Supplemental essays · 2026–27 application
California Institute of Technology supplemental essays.
All 8 essay questions California Institute of Technology asks this year, word for word, with the word limits and how to approach each one.
Checked against admissions.caltech.edu on October 17, 2026
What you write: Answer the STEM interest question, one of the two learning prompts, two of the three STEM prompts, and the community question. The context question is optional.
Caltech faculty read these, so you can get technical.
Your area of interest
If you had to choose an area of interest or two today, what would you choose? Why did you choose your proposed area of interest? If you selected 'other', what topics are you interested in pursuing?
How to approach it
- Start with the moment the interest began.
- Show what you’ve already done about it: a class, a project, a book, a job.
- Say where you want to take it, even if you’re not sure yet.
Learning with others
Tell us about a time your learning in STEM was shaped by another person or group — either because you needed help, offered help, changed your thinking through collaboration, or contributed to someone else's understanding. What did that experience teach you about learning and working with others?
Pick one of these two learning prompts.
How to approach it
- Start with the moment the interest began.
- Show what you’ve already done about it: a class, a project, a book, a job.
- Say where you want to take it, even if you’re not sure yet.
Process as much as outcome
Tell us about a time your approach to a STEM problem, concept, or project mattered as much as the outcome. How did you work through uncertainty or persist creatively in tackling the problem? What would you still defend about your process, regardless of the outcome?
Pick one of these two learning prompts.
How to approach it
- Start with the moment the interest began.
- Show what you’ve already done about it: a class, a project, a book, a job.
- Say where you want to take it, even if you’re not sure yet.
Your STEM rabbit hole
Regardless of your STEM interest listed above, take this opportunity to nerd out and talk to us about whatever STEM rabbit hole you have found yourself falling into. Be as specific or broad as you would like.
Pick two of these three STEM prompts.
How to approach it
- Start with the moment the interest began.
- Show what you’ve already done about it: a class, a project, a book, a job.
- Say where you want to take it, even if you’re not sure yet.
A question that held your attention
Tell us about a STEM question, problem, idea, or project that has held your attention over time. What drew you to it, how have you pursued it, and what do you still want to understand?
Pick two of these three STEM prompts.
How to approach it
- Start with the moment the interest began.
- Show what you’ve already done about it: a class, a project, a book, a job.
- Say where you want to take it, even if you’re not sure yet.
Something you made
Tell us about something you created, tested, repaired, modeled, coded, built, or redesigned. What problem were you trying to solve and what did the process reveal to you?
Pick two of these three STEM prompts.
How to approach it
- Pick one activity, not your whole resume.
- Show one moment of what you actually did.
- Say why it matters to you, not only what it is.
What you'd bring
Caltech students bring more than academic ability to the communities they join. What is something you would be excited to do, share, teach, make, start, or contribute as part of the Caltech community?
How to approach it
- Say plainly what the community is.
- Show your place in it with one real scene.
- End with what you’d bring to campus.
Optional: your context
Caltech cares about context. Is there anything about your academic preparation, coursework, school context, or learning experiences that would help us better understand your readiness for Caltech?
How to approach it
- Keep the hard part short. Most of the essay is what you did next.
- Show the steps you took, with real details.
- End with what you understand now that you didn’t before.
Want a mentor on your essays?
Clarity Prep members get a mentor who reads every draft with them, knows their whole application and checks in every week until it’s done.