Pittsburgh, PA
Common questions prospective students and families ask about Carnegie Mellon University.
About 97% of first-time, full-time students who start at Carnegie Mellon University return for their second year, a commonly used early signal of student satisfaction and fit.
Carnegie Mellon University reports a student-to-faculty ratio of about 5:1.
Carnegie Mellon University reports that SAT/ACT scores are considered but not required (test-optional) as part of undergraduate admission.
Carnegie Mellon University offers programs including Apparel and Textiles, Applied Mathematics, Architectural Sciences and Technology, Architecture, Area Studies, Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Behavioral Sciences, and 102 more programs.
Carnegie Mellon is a private research university in Pittsburgh established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie, later formed through the 1967 merger of Carnegie Institute of Technology and the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research. Wikipedia and CMU's rankings page both report 21 Nobel laureates and 13 Turing Award winners among Carnegie Mellon faculty and alumni.
CMU's main campus is about five miles from downtown Pittsburgh, and the university describes Pittsburgh as offering national-average cost of living, an innovation ecosystem and rich cultural offerings.
CMU's traditions page describes a tight-knit, creative and quirky Tartan spirit, with traditions such as painting the Fence, Spring Carnival, Sweepstakes buggy races, Scotty Saturday and Kiltie Band.
CMU's homepage calls the university the birthplace of AI, its history page says Carnegie Tech awarded the first U.S. drama degree in 1914, and Wikipedia says cmu.edu became one of the first six .edu domain names.
CMU markets itself with themes such as 'Research that moves the world forward' and 'Don't envision the future, invent it every day,' foregrounding entrepreneurial spirit and bold ideas.
Carnegie Mellon University is located in Pittsburgh, PA, in a city setting.
Carnegie Mellon University is a private nonprofit institution.
Carnegie Mellon University enrolls approximately 7,304 undergraduate students.
Carnegie Mellon University admits approximately 12% of undergraduate applicants.
Admitted students at Carnegie Mellon University typically report SAT scores near 735 (Reading) and 785 (Math) and an ACT composite near 34 (midpoint of the reported range).
The total cost of attendance at Carnegie Mellon University is about $83,654 per year. Published tuition is about $66,246 for in-state students and $66,246 for out-of-state students. The average net price actually paid, after grants and scholarships, is about $31,944.
About 16% of students at Carnegie Mellon University receive a federal Pell Grant, a commonly used marker of how many lower-income students the institution serves.
About 94% of first-time, full-time students complete a degree within 150% of normal time (e.g. 6 years for a 4-year program) at Carnegie Mellon University.
Former students of Carnegie Mellon University report median earnings of about $114,862 ten years after entry.