Also referred to as Caltech, the California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Founded in 1891, Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering. Its 124-acre primary campus is located approximately 11 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The school has a total undergraduate enrollment of 997 and utilizes a quarter-based academic calendar.

In addition to its undergraduate studies, Caltech offers top graduate programs in engineering, biology, chemistry, computer science, earth sciences, mathematics and physics. Caltech participates in a significant amount of government sponsored research, receiving grants from institutions such as NASA, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Health and Human Services, among others. Caltech maintains a strong tradition of rivalry with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, another top-ranked science and technology university in the U.S. 32 Caltech alumni and faculty have won a total of 33 Nobel Prizes and 70 have won the United States National Medal of Science or Technology. Many technology companies such as Intel, Compaq and Hotmail were all founded by Caltech alumni.

Caltech features eight student houses for much of its social and academic life. The student houses incorporate an admired Caltech tradition: dinners served by student waiters. Only freshmen are required to live on campus, but around 80 percent of students remain in their house for all four years. The Caltech Beavers have a number of NCAA Division III teams that compete in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Integral to student life is the Honor Code, which dictates that "No member of the Caltech community shall take unfair advantage of any other member of the Caltech community."