To be considered a domestic student for financial aid purposes, you must be either a US Citizen, US permanent resident, or qualify under another eligible noncitizen status. If you do not meet the requirements to be considered a domestic student, then you will apply for financial aid as an international student.
Students who have one of the following statuses will be considered a domestic student for financial aid purposes:
- US Citizen or national
- US permanent resident
- Conditional resident alien
- Refugee
- Asylee
Undocumented immigrants are also considered international students when applying for financial aid.
Applying for Admissions & Financial Aid
International students who want to apply for financial aid must do so as an incoming first-year. If you do not apply for aid as a first-year, or if you apply but do not qualify for aid as a first-year, you will not be permitted to apply for aid in subsequent years at Caltech. There is no financial aid available for international students who apply for admission as a transfer or 3/2.
If you are applying for aid as an international student, you must disclose that you are planning to apply for financial aid on your admissions application.
Federal Student Aid
International students are not eligible for Federal Student Aid funds. Therefore, they cannot receive the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) or Federal Work-Study, and they cannot apply for additional loan assistance through the Federal Direct Stafford Loan or Federal Direct PLUS Loan programs. International students should expect to be offered Caltech Work-Study instead of Federal Work-Study.
Financial Aid Policies & Application
Aside from the restrictions listed above, financial aid policies are mostly the same for international students as for domestic students, so most of the information on this website is valid for international students as well. However, the financial aid application requirements for international students differ from those of domestic students. Use the links below to find out what documents to submit to apply for aid as an international student.
Application for incoming first-years (Restrictive Early Action)