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Postdoctoral Scholars Office
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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Caltech offer housing?

The Caltech Housing Office manages one building for Postdocs. The building has 40 apartments available to new Caltech Postdocs who are within the first year of their Caltech Postdoc appointment. All of the units have two-bedrooms and two-bathrooms and most of them are unfurnished. We have furnished a small number of apartments and rent the bedrooms in these units individually where Postdocs share the common space. For more information please go to: Caltech Housing.

How do I find off-campus housing?

If you want to live within walking/biking distance from Caltech (~ 1 mile), you should look for an apartment with the boundaries of North Walnut Avenue / East Sierra Madre Blvd / South California Avenue / West Los Robles Avenue.

Other nearby communities include Altadena (5 miles north Pasadena), La Canada (8 miles west Pasadena), Sierra Madre (north east border with Pasadena), South Pasadena (South East border with Pasadena) and San Marino (south border with Pasadena). If you are willing to commute, you might be able to find cheaper housing in communities farther away. For more information please go to: International Offices.

How do I look at my health care benefits/insurance?

Caltech offers you the following health care benefits:

  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
  • Medical Evacuation and Repatriation (MER) Plan

For a summary of benefits offered to Caltech postdoctoral scholars please go to: Caltech Benefits

As an international scholar, do I need to do anything to receive my social security number (SSN) prior to my arrival?

Do not apply for the SSN before your check-in at Human Resources.

If Human Resources provides you with SSN application assistance, your Social Security card will be mailed to Caltech. Once it is received, you will be contacted so that you can pick it up from Human Resources. While you are waiting for your SSN application to be processed, you will receive pay from Caltech. For more information please go to: International Offices