California Institute of Technology vs Stanford University

California Institute of Technology vs Stanford University

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California Institute of Technology popularly known as CalTech is a well-renowned research institute for Science and Engineering. It is one of the hardest institutions to gain admission in USA.has achieved the #1 position in education subcategory of America’s best employers according to Forbes, 2022. The university provides extensive career support to its students through the Career Development Center. Stanford University is a private research university located in Stanford USA.There are 200+ graduate courses in 90+ subject areas to choose.  Stanford’s core learning experiences include encouraging students to map their ideas to reality.

Overview Comparison
California Institute of TechnologyStanford University
Collegedunia Score8.3 Out of 109.3 Out of 10
ranking (overall)# 10 QS World University 2026
# 7 Times Higher Education 2025
# 10 QS World University 2025
# 3 QS World University 2026
# 3 Center for World University Rankings 2025
# 6 Times Higher Education 2025
Subject Strength# 5 for Engineering by US News 2025
# 34 for Data Science and Analytics by QS World University 2025
# 140 for Medicine by QS World University 2024
# 2 for Engineering by US News 2025
# 3 for Medicine by QS World University 2025
# 1 for Law by Times Higher Education 2025
ProgramsUG Programs -27
PG Programs -13
Doctorate Programs -16
UG Programs -48
PG Programs -37
Doctorate Programs -70
Acceptance Rate3.0 %3.9 %
Exam ScoreDuolingo-130
IELTS-7
SAT-1530
TOEFL-100
GMAT-630
IELTS-7
SAT-1450
TOEFL-100
Cost to StudyAverage Tuition Fees   56364
[For UG Program]
Average Tuition Fees  56364
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 27636 Per Year
Average Tuition Fees   65286
[For UG Program]
Average Tuition Fees  72420
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 33155 Per Year
placement (average package)

Annual salary offered is 111,000 USD per annum and ROI is 7.9%. Top recruiters are Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Apple Computer Inc, etc. Graduate Employability Rankings (2020): #74. Doctorate students were the highest-paid ($138,000-154,000). 


Stanford University is one of the top private universities in Stanford, United States. It is ranked #3 in QS World University Rankings 2023.

Ranked #2 in Graduate Employability Rank 

  • Bachelor (Other): $221,000 
  • MBA: $184,000 
  • Executive MBA: $181,000 
  • Masters in Finance: $154,000 
  • Executive Masters: $142,000 
  • Doctorate: $140,000

application requirements

International students can apply through Common App and Coalition Application. When applying through the latter, you need to provide additional CalTech questions. Teacher evaluations are mandatory. 

Supplemental Form (for a few programs);
LORs & SOPs;
Essays;
Portfolio (required for a few programs)

Campuses and B-SchoolsNAStanford Graduate School of Business
CollegeDunia Reviews7.9/10 Read 3 reviews8.4/10 Read 4 reviews
General Facts Comparison
General FactsCalifornia Institute of TechnologyStanford University
Type of UniversityUniversity
University
Established1920
1885
Student:Faculty Ratio3:1
5:1
Male:Female54% Male, 46% Female50% Male, 50% Female
Location Facts

124-acre campus located in Pasadena, California. The campus lies on the northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is at a walking distance from Pasadena Playhouse District and Old Town Pasadena.  


The campus is located in the center of the San Francisco Peninsula. Settled on 8,180 acres of land, the campus is located approx. 37 miles southeast of San Francisco and approx. 20 miles northwest of San Jose.


Library

Has Sherman Fairchild Library; Includes print collections on Applied Sciences, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, etc. These six libraries together offer 412,217 records and collections to explore from. As per the library catalogs, you can access up to 412,271 resources. 


With a network of 20 libraries, the Stanford University Library has a collection of 9.3 million volumes, nearly 300,000 rare or special books, 1.5 million e-books, 2.5 million audiovisual materials, 77,000 serials, nearly 6 million microform holdings, and thousands of other digital resources.


Campus Life

It is Pasadena’s largest employer; Has Caltech Today and Caltech Matters to update students about events of the university; Has Diversity Centre, Wellness Centre, Performing and Visual Arts Centre etc. You can enjoy or indulge in 20 varsity sports and various theatre, music, art groups. 80% of students (UG) are a part of athletic teams and 65% play a musical instrument.  


Campus landmarks include the Main Quad, Memorial Church, Cantor Center for Visual Arts, Bing Concert Hall, Stanford Mausoleum, Hoover Tower, Stanford University Arboretum, Green Library, 31 Club Sports, etc. There are over 625 student-organized groups to participate in, eight dining halls to experience the food on-campus, 2 museums, and 25 student affairs offices. 


Hostel#Housing/Room - $11697
#Food/Meals - $7353
#Campus Housing(Graduate) - $23535
Famous Alumni

Over 22 Nobel Laureattes, 6 Turing Award winners; Edwin McMillan (synthesized first transuranium element), Donald Knuth (father of the analysis of algorithms), Harrison Schmitt (Astronaut), Arnold Beckman (invented the pH meter), William Shockley (father of Silicon Valley), etc.


Presently, there are more than 220,000 Stanford alumni that include 83 Nobel laureates, 28 Turing Award laureates, 8 Fields Medalists, 270 Olympic medals including 139 gold medals. Larry Page (Co-founder Google); Mike Krieger (Co-founder, Instagram); Peter Thiel (Co-founder, Paypal); Gene D. Block (8th chancellor of UCLA); Derek Bok (25th president of Harvard), etc.


City Life

Pasadena is located 15 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. Some of the top companies in Pasadena are Jacob’s Engineering Group, Green dot corporation, Tetra Tech, Wesco Financial, etc. It has a wide variety of comedy clubs, outdoor cafes, night clubs, etc.  You can shop around Rose Bowl Flea market. Unemployment rate of Pasadena for July 2020 is 16.80%


Located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, Stanford is a census-designated place in California. You can explore various museums, the national zoo, enjoy delicacies of all kinds available at multicuisine restaurants, enjoy basketball games, national baseball games, Jazz music, waterfront near Georgetown, and more. The unemployment rate of the city is 5.1%


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