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66-530: In 1968 the Great Transcontinental Electric Car Race was held between student groups at Caltech and MIT . The Caltech team, led by EV pioneer Wally Rippel , converted a 1958 VW Microbus powered by lead cobalt batteries from Electric Fuel Propulsion Corporation of Detroit. The MIT team converted a 1968 Chevrolet Corvair powered by NiCad batteries . The MIT team raced from Cambridge, Massachusetts , to Pasadena, California , while

132-522: A Pass/Fail basis. There is little competition; collaboration on homework is encouraged and the honor system encourages take-home tests and flexible homework schedules. Caltech offers co-operative programs with other schools, such as the Pasadena Art Center College of Design and Occidental College . According to a 2018 PayScale study, Caltech graduates earn a median early career salary of $ 83,400 and $ 143,100 mid-career, placing them in

198-595: A collaboration between the Naval Ordnance Test Station and the Manhattan Project. Caltech scientists worked on a variety of assignments, including B-29 airdrop tests of model atomic bombs and the manufacturing of explosives for use in the atomic bomb’s implosion mechanism. Additionally, the Salt Wells Pilot Plant at Inyokern was developed with Caltech scientists in response to concerns about

264-583: A division of biology was established under the leadership of Thomas Hunt Morgan , the most distinguished biologist in the United States at the time, and discoverer of the role of genes and the chromosome in heredity. In 1930, Kerckhoff Marine Laboratory was established in Corona del Mar under the care of Professor George MacGinitie . In 1926, a graduate school of aeronautics was created, which eventually attracted Theodore von Kármán . Kármán later helped create

330-537: A heavy load, and registrations above 51 units require an overload petition. Approximately 20 percent of students double-major. This is achievable since the humanities and social sciences majors have been designed to be done in conjunction with a science major. Although choosing two options in the same division is discouraged, it is still possible. First-year students are enrolled in first-term classes based upon results of placement exams in math, physics, chemistry, and writing and take all classes in their first two terms on

396-439: A master plan for the 22 acres (8.9 ha) campus. Goodhue conceived the overall layout of the campus and designed the physics building, Dabney Hall, and several other structures, in which he sought to be consistent with the local climate, the character of the school, and Hale's educational philosophy. Goodhue's designs for Caltech were also influenced by the traditional Spanish mission architecture of Southern California. During

462-582: A sign on the library bearing the simple phrase " Impeach Nixon ". The following week, Ross McCollum, president of the National Oil Company, wrote an open letter to Dabney House stating that in light of their actions he had decided not to donate one million dollars to Caltech. The Dabney family, being Republicans, disowned Dabney House after hearing of the protest. Since 2000, the Einstein Papers Project has been located at Caltech. The project

528-729: A solar astronomer from the University of Chicago , founded the Mount Wilson Observatory in 1904. He joined Throop's board of trustees in 1907, and soon began developing the university, and the whole of Pasadena, into a major scientific and cultural destination. He engineered the appointment of James A. B. Scherer , a literary scholar untutored in science but very capable in administration and fund-raising, to Throop's presidency in 1908. Scherer persuaded retired businessman and trustee Charles W. Gates to donate $ 25,000 in seed money (equivalent to $ 800,000 in 2023) to build Gates Laboratory,

594-564: A striking illustration of one way in which the Research Council can secure co-operation and advance scientific investigation. This institution, with its able investigators and excellent research laboratories, could be of great service in any broad scheme of cooperation. President Scherer, hearing of the formation of the council, immediately offered to take part in its work, and with this object, he secured within three days an additional research endowment of one hundred thousand dollars. Through

660-545: A visiting-scholars program soon after joining Caltech. Notable scientists who accepted his invitation include Paul Dirac , Erwin Schrödinger , Werner Heisenberg , Hendrik Lorentz and Niels Bohr . Albert Einstein arrived on the Caltech campus for the first time in 1931 to polish up his Theory of General Relativity , and he returned to Caltech subsequently as a visiting professor in 1932 and 1933. During World War II, Caltech

726-570: Is a private research university in Pasadena, California , United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes of technology in the United States that are devoted to the instruction of pure and applied sciences. The institution was founded as a preparatory and vocational school by Amos G. Throop in 1891 and began attracting influential scientists such as George Ellery Hale , Arthur Amos Noyes , and Robert Andrews Millikan in

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792-491: Is governed by a permanent trustee committee and administered by an investment office. The institute is organized into six primary academic divisions: Biology and Biological Engineering (founded 1927), Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (founded 1926), Engineering and Applied Science (founded 1926), Geological and Planetary Sciences (founded 1927), Humanities and Social Sciences (founded 1926), Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy (founded 1926). Given Caltech's historical prestige and

858-633: Is located approximately 11 mi (18 km) northeast of downtown Los Angeles , in Pasadena. First-year students are required to live on campus, and 95% of undergraduates remain in the on-campus housing system at Caltech . Students agree to abide by an honor code which allows faculty to assign take-home examinations . The Caltech Beavers compete in 13 intercollegiate sports in the NCAA Division III 's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). Scientists and engineers at or from

924-582: Is the largest ever for environmental sustainability research and the second-largest private donation to a US academic institution (after Bloomberg's gift of $ 1.8 billion to Johns Hopkins University in 2018). On account of President Robert A. Millikan's affiliation with the Human Betterment Foundation , in January 2021, the Caltech Board of Trustees authorized the removal of Millikan's name (and

990-499: The California Legislature calling for the establishment of a publicly funded "California Institute of Technology," with an initial budget of a million dollars, ten times the budget of Throop at the time. The board of trustees offered to turn Throop over to the state, but the presidents of Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley successfully lobbied to defeat the bill, which allowed Throop to develop as

1056-680: The Fat Man implosion bomb, crucial to the Trinity Test and the subsequent bombing of Nagasaki . Lauritsen’s team at Caltech developed detonators that would later be used in atomic bombs. In November 1943, Caltech and the U.S. Navy established the Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS) in Inyokern, California , near the Mojave Desert to work on aircraft ordnance and rocket development. One of

1122-480: The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) owned by NASA and operated as a division of Caltech through a contract between NASA and Caltech. In 2008, JPL spent over $ 1.6 billion on research and development and employed over 5,000 project-related and support employees. The JPL Director also serves as a Caltech Vice President and is responsible to

1188-685: The National Research Council to coordinate and support scientific work on military problems. While he supported the idea of federal appropriations for science, he took exception to a federal bill that would have funded engineering research at land-grant colleges, and instead sought to raise a $ 1 million national research fund entirely from private sources. To that end, as Hale wrote in The New York Times : Throop College of Technology, in Pasadena California has recently afforded

1254-510: The 1960s, Caltech underwent considerable expansion, in part due to the philanthropy of alumnus Arnold O. Beckman . In 1953, Beckman was asked to join the Caltech Board of Trustees. In 1964, he became its chairman. Over the next few years, as Caltech's president emeritus David Baltimore describes it, Arnold Beckman and his wife Mabel "shaped the destiny of Caltech". In 1971 a magnitude-6.6 earthquake in San Fernando caused some damage to

1320-611: The 2021–2022 school year was $ 56,394 and total annual costs were estimated to be $ 79,947 excluding the Caltech Student Health Insurance Plan. In 2012–2013, Caltech awarded $ 17.1 million in need-based aid, $ 438k in non-need-based aid, and $ 2.51 million in self-help support to enrolled undergraduate students. The average financial aid package of all students eligible for aid was $ 38,756 and students graduated with an average debt of $ 15,090. The full-time, four-year undergraduate program emphasizes instruction in

1386-660: The Caltech campus. Engineers who evaluated the damage found that two historic buildings dating from the early days of the Institute—Throop Hall and the Goodhue-designed Culbertson Auditorium—had cracked. New additions to the campus include the Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics and the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Center for Information Science and Technology, which opened in 2009, and

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1452-532: The Caltech team raced the opposite direction. A network of 54 charging locations was set up along the 3,311-mile route, spaced 21 to 95 miles apart. The race began on August 26, 1968, and ended on September 4. Although the MIT team reached Pasadena first, they were towed part of the way. After assessing penalty points, Caltech was declared the winner with a corrected time of 210 hours 3 minutes. Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech )

1518-650: The Class of 2027 (enrolled Fall 2023), Caltech received 13,136 applications and accepted 412 applicants for a 3.14% admit rate; 270 enrolled. The subsequent year, for the Class of 2028, Caltech reduced the number of seats by almost one hundred, accepting 315 applicants out of approximately 13,000 total applications. For the Class of 2025, 32% were of underrepresented ancestry (which includes students who self-identify as American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic/Latino, Black/African American, and/or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander), and 6% were foreign students. Undergraduate tuition for

1584-609: The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and played an integral part in establishing Caltech as one of the world's centers for rocket science . In 1928, construction of the Palomar Observatory began. Millikan served as "Chairman of the Executive Council" (effectively Caltech's president) from 1921 to 1945, and his influence was such that the institute was occasionally referred to as "Millikan's School". Millikan initiated

1650-541: The National Research Council, Hale simultaneously lobbied for science to play a larger role in national affairs, and for Throop to play a national role in science. The new funds were designated for physics research, and ultimately led to the establishment of the Norman Bridge Laboratory, which attracted experimental physicist Robert Andrews Millikan from the University of Chicago in 1917. During

1716-827: The OSRD with the Science Advisory Committee in 1951. The office was moved to the White House on November 21, 1957, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to provide advice and recommendation in response to the Space Race started by the USSR 's launch of the first artificial Earth satellite, Sputnik 1 . President Richard M. Nixon eliminated the PSAC in 1973, rather than appointing a replacement for his second Science Advisor, Edward E. David Jr. , who resigned. The United States Congress established

1782-570: The OSTP in 1976 with a broad mandate to advise the President and others within the Executive Office of the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs. The 1976 Act also authorizes OSTP to lead inter-agency efforts to develop and to implement sound science and technology policies and budgets and to work with the private sector , state and local governments ,

1848-527: The President of the Institute for the management of the laboratory. Caltech is a small four-year, highly residential research university with slightly more students in graduate programs than undergraduate. The institute has been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges since 1949. Caltech is on the quarter system : the fall term starts in late September and ends before Christmas,

1914-502: The SAT Physics Subject Test was 760–800; SAT Chemistry Subject Test was 760–800; SAT Biology Subject Tests was 760–800. In June 2020, Caltech announced a test-blind policy where they would not require nor consider test scores for the next two years. The moratorium was extended twice, starting July 2021, but was subsequently cancelled starting with the Class of 2029. The institute is need-blind for domestic applicants. For

1980-435: The United States among national universities overall, 11th for most innovative, and 15th for best value. U.S. News & World Report also ranked the graduate programs in chemistry and earth sciences first among national universities. Admission to Caltech is extremely rigorous. Prior to going test blind, Caltech students had the highest test scores in the nation. In admissions for the Class of 2028 (entering 2024), Caltech

2046-515: The University Librarian. Faculty are responsible for establishing admission requirements, academic standards, and curricula. The Faculty Board is the faculty's representative body and consists of 18 elected faculty representatives as well as other senior administration officials. Full-time professors are expected to teach classes, conduct research, advise students, and perform administrative work such as serving on committees. Founded in 1930s,

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2112-616: The Warren and Katherine Schlinger Laboratory for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering followed in March 2010. The institute also concluded an upgrading of the South Houses in 2006. In late 2010, Caltech completed a 1.3 MW solar array projected to produce approximately 1.6 GWh in 2011. Caltech is incorporated as a non-profit corporation and is governed by a privately appointed 46-member board of trustees who serve five-year terms of office and retire at

2178-718: The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) since October 3, 2022. Although the National Research Council (now known as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine ), formed in 1916, was the first body formed to advise the government on science and technology, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt launched the Science Advisory Board as a body within the NRC in 1933 in order to advise

2244-411: The age of 72. The trustees elect a president to serve as the chief executive officer of the institute and administer the affairs on the institute on behalf of the board, a provost who serves as the chief academic officer of the institute below the president, and ten other vice presidential and other senior positions. Thomas F. Rosenbaum became the ninth president of Caltech in 2014. Caltech's endowment

2310-634: The arts and sciences and has high graduate coexistence. Caltech offers 28 majors (called "options") and 12 minors across all six academic divisions. Caltech also offers interdisciplinary programs in Applied Physics, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Computation and Neural Systems, Control and Dynamical Systems, Environmental Science and Engineering, Geobiology and Astrobiology, Geochemistry, and Planetary Astronomy. The most popular options are Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Physics. The most popular majors of

2376-439: The campus tripled in size. DuBridge, unlike his predecessors, welcomed federal funding of science. New research fields flourished, including chemical biology , planetary science , nuclear astrophysics , and geochemistry . A 200-inch telescope was dedicated on nearby Palomar Mountain in 1948 and remained the world's most powerful optical telescope for over forty years. Caltech opened its doors to female undergraduates during

2442-519: The class of 2023 were Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and Electrical Engineering. Prior to the entering class of 2013, Caltech required students to take a core curriculum of five terms of mathematics, five terms of physics, two terms of chemistry, one term of biology, two terms of lab courses, one term of scientific communication, three terms of physical education, and 12 terms of humanities and social science. Since 2013, only three terms each of mathematics and physics have been required by

2508-467: The course of the war, Hale, Noyes and Millikan worked together in Washington on the NRC. Subsequently, they continued their partnership in developing Caltech. Under the leadership of Hale , Noyes , and Millikan (aided by the booming economy of Southern California ), Caltech grew to national prominence in the 1920s and concentrated on the development of Roosevelt's "Hundredth Man". On November 29, 1921,

2574-637: The early 20th century. The vocational and preparatory schools were disbanded and spun off in 1910, and the college assumed its present name in 1920. In 1934, Caltech was elected to the Association of American Universities , and the antecedents of NASA 's Jet Propulsion Laboratory , which Caltech continues to manage and operate, were established between 1936 and 1943 under Theodore von Kármán . Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphasis on science and engineering, managing $ 423 million in sponsored research in 2022. Its 124-acre (50 ha) primary campus

2640-493: The eighth president, announced on February 19, 2013, that he would be stepping down to accept the presidency at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology . Thomas F. Rosenbaum was announced to be the ninth president of Caltech on October 24, 2013, and his term began on July 1, 2014. In 2019, Caltech received a gift of $ 750 million for sustainability research from the Resnick family of The Wonderful Company . The gift

2706-426: The end of the war, Caltech had essentially become an extension of the U.S. Navy’s Bureau of Ordnance , with its rocket research providing important technology to U.S. combat capabilities. From April to December 1951, Caltech was the host of a federal classified study, Project Vista . The selection of Caltech as host for the project was based on the university's expertise in rocketry and nuclear physics. In response to

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2772-458: The first science building on campus. In 1910, Throop moved to its current site. Arthur Fleming donated the land for the permanent campus site. Theodore Roosevelt delivered an address at Throop Institute on March 21, 1911, and he declared: I want to see institutions like Throop turn out perhaps ninety-nine of every hundred students as men who are to do given pieces of industrial work better than any one else can do them; I want to see those men do

2838-666: The funds went into the support of Caltech programs and projects. In 2010, Caltech, in partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and headed by Professor Nathan Lewis , established a DOE Energy Innovation Hub aimed at developing revolutionary methods to generate fuels directly from sunlight. This hub, the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis , will receive up to $ 122 million in federal funding over five years. Since 2012, Caltech began to offer classes through massive open online courses (MOOCs) under Coursera , from 2013, edX , and bootcamps. Jean-Lou Chameau,

2904-493: The hotel, Vista del Arroyo Hotel, which housed the study. The study operated under a committee with the supervision of President Lee A. DuBridge . William A. Fowler , a professor at Caltech, was selected as research director. More than a fourth of Caltech's faculty and a group of outside scientists staffed the project. Moreover, the number increases if one takes into account visiting scientists, military liaisons, secretarial, and security staff. In compensation for its participation,

2970-403: The institute, with the remaining two terms each required by certain options. A typical class is worth 9 academic units and given the extensive core curriculum requirements in addition to individual options' degree requirements, students need to take an average of 40.5 units per term (more than four classes) to graduate in four years. 36 units is the minimum full-time load, 48 units is considered

3036-454: The kind of work that is now being done on the Panama Canal and on the great irrigation projects in the interior of this country—and the one-hundredth man I want to see with the kind of cultural scientific training that will make him and his fellows the matrix out of which you can occasionally develop a man like your great astronomer, George Ellery Hale. Also in 1911, a bill was introduced in

3102-489: The most successful innovations was the development of the 5-inch High-Velocity Aircraft Rocket , commonly known as the " Holy Moses ," which was used in combat against enemy fortifications and ships. The partnership between the Navy and Caltech continued to deepen throughout the war, leading to the creation of several military technologies, and by 1945, the focus of Caltech’s war contributions expanded further with Project Camel ,

3168-608: The names of five other historical figures affiliated with the Foundation), from campus buildings. Caltech's 124-acre (50 ha) primary campus is located in Pasadena, California , approximately 11 miles (18 km) northeast of downtown Los Angeles . It is within walking distance of Old Town Pasadena and the Pasadena Playhouse District and therefore the two locations are frequent getaways for Caltech students. In 1917 Hale hired architect Bertram Goodhue to produce

3234-552: The only individual in history to win two unshared prizes). In addition, 66 National Medal of Science Recipients, 43 MacArthur Fellows , 14 National Medal of Technology and Innovation recipients, 11 astronauts , 5 Science Advisors to the President , 4 Fields Medalists , and 6 Turing Award winners have been affiliated with Caltech. Caltech started as a vocational school founded in present-day Old Pasadena on Fair Oaks Avenue and Chestnut Street on September 23, 1891, by local businessman and politician Amos G. Throop . The school

3300-438: The only scientific research-oriented educational institute in southern California, public or private, until the onset of World War II necessitated the broader development of research-based science education. The promise of Throop attracted physical chemist Arthur Amos Noyes from MIT to develop the institution and assist in establishing it as a center for science and technology. With the onset of World War I , Hale organized

3366-456: The presidency of Harold Brown in 1970, and they made up 14% of the entering class. The portion of female undergraduates has been increasing since then. Protests by Caltech students are rare. The earliest was a 1968 protest outside the NBC Burbank studios, in response to rumors that NBC was to cancel Star Trek . In 1973, the students from Dabney House protested a presidential visit with

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3432-485: The president. Karl Taylor Compton served as the chair of the body. However, the body was dissolved in 1935. The OSTP evolved out of the Office of Scientific Research and Development created in 1941 during World War II by Roosevelt. Vannevar Bush chaired this office through Roosevelt's death in 1945, and continued under Roosevelt's successor Harry S. Truman until 1951. After the war, President Harry S. Truman replaced

3498-619: The safety of explosive production at Los Alamos and began producing high explosives just days before the Trinity Test in July 1945. Early in the war, Caltech scientists, including Lauritsen’s son, Thomas Lauritsen , worked on various rocket designs at the Kellogg Radiation Laboratory. These rockets, including the " Tiny Tim " and the " Mighty Mouse ," were used in critical military operations, from naval engagements to land assaults. By

3564-525: The second term starts after New Year's Day and ends in mid-March, and the third term starts in late March or early April and ends in early June. Caltech was ranked within the top ten universities in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings , QS World University Rankings , and Academic Ranking of World Universities . For 2022, U.S. News & World Report ranked Caltech as tied for 9th in

3630-517: The small size of its faculty in many major fields, the institution is exceptionally careful in selecting candidates. This rigorous process can result in some positions remaining unfilled for several years until the right candidate is found. Caltech dedicates significant resources to attract top-tier faculty and provides them with substantial financial support to foster their research and academic endeavors. The voting faculty of Caltech include all professors, instructors, research associates and fellows, and

3696-459: The top 5 among graduates of US colleges and universities. The average net return on investment over a period of 20 years is $ 887,000, the tenth-highest among US colleges. Caltech offers Army and Air Force ROTC in cooperation with the University of Southern California . Science Advisor to the President The current advisor is Arati Prabhakar , who has served as the 12th director of

3762-502: The trustees declared it to be the express policy of the institute to pursue scientific research of the greatest importance and at the same time "to continue to conduct thorough courses in engineering and pure science, basing the work of these courses on exceptionally strong instruction in the fundamental sciences of mathematics, physics, and chemistry; broadening and enriching the curriculum by a liberal amount of instruction in such subjects as English, history, and economics; and vitalizing all

3828-532: The university have played an essential role in many modern scientific breakthroughs and innovations, including advances in space research , sustainability science , quantum physics , and seismology . As of October 2022 , there are 79 Nobel laureates who have been affiliated with Caltech , making it the institution with the highest number of Nobelists per capita in America. This includes 46 alumni and faculty members (47 prizes, with chemist Linus Pauling being

3894-508: The university received about $ 750,000. From the 1950s to 1980s, Caltech was the home of Murray Gell-Mann and Richard Feynman , whose work was central to the establishment of the Standard Model of particle physics. Feynman was also widely known outside the physics community as an exceptional teacher and a colorful, unconventional character. During Lee A. DuBridge 's tenure as Caltech's president (1946–1969), Caltech's faculty doubled and

3960-563: The war in Korea and the pressure from the Soviet Union, the project was Caltech's way of assisting the federal government in its effort to increase national security. The project was created to study new ways of improving the relationship between tactical air support and ground troops. The Army, Air Force, and Navy sponsored the project; however, it was under contract with the Army. The study was named after

4026-467: The war, some scientists from Caltech, including J. Robert Oppenheimer , Richard Tolman , and Robert Bacher , were instrumental in the Manhattan Project and contributed to critical aspects of the atomic bomb's development. Caltech was also directly involved in other bomb-related research with a group led by Charles Lauritsen which assisted in the development of the high-explosive lenses used in

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4092-518: The work of the Institute by the infusion in generous measure of the spirit of research". In 1923, Millikan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics . In 1925, the school established a department of geology and hired William Bennett Munro , then chairman of the division of History, Government, and Economics at Harvard University , to create a division of humanities and social sciences at Caltech. In 1928,

4158-428: Was established in 1986 to assemble, preserve, translate, and publish papers selected from the literary estate of Albert Einstein and from other collections. In fall 2008, the freshman class was 42% female, a record for Caltech's undergraduate enrollment. In the same year, the Institute concluded a six-year-long fund-raising campaign. The campaign raised more than $ 1.4 billion from about 16,000 donors. Nearly half of

4224-425: Was known successively as Throop University , Throop Polytechnic Institute (and Manual Training School) and Throop College of Technology before acquiring its current name in 1920. The vocational school was disbanded and the preparatory program was split off to form the independent Polytechnic School in 1907. At a time when scientific research in the United States was still in its infancy, George Ellery Hale ,

4290-552: Was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission. The United States Navy also maintained a naval training school for aeronautical engineering , resident inspectors of ordinance and naval material, and a liaison officer to the National Defense Research Committee on campus. During

4356-416: Was ranked the hardest college in America to gain acceptance to by admit rate, at an all-time low of 2.7%. For the freshmen who enrolled in 2019 (Class of 2023) the middle 50% range of SAT were 740–780 for evidence-based reading and writing and 790–800 for math, and 1530–1570 total. The middle 50% range ACT Composite score was 35–36. The SAT Math Level 2 middle 50% range was 800–800. The middle 50% range for

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