| Why come to Caltech? |
| Throughout its history, the California Institute of Technology has maintained a small, select student body and a faculty that is extremely active in research. There are over 25,000 Institute alumni around the world, many of whom are eminent in their fields of science and engineering. Of these, 32 are recipients of the Nobel Prize. Caltech has approximately 900 undergraduate and 1200 graduate students. We average 150-160 full-time graduate students in the Physics Department currently being supported from research and Institute funds. No physics graduate students pay tuition. Students may choose from many areas of specialization and are encouraged to explore these options. We want you to succeed, and, we'll give you cookies every Thursday. |
| If I receive an NSF (US) Fellowship or NSERC (Canadian) Fellowship, how will this change my current award? |
| Students who are initially awarded a GRA or TA, and then receive an NSF Fellowship or other outside award, will be sent a change of financial aid notice canceling the previous assistantship award. In subsequent years it may be possible to increase your yearly outside fellowship stipend with the addition of a teaching or research assistantship. NSERC Fellowship recipients are usually supplemented with either a GRA or GTA depending upon the amount of the award and current rate of exchange. |
| I was awarded a GRA or TA but have since received a fellowship from outside the US, who do I notify? |
| International students often apply for fellowships outside the US that are awarded during the application review process. It is extremely important that you notify the Physics Graduate Office right away when you receive outside funding so we can modify our admission award to meet the terms and conditions of your fellowship. It may be possible to increase most outside fellowship stipends with a teaching or research assistantship in subsequent years. |
| I was awarded a GRA but I'd rather teach, is this possible? |
| Depending upon availability of teaching assignments, it may be possible to change your award. Alternatively, students awarded a TA may elect to find a research group that can support them on a GRA. Your admission award can be changed at any time up until your arrival at Caltech. |
| If I accept admission to Caltech, will an advisor be appointed for me? |
| All newly admitted physics graduate students who receive either a Graduate Teaching Assistantship or Graduate Fellowship will be assigned an acting advisor who is the Chairman of the Physics Graduate Admissions Committee. Your acting advisor will sign your registration materials until you are officially working in a research group under a specific faculty member. All newly admitted graduate students who receive a Graduate Research Assistantship are expected to contact research groups to make arrangements to work with a specific faculty member. This person will become your advisor as well as support you from his/her research grants. TA and Fellowship recipients are not required to join a research group immediately, however, it is suggested that you do not wait too long to become affiliated. See Department Guide to Program Completion which contains program information for physics graduate students. |
| If I accept admission to Caltech, can I start my research before the Fall? |
| Many of the experimental research groups at Caltech have Research Assistantships available for incoming graduate students during the summer prior to matriculation. All newly admitted graduate students are welcome to contact research groups to make arrangements to work with a specific faculty member to begin research anytime over the summer after Commencement in mid-June through the end of September. This person will support you from his/her research grants and may become your advisor, however, summer research does not commit you to a particular group beyond the summer. Be sure to indicate an early arrival date and the name of the faculty member who will support you during the summer, on your response form. |
| If I am unable to respond to Caltech's offer by the April 15th deadline, will I lose my admission? |
| The Physics Department will usually grant a reasonable extension to respond to our offer of admission. Contact the Physics Graduate Office if you require additional time. |
| What will happen to my offer of admission if I want to defer for a year? |
| Students who elect to defer admission to the Physics Department for one or two years need to notify the department of their intent. It is also recommended that you indicate this on the form provided by the Dean of Graduate Studies entitled Admission Decision. The Department will hold your space for the following academic year, however, we cannot guarantee that you will receive the same financial aid offer as these amounts and sources of funding change each year. All students in the Physics Department are currently funded by either a full GRA, GTA or fellowship which includes tuition. |
Physics, Math & Astronomy |
Graduate Study & Research Physics Graduate Office October 2008 |