Over 32,000 high-achieving teens applied to be part of Carnegie Mellon's Class of 2025—xiii.5% were accepted. The vast bulk of successful applicants had pristine transcripts and SATs of 1500 or better. Selectivity at this school, which is named later 2 famous/infamous Captains of Industry/Robber Barons is nothing new, just it has reached previously unimaginable levels in recent years. In the 1980s, the acceptance rate hovered between 42-46% and the average Saturday was only a shade over 1200. By the year 2000, the school received over 14,000 applications each bicycle and admitted 36%.

In add-on to the ascension in selectivity, CMU besides has a somewhat complex awarding process and besides a greatly varying degree of difficulty depending on which of the university's seven undergraduate colleges/programs you are hoping to enter. To assist you in this quest, we will provide those considering applying to Carnegie Mellon University with the following:

  • Carnegie Mellon's ED credence rate
  • Carnegie Mellon's Class of 2025 acceptance rate
  • SAT, ACT, GPA and class rank of accepted Carnegie Mellon applicants
  • Admissions trends at Carnegie Mellon
  • Carnegie Mellon'due south arrangement for rating applicants
  • A look at the demographics of Carnegie Mellon undergraduates
  • The pct of accepted students that nourish the university
  • Tips for applying to Carnegie Mellon
  • CMU essay prompts
  • How to assess whether applying to Carnegie Mellon is even worth the $75 application fee (for you lot)

Many students applying to CMU may also observe the following blogs to exist of interest:

How to Get Into:

  • University of Michigan
  •  Georgia Tech
  • Cornell University

Let's begin with an examination of the most contempo admissions data.

Carnegie Mellon: Early Determination Acceptance Rate – Grade of 2025

Carnegie Mellon accepted 20% of the 2,972 ED applicants to the Form of 2025. While this is college than the regular determination clip, this figure represents less of an advantage than at many other elite institutions where rates can be 2-iii times higher for ED applicants. The deadline for early on decision at CMU is Nov i and decisions are made by Dec fifteen. They also have an ED II option with a 1/2 deadline.

Carnegie Mellon Acceptance Rate – Grade of 2025

Out of 32,896 applications submitted for a place in the 2021-22 freshman class; just 13.5% were accepted. This is a fleck less favorable than the 17% credence charge per unit for the Class of 2024. Results by school/program are available for the Class of 2024:

College Acceptance Rate
College of Fine Arts Architecture: 34%

Fine art: 23%

Design: 11%

Drama: four%

Music: 31%
Dietrich Higher of Humanities and Social Sciences 26%
Technology xx%
Information Systems 24%
Mellon College of Science 22%
Schoolhouse of Informatics seven%
Tepper School of Business 23%

Carnegie Mellon Admissions – Sabbatum, ACT, course rank, and GPA

The overall mid-fifty% Sat range for Class of 2025 enrolled students was 1480-1560. The ACT range was 33-35. In that accomplice, 48% submitted an SAT score and 22% included an ACT event in their awarding. An incredible 89% of 2021-22 freshmen placed in the top x% of their high school class and 99.v% were in the top quartile. The boilerplate unweighted GPA was a 3.89 and 45% earned a perfect 4.0.

The SAT and ACT middle-50% ranges as well as average GPA, by college, for the Class of 2024 (virtually recent available) are as follows:

College SAT-ERW Sabbatum-M Deed  GPA
College of Fine Arts 700-740 730-780 33-34 3.77
Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences 740-770 790-800 34-35 3.87
Engineering 740-770 790-800 35 3.91
Data Systems 740-760 780-800 35 3.89
Mellon College of Science 740-770 800 35-36 3.92
School of Computer science 770-780 800 36 3.95
Tepper Schoolhouse of Business 730-760 790-800 35 3.88

Admissions Trends & Notes

  • CMU volition continue to be test-optional for students applying to join the university in fall 2023.
  • The Class of 2025 included 11% first-generation college students, upward from 9% the previous yr.
  • xviii% of the Form of 2025 identify as underrepresented minority students.
  • The boilerplate SAT for an enrolled freshman was 1509.
  • International students fabricated up 21% of the freshman class. There were 39 countries represented.
  • The boilerplate high school class rank for an enrolled freshman was 7%.

How Carnegie Mellon Rates Applicants

There are six factors that Carnegie Mellon ranks as beingness "very important" to their admissions process: rigor of secondary school record, course rank, GPA, extracurricular activities, volunteer work feel, and paid work experience.  Essays, recommendations, get-go-generation status, legacy status, character/personal qualities, race/ethnicity, and talent/ability are "important" to the admissions committee.

Carnegie Mellon is not going to exist impressed that you filled the ten spaces on the Common App Activeness List; they are looking for 18-carat excellence in one or more activities. For example, you placed in a prestigious international scientific discipline or mathematics contest, you co-authored original research, you adult an app, or you used your skills to help a charitable institution.

According to the school:

  • "No unmarried grade, factor, score or activity volition automatically gain or deny you admission to Carnegie Mellon. We treat every applicant as an individual, taking great intendance to make our admission decisions fair, thorough and sensitive. We're interested in students who can be successful at Carnegie Mellon, while taking full advantage of all the university has to offer and enriching our campus community."
  • Your non-bookish interests, including extracurricular involvement, function-time jobs, family unit commitments, hobbies and community engagement play a very important role in the admission process. We besides consider collaboration, perseverance, passion, advocacy for others and self-direction when making admission decisions.
  • Think carefully about your Carnegie Mellon college selection(due south) earlier applying. While you may utilise to up to two colleges or programs that match your interests, behave in mind that nearly applicants volition only be selected for their highest-choice college to which they're open-door.

Who Really Gets Into Carnegie Mellon?

Let'due south look at the demographics of current Carnegie Mellon undergraduates.

Geographically, we know the following about CMU students.

  • In-state students: thirteen%
  • Out-of-state students: 87%
  • The Mid-Atlantic Region is the well-nigh represented area (38%)
  • Students come from 78 countries effectually the earth.

Competition is stiffest among those hailing from states with endless streams of qualified applicants (the unabridged Northeast & the W Coast). Contrarily, the Class of 2025 contained no students from Alaska, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, or Wyoming.

Looking at ethnic identity, the breakdown for the undergraduate student body is as follows:

  • White: 22.3%
  • Asian: 38.0%
  • Hispanic: 9.3%
  • African American: 3.4%
  • Two or more: 4.4%
  • International: 15.9%

The countries sending the greatest number of students to CMU are:

  1. China
  2. Qatar
  3. India
  4. Southward Korea
  5. Canada
  6. Singapore

The breakup by gender for the Form of 2025 is as follows:

  • Male: 48%
  • Female person: 51.5%
  • Non-binary: 1.five%

Women savour a much ameliorate acceptance charge per unit than men, as the university receives far fewer applications from female students. For the Form of 2024, this was 13% (for men) versus 23% for women.

Carnegie Mellon's Yield Rate

Carnegie Mellon's yield charge per unit—the percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted is 43%. This number is over 40 points lower than Harvard and Stanford simply in the aforementioned ballpark equally many other selective individual universities. Carnegie Mellon sports a like yield rate to schools similar the University of Michigan (41%), Amherst College (35%), and Tulane Academy (37%).

Tips for Applying to Carnegie Mellon

If you plan on joining the 32,000+ CMU hopefuls for the side by side admissions wheel, you should know the post-obit:

  • Carnegie Mellon does not offer any type of in-person or alumni interviews for incoming freshmen. As a result, one of the all-time ways for admissions officers to get to know on a personal level is through your 2 required recommendations—ane from your counselor and i from your teacher. Applicants are also permitted to include an optional 3rd alphabetic character of recommendation. For tips on which teachers to target and how to ask, revisit our blog on the subject.
  • Carnegie Mellon does not officially consider "demonstrated interest" and so you won't exist judged on whether or non y'all made a campus visit (in non-pandemic times), contacted an admissions officer, etc. However, given the school's lower yield rate (compared to some other elite schools), it is never a bad idea to accomplish out to an admissions officer with a question, attend a virtual session, or engage with the school on social media.
  • To employ to more than 1 higher you will need to fill out a divide awarding and submit an additional application fee. CMU does allow y'all to select a 2d-choice schoolhouse on a singular application.
  • Make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to iii 300-give-and-take supplemental essays required by Carnegie Mellon. In the 2021-22 cycle, they are equally follows

CMU Essay Prompts

1) Many students pursue college for a specific degree, career opportunity or personal goal. Whichever it may exist, learning will be disquisitional to attain your ultimate goal. Every bit you think ahead to the process of learning during your higher years, how volition you define a successful college experience?

2) Most students cull their intended major or area of study based on a passion or inspiration that's developed over time – what passion or inspiration led you to choose this surface area of written report?

3) Consider your awarding as a whole. What do you personally want to emphasize most your application for the admission committee's consideration? Highlight something that's important to yous or something yous oasis't had a chance to share. Tell us, don't evidence us (no websites please).

For more on how to tackle the CMU essays visit our blog: Carnegie Mellon – Essay Prompts and Tips.

Should I Employ to Carnegie Mellon?

If y'all bring potent academic and extracurricular credentials to the table, in that location is no impairment in filling out a Carnegie Mellon  awarding, but—as with all highly-competitive colleges in 2022—fifty-fifty the best and brightest teens need to have an appropriate higher list, containing a complement of "target" and "safety" schools. Those that will fare all-time in conquering this admissions gauntlet will boast a transcript of direct 'A'south in an exceptionally rigorous program of classes, superior standardized test scores (typically 98th percentile or better), and at to the lowest degree ane or two talents and passions outside of the classroom.