Stipend
$50,000/yr Official
Stipend type: Graduate Studies Office stipend (all PhD students) · Paid over 12 months
Official: published by the university · Source: gradoffice.caltech.edu · Verified 2026-10-13
Mechanical Engineering
Caltech
Cost of living in Pasadena, CA
City-median rent is a city-level figure, not a near-campus price; university graduate housing lines are the university's own published rates. Each line is labeled with its own source.
- Rent, 1-bedroom (university graduate housing, single occupant) $1,255 to $1,664/mo Official Caltech-leased off-campus studio $1,255; Catalina 1-bedroom $1,664. 2026-27. Catalina 1-bedroom is per bed; gas and electric extra. Source: Caltech Housing: Contracts and Rates · Verified 2026-09-29
- Rent, 1-bedroom (city median) $2,295/mo Estimated City median 1BR Source: Zumper city median asking rent (Sept 2026) · Verified 2026-09-27
- Rent, 2-bedroom split two ways (university graduate housing, shared, per person) $830 to $987/mo Official Catalina per bed: 4-bedroom quad $830; 2-bedroom double $987. 2026-27 (Sep 1 to Aug 31), up about 5% from last year. Furnished; gas and electric extra (about $100-$150 per person) plus $20 per month for ethernet. New graduate students are guaranteed first-year housing. Source: Caltech Housing: Contracts and Rates · Verified 2026-09-29
- Rent, 2-bedroom split two ways (city median) $1,525/mo Estimated City median 2BR, split two ways Source: Zumper city median asking rent (Sept 2026) · Verified 2026-09-27
- Utilities (nearest-metro stand-in) $284/mo Estimated Nearest-metro proxy (Los Angeles). No Numbeo figure for this town; Los Angeles stand-in. Excludes internet. Source: Numbeo (Americas table, Sept 27 2026) · Verified 2026-09-27
- Public transit $18/week (weekly fare cap) Official LA Metro 7-day fare cap ($5/day); no monthly pass. Monthly passes were replaced by fare caps. Source: LA Metro fare policy · Verified 2026-09-27
- Public transit $6/week (weekly fare cap) Official LA Metro college/vocational 7-day cap ($2.50/day). Requires enrollment in a participating program. Source: LA Metro college/vocational fares · Verified 2026-09-27
- Parking Not yet available
- Groceries (state-level estimate) $375/mo Estimated State-level estimate (California). About $4,500/yr, single adult; not a city basket. Source: MIT Living Wage food cost via Bankrate · Verified 2026-09-27
About this department
Summaries are paraphrased from the department's own pages. Individual faculty are not listed here; use the official directory.
- Department Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering (MCE) Official Source: mce.caltech.edu · Verified 2026-10-12
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Degrees offered
- PhD (MS earned along the way)
- MS only in exceptional cases
- Overview Small, highly selective, PhD-focused department that also houses civil engineering and applied mechanics. In a typical year it receives 250 to 300 applications and makes 25 to 30 offers. Students find a research adviser within three terms of arriving; an interim adviser is assigned on admission. Official Source: mce.caltech.edu · Verified 2026-10-12
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Research areas
- Systems, Controls, and Robotics
- Mechanics and Materials
- Energy and Thermal-Fluids Science
- Faculty Faculty directory (official) Official Source: mce.caltech.edu · Verified 2026-10-12
- PhD funding (department statement) Caltech's Graduate Studies Office says all PhD students get full tuition and fees plus a taxable living stipend (stated as $50,000 for 12 months from Sept 1, 2026), conditional on full-time enrollment and satisfactory progress including securing a thesis advisor; support is not guaranteed regardless of progress and may come from fellowships, research or teaching assistantships. The MCE graduate-degree page says nearly all ME graduate students are supported for the full length of study with tuition and a stipend. Official Source: mce.caltech.edu · Verified 2026-10-12
- PhD application deadline December 15 Official Deadlines vary by department. This date is for Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering (MCE). Confirm on the official admissions page. Caltech's Graduate Studies Office lists Dec 1 to Dec 15 by option. MCE FAQ lists December 15 without a year; confirm cycle against the Graduate Studies Office Application Deadlines document. Fee $100 with waivers available. Decisions typically mid-February to early March. Source: mce.caltech.edu · Verified 2026-10-12
- GRE policy Submission of GRE scores is optional (MCE admissions page); self-reported scores suffice at application, official scores required before admission if included. Official Source: mce.caltech.edu · Verified 2026-10-12
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Application requirements
- Online application through the Graduate Admissions Office
- $100 fee (waiver available)
- statement of purpose (research interests, accomplishments, influential science/engineering experience, preparation to work in diverse settings)
- letters of recommendation
- rigorous academic record with substantial quantitative coursework (no GPA minimum, GPA is a factor)
- optional naming of MCE faculty of interest (admission is to the program, not a lab)
Master's tuition
Published tuition (before any aid). PhD students usually have tuition waived; their offer letter confirms. This is not part of the stipend-versus-cost-of-living comparison.
- Master's tuition at Caltech Not yet available