Early Decision
California Institute of Technology Early Decision: there is no Early Decision round
CA
What is California Institute of Technology's early decision acceptance rate?
California Institute of Technology has no Early Decision acceptance rate to give: it runs no Early Decision round. Its early option is Restrictive Early Action (not binding). The figure that compares early and regular odds there would be an early-round admit rate, and this page does not hold one.
Source: California Institute of Technology's admissions website, 2026-27 cycle.
Does applying early decision to California Institute of Technology help?
There is no Early Decision application to make: California Institute of Technology runs no Early Decision round. Its early option is Restrictive Early Action (not binding): an offer does not commit you to attend, but applying restricts where else you may apply early, so check its rules before planning an Early Decision application elsewhere.
Source: California Institute of Technology's admissions website, 2026-27 cycle.
Is early decision at California Institute of Technology binding?
California Institute of Technology has no Early Decision round, so there is no binding early application to make there. Its early option is Restrictive Early Action (not binding): an offer does not commit you to attend, though applying limits where else you may apply early. Early Decision itself is binding wherever a school offers it.
Source: California Institute of Technology's admissions website, 2026-27 cycle.
What families actually pay (AY 2023–24)
An Early Action offer is not binding, so applying early here does not end the option of comparing two aid offers. These are the published averages either way.
Average paid by students receiving federal aid, by family income (College Scorecard).
Aid exceeded cost of attendance.
International students are not eligible for U.S. federal aid, so they are not in this cohort and typically pay closer to the sticker price.
Across the 8 recorded cycles from 2018 to 2025, California Institute of Technology's overall acceptance rate fell from 6.6% to 2.6%. That is the whole entering class — Early Decision, Early Action and Regular Decision together — not the Early Decision round on its own.
See the year-by-year series →Common Data Set — the school's own annual filing, published by the school itself for the cycle named beside each figure. Source: California Institute of Technology’s Common Data Set.