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Carnegie Mellon University

#52 QS World Ranking#141 THE RankingUnited StatesPrivate nonprofit
  • QS ranking#52
  • Acceptance rate11%
  • Typical GPA3.9+ GPA
  • Tuition / year$62,798

Overview

About Carnegie Mellon University

#1 CS school in US (SCS); best robotics program globally; CMU Drama is elite; Tepper rising quant finance school

  • International environmentVery diverse; high % intl grad students; ~15% intl UG
  • Teaching styleResearch-heavy + project-based in CS; STEM-first; collaborative but competitive

Academics

Subjects and fit

Strongest subjects

  • Computer Science (SCS)
  • Robotics
  • Drama/Fine Arts
  • Architecture
  • Business (Tepper)
  • Statistics

Best for

  • CS
  • AI
  • robotics
  • software engineering aspirants; drama/arts students

Getting in

Admission requirements

  • GPA: 3.9+ GPA; especially for SCS
  • TOEFL 100+ / IELTS 7.0+
  • SAT/ACT required; very high math scores for SCS
  • Difficulty: Extremely Competitive (SCS ~5%)
  • Acceptance rate: 11% overall; SCS ~3–5%
  • Deadline: UG: Jan 1 (ED: Nov 1) | SCS PhD: Dec 15 | Tepper MBA: Jan

On campus

Campus and location

Housing guaranteed Y1; Pittsburgh affordable; off-campus accessible

Money

Costs and scholarships

  • Tuition (USD)62,798 (UG)
  • Living cost (USD)21,000–25,000
  • ScholarshipsPresidential Scholarship; some SCS merit aid; limited intl need-based

  • College of Engineering Fellowships at Carnegie Mellon University 2026 (Full Tuition)

    meritneed

    Sinh viên quốc tế bậc Tiến sĩ, mọi quốc tịch.

    United StatesThe great news is that there is no specific deadline to apply for College of Engineering Fellowships! While there is no fixed deadline to apply, you do need to apply for Ph.D. admissions at Carnegie Mellon University . Ph.D. admissions timelines can differ by department or project—please check your department’s page for specifics.
    Official link

  • Graduate Assistantships at Carnegie Mellon University 2026

    other

    Sinh viên quốc tế bậc Thạc sĩ và Tiến sĩ, mọi quốc tịch.

    United StatesThe great news is that there is no specific deadline to apply for Graduate Assistantships! While there are no specific dates, it’s important to apply before the Carnegie Mellon University admission deadlines . Here are the deadlines: | PhD Deadline: Exact deadlines vary depending on your chosen department or project.
    Official link
See all scholarships

After graduation

Careers and outcomes

  • Industry connectionsGoogle, Facebook/Meta, Microsoft, Uber, Waymo, Goldman Sachs; Pittsburgh tech/robotics
  • InternshipsMCDS, MSCV, MSML grad programs with 99% placement; CMU Robotics Institute internships
  • EmployabilitySCS (#1 CS globally for employer reputation); top-3 for AI/ML/Robotics

The honest view

Why students choose Carnegie Mellon University

  • Presidential Scholarship; some SCS merit aid; limited intl need-based
  • Employability: SCS (#1 CS globally for employer reputation); top-3 for AI/ML/Robotics

Worth knowing

Workload is brutal ('CMU stress culture'); Pittsburgh less exciting than coastal cities; Tepper less recognized than Wharton/Booth

GlowBal's insider note

UNRESOLVED_SOURCE_CLAIM: CMU SCS acceptance rate for BS CS is ~3-5%. INSIGHT: CMU produces the most FAANG engineers relative to class size. Robotics Institute is the world's largest robotics program.

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