A small, highly select university, Caltech has approximately 900 undergraduates, 1200 graduate students, and 575 postdoctoral research fellows, 100 senior research faculty, and 388 teaching faculty. Thirty two Nobel Prizes have been awarded to Caltech faculty and alumni. The currently active faculty includes five Nobel laureates, 69 members of the National Academy of Sciences, and 29 members of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute has the largest ratio of National Academy of Sciences members to total faculty of any university in the country; this is also true of membership in the National Academy of Engineering.

The transformation of Throop into an institution of worldwide renown was a process of several stages. In 1907, it became a college of technology, conferring Bachelor of Science degrees in electrical, mechanical, and civil engineering. Three years later the institution moved from its crowded quarters in the center of Pasadena to a new campus of 22 acres on the southeastern edge of town. In 1920 its name was changed to the California Institute of Technology and several prominent research scientists joined the faculty. Graduate students soon followed and in 1924, Ph.D. degrees were awarded to nine candidates. By then Caltech had become a research and teaching center in physics, chemistry, and engineering. New departments were added over the years, and the Institute grew steadily in budget, faculty, and facilities, while maintaining a small body of unusually talented students. Today Caltech has more than 25,000 alumni scattered all over the world, many eminent in their fields of engineering and science. Caltech's campus occupies 124 acres not including off-campus facilities such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Palomar Observatory and the W.M. Keck Observatory.

Living in Southern California - Pasadena, meaning "Crown of the Valley," lies along the northern edge of the Los Angeles basin in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. A community of 150,000, Pasadena occupies a comparatively quiet corner of lively and marvelously diverse southern California. It is the home of Pasadena City College, Ambassador College and the Art Center College of Design, the Norton Simon Museum, the Huntington Library and Gardens, the Pacific Asia Museum and the Southwest Museum, as well as the Pasadena Playhouse and the distinguished Pasadena Symphony Orchestra. The Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl are the focus of nationwide interest on New Year's Day.

The climate in Pasadena, classified as semiarid to subtropical, is moderate. The average mean temperature for January is 56.6 degrees and for July it is 75.5 degrees. At the extremes, temperatures do occasionally reach the low 100s, at which time the humidity is invariably very low, and now and then snow can be seen on the San Gabriel Mountains. Rain is infrequent and falls mostly during the winter months.

Caltech is situated in the center of Pasadena's residential area, only minutes from service and shopping centers, and a 20 minute drive from the cultural, shopping, and business centers of downtown Los Angeles. From downtown, it takes another 20 to 30 minutes to reach the bustling Los Angeles Westside, and the beach. Bus transportation is available, and a comprehensive network of freeways and rail systems link Pasadena with other parts of southern California.

Housing is available to single students in on-campus graduate dorms and apartments, married housing is also available. The Graduate Housing Office on campus assists single or married students looking for apartments near Caltech. Rents and rental policies vary widely in the community.

For those moments in a graduate student's life when he or she needs a break from intensive study and research, Caltech's location offers a wide range of opportunities for recreation and relaxation. On campus, musical programs, plays, and movies are presented throughout the year. Theater, concerts, dance, opera, popular music, classical films, and numerous other forms of art and entertainment are available throughout the Los Angeles area. Cultural events range from the Rolling Stones to Bach, from Shakespeare to experimental theater, from Andy Warhol to Rodin. The music center, home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, offers a wide variety of exceptional entertainment. A special summer attraction is the concert program at the Hollywood Bowl, an immense outdoor amphitheater. Art enthusiasts have access to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, as well as numerous private galleries, in addition to the Norton Simon Museum and the Huntington Library in Pasadena.

Parks, botanical gardens, museums, and many other tourist attractions are within an hour's drive from campus. Major and minor professional sports are played throughout the year, and individual sports, ranging from tennis to hang gliding, have extensive followings. The San Gabriel Mountains provide hiking terrain in Pasadena's backyard, and winter skiing is available within a drive of an hour or an hour-and-a half. The fascinating Mojave Desert offers unusual rock formations, Joshua trees, and tiny desert plants. In spring, the deserts are transformed by a fleeting but brilliant profusion of wildflowers. Sandy beaches and numerous harbors are available for devotees of the sun and sea.

Pasadena is also a good jumping-off point for short trips to Mexico, San Diego, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and the high Sierra.