Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · Private · 7,304 undergraduates · cmu.edu
Test policy (fall 2027)
Varies by applicant
Depends on the applicant
Admit rate
11%
of 34,867 applicants
SAT (middle 50%)
1500 to 1560
of enrolled freshmen
Annual cost (2027-28)
$97,160Est.Estimate
before aid
Your chances and merit aid at Carnegie Mellon University
See where you stand for admission, how much merit aid you could get, and what you'd pay after it.
We started you at a typical enrolled freshman here. Move the sliders to match you.
Your admission chances
11% of applicants admitted
Reach
It admits only 11% of applicants, so it's a reach for everyone.
Estimated merit aid
a year
Your cost after merit aid
$97,160
a year in 2027-28, from a $97,160 sticker price
What to do with your 1540
Send your score
Your SAT is at or above the median of freshmen who sent scores (1540).
Reach, target and likely are a rough guide from your test score and how selective the college is. Admissions also weigh your courses, grades, essays and activities. Merit aid figures are estimates, before any need-based aid.
Admissions
Test policy for fall 2027
Varies by applicant
Whether you need a score depends on your situation; check the college's rules.
- Superscores: it combines your best section scores from different test dates.
- You can type your scores into the application; official reports come later.
- Test flexible colleges accept SAT, ACT, IB (predicted or actual), AP, Cambridge A-Level (predicted or actual), or French Baccalaureate (predicted or actual).
Source: Standardized Testing - Undergraduate Admission - Carnegie Mellon University · Checked October 16, 2026
Application deadlines
- Nov2Early Decision · November 2, 2026Binding: if admitted, you commit to enroll.
- Dec1Other deadline · December 1, 2026
- Jan4Regular Decision · January 4, 2027The standard deadline.
Who gets in
11%
of applicants were admitted: 3,859 of 34,867 for fall 2025.
Early Decision
Binding. 21% of early applicants were admitted.
Wait list
7,117 students were offered a spot; 36 were later admitted.
Test scores of enrolled freshmen (fall 2025)
The shaded part shows the middle half of enrolled freshmen who sent scores: a quarter scored below it and a quarter above. 66% of them sent SAT scores and 18% sent ACT scores.
SAT total 1500 to 1560
Reading and Writing 730 to 770
Math 770 to 800
ACT composite 34 to 36
How enrolled freshmen scored on the SAT
- 1400 to 160093%
- 1200 to 13995.5%
- 1000 to 11990.9%
- 800 to 9990.2%
- 600 to 7990%
- 400 to 5990%
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
High school GPA of enrolled freshmen
Average GPA: 3.89
- 4.044%
- 3.75 to 3.9942%
- 3.50 to 3.7411%
- 3.25 to 3.492.2%
- 3.00 to 3.241%
- 2.50 to 2.990.3%
- Below 2.500%
Cost and financial aid
The sticker price is what a year costs before any aid. Most students pay less after grants and scholarships.
Sticker price for 2027-28Estimate
$97,160
a year
- Tuition$72,490
- Fees$1,940
- Food and housing$20,340
- Books and supplies$1,040
- Transportation and other$1,350
Carnegie Mellon University published $93,424 for 2026-27. Its 2027-28 prices aren't out yet.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
What families actually pay
What a year cost on average after grants and scholarships, for freshmen who got federal aid in 2023-24, by family income.
- $0 to $30,000$14,468
- $30,001 to $48,000$4,293
- $48,001 to $75,000$17,816
- $75,001 to $110,000$24,455
- Over $110,000$56,003
Financial aid
100%
of a student's financial need is covered, on average
$61,136
average need-based grant to freshmen, money you don't repay
1.7%
of freshmen got merit aid without financial need, $6,287 on average
- FAFSA
- Required for need-based aid. It's the free federal aid form.
- CSS Profile
- Required. It's a second, more detailed aid form some colleges use for their own grants.
- Aid deadline: February 15
- The last day to send aid forms.
- Also asks for
- parent and student federal tax returns
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
AP credit
AP exams that earn credit can replace college courses, so you pay for fewer of them and may graduate sooner.
AP exams that earn credit
35 of 36
Earn credit with a score of 3
None
You need a 4 or 5 for credit here.
A 3-credit course is worth
about $7,250Est.Estimate
at 2027-28 tuition
Credit for each AP exam
| Exam | Score needed | Credits | Counts as |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-D Art and Design | 4 | 9 | 51-011 |
| 3-D Art and Design | 4 | 9 | 51-012 |
| African American Studies | 5 | 9 | 79-017 |
| Art History | 5 | 9 | 60-011 |
| Biology | 4 | 9 | 03-011 |
| Biology | 5 | 03-110 | |
| Calculus AB | 4 | 10 | 21-111 |
| Calculus AB | 5 | 10 | 21-120 |
| Calculus BC | 5 | 20 | 21-120 & 21-122 |
| Calculus BC: AB Subscore | 4 | 10 | 21-111 |
| Calculus BC: AB Subscore | 5 | 10 | 21-120 |
| Chemistry | 5 | 10 | 09-105 |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 4 | 12 | 82-011 |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 5 | 12 | 82-012 |
| Comparative Government and Politics | 4 | 9 | 84-011 |
| Computer Science A | 4 | 10 | 15-110 |
| Computer Science A | 5 | 12 | 15-112 |
| Computer Science Principles | 4 | 10 | 15-110 |
| Drawing | 5 | 9 | 60-012 |
| English Language and Composition | 5 | 9 | 76-011 |
| English Literature and Composition | 5 | 9 | 76-012 |
| Environmental Science | 4 | 9 | 38-012 |
| European History | 5 | 9 | 79-011 |
| French Language and Culture | 4 | 9 | 82-013 |
| French Language and Culture | 5 | 9 | 82-014 |
| German Language and Culture | 4 | 9 | 82-015 |
| German Language and Culture | 5 | 9 | 82-016 |
| Human Geography | 4 | 9 | 66-011 |
| Italian Language and Culture | 4 | 9 | 82-017 |
| Italian Language and Culture | 5 | 9 | 82-018 |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 4 | 12 | 82-019 |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 5 | 12 | 82-020 |
| Latin | 4 | 9 | 66-019 |
| Latin | 5 | 18 | 66-019 & 66-020 |
| Macroeconomics | 4 | 9 | 73-012 |
| Microeconomics | 4 | 9 | 73-011, AP Economics (students should enroll in 73-104) |
| Music Theory | 4 | 9 | 57-012 |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 5 | 12 | 33-142 |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 5 | 12 | 33-141 |
| Psychology | 4 | 9 | 85-011 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 4 | 9 | 82-021 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 5 | 9 | 82-022 |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 4 | 9 | 82-023 |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 5 | 9 | 82-024, 82-341 |
| Statistics | 5 | 9 | 36-200 |
| United States Government and Politics | 4 | 9 | 84-012 |
| United States History | 5 | 9 | 79-012 |
| World History: Modern | 5 | 9 | 79-015 |
Source: AP credit policy
After college
Graduate within 6 years
94%
Come back for a second year
98%
Typical earnings
$125,257
a year, 10 years after starting here
- Carnegie Mellon University$271,805
Median yearly earnings of graduates five years after finishing a bachelor's in this major. 24 majors here have earnings data.
Keep exploring
Figures marked Estimate are our estimates, not numbers the college published. Check each college's own site before you apply. SAT is a trademark of College Board, and ACT is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Sharp is not affiliated with either, or with Carnegie Mellon University. The Carnegie Mellon University logo is a trademark of the college.