The Wall Street Journal reported in August that Caltech built a four-person team, two years ago, that reviews every admitted student’s file. The team checks certificates, confirms transcripts with the schools that issued them, verifies that recommenders work where they say they do, and asks some students video questions about research they claimed. It started after a rise in anonymous tips about fabricated applications. Caltech admitted under 4% of roughly 11,400 applicants for its incoming class.
What this means for your student
Caltech is the most visible school doing this, not the only one, and AI has made fabrication easier and suspicion more common. The safe strategy and the winning strategy are the same: real work your student can explain in detail to a skeptical adult. If a research line wouldn’t survive five questions, it’s a liability.
Related reading
Sources: The Wall Street Journal (Aug. 4, 2026); MSN; Newser.