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California Institute of Technology vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA · Cambridge, MA · largest Scorecard gap: acceptance rate

Scorecard match plate

Pair CA:MA

PRIVATE-NP-PAIR · CROSS-STATE · ACCEPT-TIGHT · NET-SPLIT · EARN-SPLIT · COMPLETE-HIGH · GAP-ACCEPT

  • PRIVATE-NP-PAIR Private nonprofit pair
  • CROSS-STATE CA × MA
  • ACCEPT-TIGHT Tight admission
  • NET-SPLIT Net-price split
  • EARN-SPLIT Earnings split
  • COMPLETE-HIGH High completion
  • GAP-ACCEPT Largest gap · Acceptance Rate

Instrument codes from this pair's College Scorecard ownership, geography, acceptance, net price, earnings, debt, and completion, plus the TWIN-TIGHTEN · adm · 2013–2023 decade-path stamp below, not a ranking or recommendation.

Decade path · College Scorecard

Both acceptance rates tightened, 2013–2023

TWIN-TIGHTEN · adm · 2013–2023

California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology each posted a directional decline in acceptance rate over the same College Scorecard window, but one squeeze is far steeper than the other.

  • California Institute of Technology: acceptance rate tightened -70.2% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.93).
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology: acceptance rate tightened -41.1% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.77).
  • California Institute of Technology: net price ranged $16,550–$29,279 across 11 years (2013–2023); endpoint change -26.4% is not a trend (r² 0.19).
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology: net price ranged $5,084–$23,547 across 11 years (2013–2023); endpoint change -9.2% is not a trend (r² 0.29).

College Scorecard institution series; dollars are nominal. Direction claims require r² ≥ 0.40 on the fitted annual slope, otherwise the page reports the observed range. Descriptive history, not a recommendation.

Scorecard metrics

Cards ordered by relative gap on this pair. Teal = better side.

Largest gaps: California Institute of Technology vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  1. ACCEPTANCE-RATE California Institute of Technology leads on acceptance rate (2.6% vs 4.5% at Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
  2. AVG-NET-PRICE California Institute of Technology leads on avg net price ($16,075 vs $20,111 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
  3. MEDIAN-EARNINGS-(1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads on median earnings (10 yr) ($143,372 vs $128,566 at California Institute of Technology)

California Institute of Technology profile · Massachusetts Institute of Technology profile · Compare other colleges

Also on the Scorecard board

Acceptance Rate and other Scorecard questions

On acceptance rate, who leads between California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology?▼
California Institute of Technology leads on acceptance rate at 2.6% versus 4.5% at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On avg net price, who leads between California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology?▼
California Institute of Technology leads on avg net price at $16,075 versus $20,111 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On median earnings (10 yr), who leads between California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology?▼
Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads on median earnings (10 yr) at $143,372 versus $128,566 at California Institute of Technology. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard College Scorecard institution outcomes (earnings, completion, debt); acceptance rate focus for this pair · 2025