Private nonprofit · University

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · Large city

#2 for grad earnings in Pennsylvania#3 graduation rate in Pennsylvania#4 most selective in Pennsylvania
11.7%
Admit rate
$31,944
Avg net price
94%
Graduation rate
$114,862
Median earnings

Carnegie Mellon University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (large city setting), enrolling 7,304 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 7,304 undergradsLarge cityHighly selective · 12% admitNCAA Division III with football · Presidents' Athletic ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Carnegie Mellon University's admitted students.

Admit rate
11.7%
SAT (mid 50%)
1500–1570
Avg GPA
3.89

Enter a test score to see where you land against Carnegie Mellon University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Carnegie Mellon University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The Seneca people called the confluence of the rivers Diondega or Jaödeogë’. Shannopin's Town was an 18th-century Lenape (Delaware) town located roughly from where Penn Avenue is today, below the mouth of Two Mile Run, from 30th Street to 39th Street. Pittsburgh boasts a rich arts and culture scene, with a history dating back to 19th-century industrialists who commissioned and donated public works including Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts and the Benedum Center, home to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Pittsburgh Opera. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
110 miles
Nearest airport
16 miles to Pittsburgh (PIT) · major hub

How Carnegie Mellon University compares

Selectivity11.7%

More selective than 97% · #4 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania

SAT average1546

Higher than 99%

Graduation rate94%

Higher than 98% · #3 of 116 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention98%

Higher than 96%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$114,862

Higher than 99% · #2 of 116 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$31,944

Cheaper than 12% · #98 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$21,750

Lower than 61%

Student–faculty ratio5 : 1

Lower than 96%

Undergraduate enrollment7,304

Larger than 84%

Percentiles compare Carnegie Mellon University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Pennsylvania.

Carnegie Mellon University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

15,815students
  • Undergraduate7,30446%
  • Graduate8,51154%

Undergraduates by gender

7,304undergrads
  • Women3,45147%
  • Men3,85353%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White22%
  • Black4.0%
  • Hispanic10.0%
  • Asian34%
  • Other or multiracial30%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
7,304
Graduate enrollment
8,511
Student–faculty ratio
5 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
16%
First-generation students
10%
Students over 25
1%
Median family income
$91,372
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$125,748
Endowment
$3,231,995,579

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 1,708 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Pennsylvania9.4%
  • Other U.S. states71%
  • International20%

A national draw — only 9% of first-years come from Pennsylvania; 71% arrive from other states.

20% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
11.7%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1500–1570
SAT average
1546
SAT reading
730–770
SAT math
770–800
ACT composite
34–35
Average GPA
3.89

Cost

In-state tuition
$66,246
Room & board
$18,166
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$83,654
Average net price
$31,944

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
94%
Graduated on time (4 years)
81%
First-year retention
98%
Transferred to another college
2%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$105,360
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$114,862
Median debt at graduation
$21,750
Students with federal loans
34%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
88%

About 13% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
81%
Low-income (Pell)
64%
First-generation
61%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
3,996
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
55%
Housing charge (year)
$10,400
Meal plan (year)
$7,068
Application fee
$75
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
Presidents' Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
619 (362 men · 257 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (9)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)245
Football110
Swimming and Diving (combined)81
Soccer68
Basketball33
Tennis26
Golf21
Softball19
Volleyball16

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
26
Property offenses (2022–2024)
6

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 6 campuses (15,888 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

11reported offenses a year
8.7 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
5.3
Fondling
3.3
Burglary
2.0

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$9,097
$30–48k
$6,994
$48–75k
$14,468
$75–110k
$24,865
$110k+
$51,480

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$60,800

$14,468/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

48%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$44,936
average award, among those who get one

Carnegie Mellon University discounts heavily: 48% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $44,936. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,716 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$114,862
Typical debt at graduation
$21,750
Debt vs. one year's pay
19%
Out-earn a HS grad
82%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$103,467
Men
$128,274

Men out-earn women by $24,807 (24%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
84°F
Winter low
22°F
Annual rain
40.6″
Annual snow
25″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Braddock Lock 2, PA US station (5.6 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Carnegie Mellon University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Carnegie Mellon University side by side →

Colleges near Carnegie Mellon University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.