The Beavers compete in NCAA Division III as members of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), which they co-founded in 1915.

Caltech's athletic teams traditionally do not tend to be very good.

Some examples of this include: The track and field team's home venue is at the South Athletic Field in Tournament Park, the site of the first eight Rose Bowl games.

The school also sponsored an intercollegiate football team from 1893 through 1993,[10][11] and played part of its home schedule at the Rose Bowl.

Had the award existed at the time, Caltech would have won the 1941–42 SCIAC all-sports trophy.