Carnegie Mellon admitted 11% of applicants for its Class of 2029 — but that single figure obscures one of the widest by-school selectivity gaps at any major US university. CMU's School of Computer Science reportedly admits under 5% of applicants, while its Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences runs closer to 24% — meaning your actual odds at Carnegie Mellon depend almost entirely on which school you're applying to, not the university-wide number.
minneapolis City properties
Find your perfect student accommodation
CMU Acceptance Rate: The Short Answer
Carnegie Mellon's acceptance rate is 11.6%. For the Class of 2028, CMU admitted 3,959 students from 33,941 applications.
The rate has been stable for three cycles: 11.3% for the Class of 2026, 11.4% for the Class of 2027 and 11.6% for the Class of 2028. Applications have hovered around 34,000 throughout, so CMU is neither getting easier nor harder in aggregate.
The aggregate is the wrong number to plan with, and the next section explains why.
What Is Carnegie Mellon's Acceptance Rate?
CMU received 34,867 applications and admitted 3,859 students for its Class of 2029, an overall rate of 11%. Early Decision applicants fared notably better, at roughly 14–21% depending on the specific cycle cited — meaningfully higher than the Regular Decision pool, consistent with CMU's binding Early Decision option rewarding demonstrated first-choice commitment.
Is Carnegie Mellon Hard to Get Into?
Yes, and unevenly so depending on your intended school. CMU doesn't admit students to "Carnegie Mellon" as an undifferentiated pool — you apply directly to one of its colleges (School of Computer Science, College of Engineering, Tepper School of Business, Mellon College of Science, College of Fine Arts, or Dietrich College), and each runs its own admissions review with its own effective selectivity. Treating CMU's 11% as your personal odds only makes sense if you're applying to a school near that average; for the most competitive schools, your real odds are considerably lower.
Carnegie Mellon Acceptance Rate by School
CMU doesn't officially publish a per-college breakdown the way it reports its university-wide rate, but the following estimates — consistently reported across multiple admissions-data analyses drawing on CMU's Common Data Set and enrollment patterns — give a reasonable picture of the spread:
| CMU School/College | Estimated acceptance rate |
| School of Computer Science | Under 5% |
| College of Engineering | ~10% |
| Tepper School of Business | ~10% |
| Mellon College of Science | ~15% |
| College of Fine Arts | ~15% (varies heavily by major and audition/portfolio review) |
| Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences | ~24% |
These are third-party estimates, not figures CMU has officially released per school — treat them as directional rather than precise. The consistent pattern across independent analyses, though, is a roughly 5x gap between the School of Computer Science and Dietrich College, which is a meaningful enough spread to plan your application strategy around even without an exact official number.
Why 47% of Admitted Students Say No
Carnegie Mellon's yield is 47%. Fewer than half of admitted students enroll.
That is a striking figure for a university this selective, and it tells you something practical about the applicant pool. CMU's strongest programs compete for the same students as MIT, Stanford and the Ivy League, and it loses a large share of its cross-admits to them.
Two consequences for an applicant:
CMU admits more students than it needs to fill the class. With a 47% yield, the university must admit roughly twice its target intake. That is already priced into the 11.6% figure, which is why the rate looks less brutal than the reality of the pool.
Compare it across Pennsylvania. The University of Pennsylvania yields 68%, largely because binding Early Decision fills about half its class, as we set out in the Penn acceptance rate guide. Penn State University Park yields 15%. Three universities in one state, three completely different relationships with the students they admit.
CMU Computer Science: The Most Selective Program in the Country?
An under-5% estimated acceptance rate would put CMU's School of Computer Science among the most selective single programs at any US university — more selective than the overall admit rate at most Ivy League schools. If computer science is your goal but you're open to which specific CMU school gets you there, it's worth knowing that CMU offers computer science-adjacent coursework and cross-registration opportunities through less selective colleges as well; applying directly to SCS is the most direct path but also by far the narrowest one.
Carnegie Mellon GPA and Test Scores
CMU's Class of 2029 averaged an unweighted GPA of 3.8+, with a middle-50% SAT range of 1500–1570 and ACT range of 34–35 among students who submitted scores. These figures represent the university-wide admitted profile; applicants to the School of Computer Science specifically should assume they need to sit at or above the top of these ranges, given the program's much lower estimated acceptance rate relative to CMU overall.
Carnegie Mellon Application Deadlines
Early Decision (binding) is due November 3. Regular Decision is due January 5 for most programs, though the Schools of Drama and Music have an earlier December 1 deadline — a detail worth catching if you're applying to either, since it's a full month ahead of CMU's general Regular Decision date.
Carnegie Mellon Early Decision
CMU's Early Decision acceptance rate for the Class of 2028 was 13.8%, against 11.6% overall. Applications are due November 1 with decisions by December 15.
Note how modest that gap is. A 13.8% early rate against an 11.6% overall rate is a small advantage, and it is a very different proposition from Penn, where early applicants see roughly 14% against about 4% in Regular Decision.
The practical reading: at CMU, Early Decision is worth applying for if CMU is your first choice and you are comfortable with a binding commitment. It is not worth restructuring your application strategy around, because the statistical gain is small. At Penn the calculation is genuinely different.
Carnegie Mellon Tuition 2026-27
CMU's undergraduate tuition for 2026-27 is $69,702, a 3.93% increase over the prior year. On top of tuition, a standard double room runs $11,700 and a traditional first-year meal plan runs $7,950 — additional costs on top of the base tuition figure that push CMU's full cost of attendance well above $90,000 once fees, books, and personal expenses are included.
Where Carnegie Mellon Students Live
Carnegie Mellon sits in Oakland, Pittsburgh's university district, sharing the neighborhood with the University of Pittsburgh. It is a compact campus in a walkable part of the city, which makes off-campus living genuinely practical from second year.
Pittsburgh is the cheaper of Pennsylvania's two big cities. Average rent is $1,834 a month against Philadelphia's $2,036, and the city's overall cost of living runs about 4% below the Pennsylvania average and only about 2% above the national one.
| Unit | Pittsburgh | Philadelphia |
| Studio | $1,490 | $1,488 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,689 | $1,859 |
| 2 bedroom | $2,052 | $2,350 |
| 3 bedroom | $2,687 | $3,520 |
The gap widens as units get bigger. A three-bedroom in Pittsburgh is $833 a month cheaper than in Philadelphia, which works out at roughly $278 per person. For a group of three sharing across a four-year degree, that is a meaningful sum.
Browse student accommodation near Carnegie Mellon and the wider Pittsburgh market.
CMU guarantees housing for first years. Most students move off campus from second or third year, and our comparison of college dorms versus off-campus housing works through the trade-off. Take the apartment tour checklist to viewings. CMU has a large international student population, so renting without a credit history in the USA and co-signing student leases in the USA are worth reading early.
Flagged for review. Pittsburgh rent figures are August 2026 market averages across all housing, not student-specific rates.
Wassup
Instagram??
Carnegie Mellon Acceptance Rate: FAQs
What is Carnegie Mellon's acceptance rate?
11% overall for the Class of 2029 (3,859 admits out of 34,867 applicants). This varies dramatically by school — the School of Computer Science is estimated at under 5%, while Dietrich College runs closer to 24%.
What is CMU's Computer Science acceptance rate?
CMU doesn't officially publish a per-school rate, but consistent third-party estimates based on CMU's Common Data Set put the School of Computer Science's acceptance rate under 5% — among the most selective single programs at any US university.
Is Carnegie Mellon harder to get into than Ivy League schools?
For its School of Computer Science specifically, the estimated sub-5% acceptance rate is lower than the overall acceptance rate at most Ivy League schools, though CMU's less selective colleges (like Dietrich College, at roughly 24%) are considerably more accessible than that comparison suggests.
Does Early Decision improve your chances at Carnegie Mellon?
Yes. CMU's Early Decision acceptance rate has run in the 14-21% range depending on the specific cycle, notably higher than the university-wide Regular Decision pool, consistent with binding Early Decision rewarding demonstrated first-choice commitment.
What is the CMU acceptance rate?
Carnegie Mellon's acceptance rate is 11.6%, admitting 3,959 students from 33,941 applications for the Class of 2028.
What is Carnegie Mellon's yield rate?
47%. Fewer than half of admitted students enroll, because CMU competes for the same applicants as MIT, Stanford and the Ivy League and loses many cross-admits.
Does applying Early Decision help at Carnegie Mellon?
Modestly. The Early Decision rate was 13.8% against 11.6% overall for the Class of 2028. That is a much smaller advantage than at Penn, where early applicants see roughly 14% against about 4% regular.
Is Carnegie Mellon harder to get into than Penn?
No. Carnegie Mellon admits 11.6% of applicants and the University of Pennsylvania admits 4.8%. But CMU's School of Computer Science admits about 7% and its Drama program about 4%, so the comparison depends entirely on which program you apply to.
Where do Carnegie Mellon students live?
CMU is in Oakland, Pittsburgh's university district. Housing is guaranteed for first years and most students move off campus after that. Pittsburgh's average rent is about $1,834 a month, cheaper than Philadelphia.
Key Takeaway
Carnegie Mellon's 11% headline acceptance rate is close to meaningless for planning your own odds — the school you apply within matters far more, with an estimated spread from under 5% (School of Computer Science) to roughly 24% (Dietrich College). If CS is your goal, know you're competing for what may be the single most selective admission pool at any major US university, and plan your target GPA and test scores at the top of CMU's overall ranges, not the average. For a direct contrast in how differently universities structure CS admission, see how Purdue handles Computer Science (no published freshman-specific rate, but hard published GPA gates for switching in later) and how UW-Madison declares CS after enrollment rather than through direct freshman admission at all.