Carnegie Mellon: the complete school report for parents

What does Carnegie Mellon actually weigh in admissions?

Carnegie Mellon rates 6 of the 18 factors "Very Important": course rigor, GPA, extracurricular activities, personal qualities, class rank, volunteer work. It does not consider 5 of them at all. Every college reports these weights in section C7 of its Common Data Set; below is Carnegie Mellon's 2025-2026 answer, read from the grid in its own file.

What GPA do admitted students actually have?

86% of enrolled students had a 3.75 GPA or above. The average was 3.89 on a 4 scale, reported for 99.7% of the entering class. This is the school’s own distribution, not an estimate from its admit rate.

What is the Carnegie Mellon waitlist really like?

Carnegie Mellon offered a place on its waiting list to 7,117 applicants and 4,937 accepted one. 36 were ultimately admitted. That is 0.7% of those who waited.

Is transferring in easier than applying as a freshman?

Carnegie Mellon admitted 8.5% of 1,610 transfer applicants, against 11.1% of first-year applicants. The two routes are similarly competitive here.

When do we apply, and does timing change the odds?

Applying Early Decision changes the odds materially: 20.6% of ED applicants were admitted against 11.1% overall, a gap of 10 points. ED is binding, so that advantage costs the ability to compare financial-aid offers.

What will Carnegie Mellon actually cost us?

Families pay an average of $31,944 a year at Carnegie Mellon after grants and scholarships, against a published in-state tuition of $67,020. The published price is not what most families pay.

, which the federal data puts at about $231 a month in repayment Carnegie Mellon’s net price calculator gives your own figure.

Does a degree from Carnegie Mellon pay off?

Graduates earn a median $114,862 ten years after entering, and $105,360 at six years. 89% out-earn a typical high school graduate within six years. 91% are actively paying down their loans three years in.

$251,632 to $23,666, depending on the major. Median earnings five years out at Carnegie Mellon:

College Scorecard, by field of study; highest and lowest shown.

Will my child actually graduate?

97% of first-years return for a second year. 94% within six (2019 cohort).

How big are the classes?

The student-faculty ratio is 5:1, and 92% of faculty are full-time. Accredited by Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

What is life at Carnegie Mellon like?

7,728 undergraduates. 10% of students are the first in their family to attend college, and the median family income is $81,652.

What this means for your student

• Course rigor is rated Very Important here, so the senior-year schedule should hold its AP, IB or honors depth rather than lighten.
• 86% of enrolled students are at a 3.75 GPA or above, averaging 3.89. Below that line the rest of the application has to carry real weight.
• Skip demonstrated-interest tactics here. Visits and emails are not tracked, so save that effort for schools where they count.
• The waitlist is live but thin: 36 of 4,937 who waited were admitted, about 1%.
• Its highest-earning major returns $251,632 five years out against $23,666 at the other end, a gap wider than the one between most schools.
• See where your student actually stands: calculate their GPA and compare it against the distribution above.

Common questions about Carnegie Mellon

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