School Location:

PITTSBURGH, PA

School Type:

PRIVATE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

How difficult is it to get into Carnegie Mellon?

Carnegie Mellon University is particularly competitive: in the 2022-2023 cycle, just 3,843 of 33,707 applicants were accepted to the school, yielding an acceptance rate of just 11.4%. The school’s 50th percentile SAT composite score was 1540, with a 25th-75th percentile range of 1500-1560. The 50th percentile ACT composite score was a 35, with the 25th-75th percentile range between 34-35. Ninety-two percent of students were in the top tenth of their high school’s graduating class. CMU’s admissions department places particular emphasis on the rigor of an applicant’s transcript, their class rank, and GPA, as well as an applicant’s qualitative characteristics, such as their extracurricular activities and volunteer work.

What is the campus like at Carnegie Mellon?

Carnegie Mellon’s central campus is located in the heart of Pittsburgh. There are hundreds of student organizations and clubs, as well as intramural and club sports that students can participate in at Carnegie Mellon. Fraternity and Sorority Life is a big part of the undergraduate experience for many CMU students. One in five undergraduates joins Greek life. Participating in Undergraduate Research is also very popular at Carnegie Mellon. CMU even provides SURG grants to cover research expenses for undergraduate students.

First-year students are required to live on campus. Housing assignments for first-year students are based on a randomly generated lottery number. There are various housing options for first-years. Some are apartment-style, whereas others are more traditional dorms. All-gender and gender-specific housing is also available.

CMU has rich traditions and events. The Kiltie Band, for example, is the school’s kilt-clad student marching band, which has served as a tribute to Scottish Founder, Andrew Carnegie. Bagpipers also perform around campus and at formal events. The oldest tradition is the four-day Spring Carnival. This reunion weekend for alumni is packed with activities, such as ‘Booth’, where students build elaborate booths in a competition for the best-looking. All the money raised goes to a local charity. There are also rides, a 5K, food trucks and more!

What is Carnegie Mellon known for?

Carnegie Mellon is known as a hub of innovation—the school places a strong emphasis on creation. It was the first U.S. school to grant drama degrees in 1914 and houses the world’s first university robotics department, founded in 1979. Academically, the school is known for its highly ranked programs in both the humanities and the arts, as well as its cutting edge research programing and global reach. Carnegie Mellon Qatar offers undergraduate studies, whereas Carnegie Mellon Africa in Rwanda, Carnegie Mellon Portugal, and Carnegie Mellon – CMKL | Thailand are home to graduate programs.

How diverse is Carnegie Mellon?

Of the 7,707 students enrolled at Carnegie Mellon in the fall of 2023, 1,786 or 23% were international students, 783 or 10.2% were Hispanic or Latino, 308 or 4% were Black or African American. 1,590 or 20% were White, 2,424 or 31% were Asian, and 3 were Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, among others.

What programs are offered at Carnegie Mellon?

There are 7 schools and colleges at Carnegie Mellon, each offering various programs and majors. The 7 schools are College of Engineering, College of Fine Arts, Dietrich College of Humanities & Social Sciences, Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, Mellon College of Science, School of Computer Science, and Tepper School of Business. CMU also offers dozens of interdisciplinary programs, such as the Bachelor of Computer Science and Arts. In 2023, CMU was ranked #2 in Undergraduate Computer Science, #7 in Undergraduate Business, and #8 in Undergraduate Engineering.