Colleges / Carnegie Mellon University
College · Private nonprofit · Pittsburgh, PA · City
CMU

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

Address5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
Websitewww.cmu.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate12%
6-yr median pay$105k
Net price / yr$32k
Undergrad size7,304
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $32k/yr for a shot at a $105k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 12% means this is competitive but not impossible. Admitted students average SAT 1546 · ACT 34.

If you get in

7,304 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $84k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $32k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$335k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$128k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$207k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.2x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$66.2k
Room & board
$18.2k
Books & supplies
$1,000

How students pay for it.

Pell grants16%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans34%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$22k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $15k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention98%
Very high — students stay.
Graduation · 6 yr94%
Most finish on time.
6-yr median pay$105k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$115k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out2%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Private nonprofit
Undergrad size
7,304
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Region
Mid East (DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
Carnegie class
Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity (R1)
Size & setting
Four-year · large · highly residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
Accreditor
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Also known as
Carnegie Mellon; CMU
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • Asian34%
  • White22%
  • International19%
  • Hispanic10%
  • Unknown5%
  • Two or more races5%
  • Black4%
First-gen students10%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time2%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$91k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 91

What you can study.

Colleges / Carnegie Mellon University
College · Private nonprofit · Pittsburgh, PA · City
CMU

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

Address5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
Websitewww.cmu.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate12%
6-yr median pay$105k
Net price / yr$32k
Undergrad size7,304
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $32k/yr for a shot at a $105k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 12% means this is competitive but not impossible. Admitted students average SAT 1546 · ACT 34.

If you get in

7,304 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $84k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $32k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$335k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$128k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$207k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.2x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$66.2k
Room & board
$18.2k
Books & supplies
$1,000

How students pay for it.

Pell grants16%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans34%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$22k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $15k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention98%
Very high — students stay.
Graduation · 6 yr94%
Most finish on time.
6-yr median pay$105k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$115k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out2%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Private nonprofit
Undergrad size
7,304
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Region
Mid East (DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
Carnegie class
Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity (R1)
Size & setting
Four-year · large · highly residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
Accreditor
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Also known as
Carnegie Mellon; CMU
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • Asian34%
  • White22%
  • International19%
  • Hispanic10%
  • Unknown5%
  • Two or more races5%
  • Black4%
First-gen students10%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time2%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$91k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 91

What you can study.