the option for the following year only with the division’s special permission; Chemical Engineering says the division faculty may, at their discretion, refuse permission to continue. The Biology page we read states no GPA threshold. No quota is stated. The procedure for changing options is not described on the pages we read.
• Research: the admissions site says over 90% of undergraduates do research and about half start in the first year; the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship is mentioned. The biology page encourages research and an optional thesis (Bi 90).

3. Pre-med: what Caltech says

• The catalog’s Biology page has a “Premedical Program” paragraph. It says the course for premedical students is essentially the same as that for biology students, as a basis for research and for the practice of medicine; it differs in some respects from other schools’ premedical curricula but “has been quite generally accepted as satisfying admission requirements of medical schools”.
• Who to consult: the catalog says students contemplating medical school should consult the premed adviser at Careers, Advising, and Experiential Learning or Professor Mitchell Guttman in BBE. The BBE biology page names the “Career Development Center” and Professor David Chan. The two pages differ; check the latest.
• Medical-school admission statistics, committee letters, special advice for international students applying to U.S. medical schools, and combined programs such as BS/MD: not stated on the pages we read. Contact the pre-med advisers above. The BBE site has a “MD-PhD programs” section that we did not read.

4. High school preparation

• Academic requirements for first-year applicants: four years of math including one year of calculus, one year of physics, one year of chemistry, one year of biology (recommended), four years of English, and two years of history or social science (three or more recommended).
• If your school does not offer a course: if calculus, chemistry or physics was unavailable or blocked by unresolvable conflicts, the student and counselor must document it, and Caltech accepts exam scores or a course challenge instead: a 5 on AP Calculus AB/BC, AP Chemistry, or AP Physics 1/2/C; a 6 or 7 on IB Mathematics HL, Chemistry SL/HL or Physics SL/HL (taken by the application deadline); or a Schoolhouse.world course challenge in AP/College Calculus BC, Chemistry or Physics 1 (proof within one week of the deadline). The page states this for fall 2026 applicants and says there are no exceptions; check the wording for fall 2027. Coursera and edX are not accepted.
• First time in senior year is fine for calculus, chemistry or physics, as long as semester or in-progress grades can be reviewed by the deadline. Not having four years of math because you ran out of courses is also fine, but Caltech expects the most math your school offers, including a year of calculus.
• International curricula: the international page says IB students need Higher Level Math, GCE A-Level students need A-Level Maths, and students in India must complete both Year X and Year XII state board or CBSE examinations. If STEM classes start only in the last two years (as in A-Levels), the English and social science requirement applies to the first two years instead.
• Credit: AP/IB credit is not automatic; credit or placement is sometimes granted by department faculty, based on Caltech’s placement exams after enrollment. The catalog adds that all new students take the Foundations Assessment (chemistry, physics, math) and a writing placement in the summer, that students may take summer advanced-placement exams to skip parts of the core math, physics or chemistry sequence, and that biology majors who pass Bi 8 and Bi 9 (9 units on grades) meet the core Bi 1 requirement.
• First two years: follow the option requirements in section 2. The Biology page suggests that students with a strong biology background may take Bi 8 and Bi 9 in the first year, but says those courses “are designed to be taken in the sophomore year”.

5. Rounds, deadlines and materials

• Restrictive Early Action (REA, non-binding): 1 November 2026 (all materials by 6 November, testing by 30 November); decisions in mid-December (admit, defer or deny); admitted students have until 1 May 2027 to reply. REA applicants may not apply Early Action or Early Decision elsewhere, with exceptions such as schools outside the U.S., non-binding public applications, rolling admission and military academies. A denial is final.
• Regular Decision (RD): 4 January 2027 (materials by 10 January, testing by 31 December 2026); decisions in mid-March (admit, waitlist or deny); reply by 1 May. The deadlines page contradicts itself: one paragraph prints the RD reply date as “May 1, 2026”, elsewhere it is 1 May 2027. Check. QuestBridge is a separate process.
• Platform and fee: Common App or QuestBridge. The fee is inconsistent: the application requirements and fee pages say $85; the catalog says $75 for first-year and transfer applications. Waivers are available on request (the “Active Transport Pass” form); QuestBridge applicants pay nothing.
• Materials: transcripts (grades 9–11 or the international equivalent, sent by a school official); the School Report from your counselor; two recommendations, one STEM (calculus or beyond, physics, chemistry or biology) and one humanities/social science (English, history, government or economics); a mid-year report; supplemental essays (updated each year on 1 August); optional supplements such as a research paper or portfolio, submitted after you apply through the Beaver Breakroom portal. You must report all AP and IB exams taken (self-reported is fine; official scores only if you enroll).
• Testing: the SAT or ACT is required, with no minimum score and no preferred test. For fall 2027 the ACT writing and science subscores are not required. Caltech looks at subscores, not composites, and uses a “bucket” system: an SAT Math or Reading & Writing score of 780–800 (ACT 35–36) is Bucket A and 750–770 (ACT 33–34) is Bucket B; the committee sees only the bucket. Below 750 (ACT below 33) is Bucket C and the exact score is shown. The page says successful applicants have traditionally had 700+ on each SAT section or 30+ on each ACT section, but that is not a cutoff. Caltech superscores by section.
• Interviews: no interview arrangement for domestic applicants is stated on the pages we read (see section 7 for InitialView).

6. U.S. applicants

• Admission: Caltech says it is need-blind for domestic students (including undocumented and DACA students who graduate from a U.S. high school). The cost page lists one tuition figure with no in-state/out-of-state split, and says nothing about local-resident preference; not published.
• 2026-27 cost (on campus): tuition $68,574, fees $2,655, housing $12,711 and food $9,285, for direct costs of $93,225; indirect costs are books and supplies $1,428 and personal expenses $3,969, a total of $5,397. Footnotes: the Caltech Student Health Insurance Plan is not included ($5,388; not required if you have comparable coverage); new students pay a one-time $600 orientation fee. No extra fee for biology or bioengineering is stated on the pages we read.
• Aid: Caltech meets 100% of demonstrated need through grants, scholarships, work-study and loans and does not award merit scholarships. It says the average grant for the incoming fall 2026 class was just under $69,000; most students from families making under $200,000 (typical assets) can expect aid that covers tuition; most under $100,000 can expect a no-loan package covering tuition, fees, housing and food.
• Research and labs: see section 2; the undergraduate research page mentions more than 50 centers and institutes. Clinical placements: not stated on the pages we read.

7. International applicants

• Who counts: students who are neither U.S. citizens nor permanent residents and who attended secondary school outside the U.S. Apart from financial need, the site says the application and review process is the same for all applicants, and your application is read in the context of your school.
• English: required unless English is your native language or the main language of instruction at your secondary school (in which case a score is still “strongly recommended”). Accepted: Duolingo English Test, IELTS, TOEFL, taken before the application deadline. Minimums: IELTS 7 overall and in each area; TOEFL taken before 21 January 2026, 100 overall and 25 in each area; TOEFL taken on or after 21 January 2026 (new scale), 5 and 5; Duolingo 130 and 130. International applicants are also encouraged to submit an InitialView conversation and writing sample; it does not replace the English test, and fee waivers exist.
• Transcripts and translation: transcripts must be sent directly from your school and show course titles, grades and predicted grades if applicable. Everything must be in English; for other languages send the original and a translation, and an application with any untranslated part is not reviewed. You do not need to convert grades to the U.S. system.
• Finances and aid: Caltech is need-aware for international applicants because international aid funds are limited, and the site says this “may result in financial need being a factor” in admission decisions. If you may ever want aid during your undergraduate career, you must apply for it when you apply for admission; if you do not apply or are not funded in the first year you cannot apply later (exceptions may be made for citizens of Canada and Mexico). Aid is for the full cost of attendance. The application includes an International Financial Aid Statement of Intent.
• Whether international students face limits in lab or clinical placements: not stated on the pages we read.

8. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the Caltech pages we read do not say how the Gaokao is used and have no China-specific guidance. Check the International Applicants page and the regional counselor contacts on the admissions site, or write to admissions (the pages hide the email address, so look it up on the site).
• General requirements that apply: transcripts sent by your school with an English translation, English test scores (section 7), and an SAT or ACT. The site says admissions officers are trained to understand your education system.
• Whether the Chinese high school curriculum meets “four years of math including calculus, one year of physics, one year of chemistry”: not addressed for China. If a course was unavailable, use the exam alternatives in section 4 and explain it in the application.

9. Transfer

• Fall entry only: transfer applications are due 1 February 2027, the entrance exams (mathematics and physics, four hours each, self-proctored) by 15 February, decisions in mid-April and a reply by 1 June. There is no waitlist. The site says the fall 2027 application and requirements will be posted in late fall and shows the requirements for fall 2026 applicants, so check.
• Materials: $85 fee (waivers available; the catalog says $75), two recommendations from college math, science or engineering faculty, official transcripts from every college and from secondary school, and the exams. SAT and ACT scores are not reviewed.
• Eligibility: you must have finished secondary school and earned college credit; transfers enter as second- or third-year students; no senior-year admits; applicants who already hold a bachelor’s degree are not eligible. The site says it expects transfer students to have covered first-year core material: calculus, linear algebra, classical mechanics, electromagnetism and statistical physics, and special relativity. After admission you get an estimate of class standing, and the registrar and faculty decide credit from transcripts and syllabi after you enroll.
• International transfers: same English minimums as first-year applicants (TOEFL 100 with 25 per section on the transfer page); no financial aid is available for international transfer applicants, who must expect to cover the full cost.
• GPA and course thresholds for transferring into Biology, Bioengineering and other options: not given by option on the transfer pages we read.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• REA 1 November 2026 or RD 4 January 2027; SAT or ACT required; two recommendations
• Four years of math with calculus, physics and chemistry in high school; know how the score buckets work

International applicants (including China):

• English: IELTS 7, TOEFL 5 on the new scale, Duolingo 130; request aid on the admission application itself
• School-sent transcripts with English translations; confirm how the Gaokao is used with admissions

Transfer students:

• Apply by 1 February 2027 and return the math and physics exams by 15 February; international transfers receive no aid

Sources: Caltech, Majors and minors; The first year; Biology undergraduate studies; Bioengineering undergraduate studies; CNS undergraduate studies; Catalog: Biology; Catalog: Bioengineering; Catalog: Computation and Neural Systems; Catalog: Neurobiology minor; Catalog: Chemistry; Catalog: Chemical Engineering; Catalog: core curriculum; Catalog: first-year admission; Academic requirements; Selecting high school courses; Deadlines; Application requirements; Standardized tests; Application fee; International applicants; Undergraduate research; Afford Caltech; Costs; Catalog: undergraduate expenses; Transfer deadlines; Transfer requirements; Transfer entrance exams; International transfer applicants; Catalog: transfer. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures); check Caltech’s website for the latest.