Carnegie Mellon University

If you are applying to Carnegie Mellon, the regular decision application deadline is January 1 and the application fee costs $75.

Students who apply to Carnegie Mellon for the fall semester should hear back from Carnegie Mellon by April 1.

Carnegie Mellon Admissions Stats at a Glance

Here is an overiew of some of Carnegie Mellon's admissions stats.

Carnegie Mellon 2022	Admissions Statistics
Mean Unweighted GPA	3.9
Admitted Students in Top 10% of Graduating Class	88.9%
Admissions Test Policy	Test Optional
Applicants Who Submit SATs	47.7%
Applicants Who Submit ACTs	21.9%
Waitlist	Yes

Carnegie Mellon University Application Deadlines

These are the application deadlines for Carnegie Mellon University.

Application Type	Offered	Application Deadline	Notification Deadline
Early Decision I	Yes	November 1	December 15
Early Decision II	Yes	January 3	February 1
Early Action	No	––	––
Regular Decision	Yes	January 15	April 1

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Applying Early to Carnegie Mellon?

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Carnegie Mellon offers early decision but not early action. Early decision is binding, meaning you must attend if you are admitted, while early action allows you to apply early without committing.

🗓️ Early Decision I applications are due by November 1 EDI applicants should receive a decision by December 15.

🗓️ Early Decision II applications are due January 3. ED II Applicants will recieve their decision before February 1.

The early decision acceptance rate at Carnegie Mellon is 20%, compared to an overall acceptance rate of 14%. Last year, Carnegie Mellon admitted 592 of the 2972 students who applied early decision.

Some students apply early to college in hopes that it will help their chances of acceptance. When you apply early, your application is considered before all the regular decision applicants apply. Applying early may increase the chance of being admitted, since it is a way to show your interest in a school.

➡️ Find a list of some selective colleges that admit significantly more applicants during early decision or early action than during regular admission.

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More on Carnegie Mellon University Admissions

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How Hard Is It To Get Admitted to Carnegie Mellon?

Getting into Carnegie Mellon is extremely difficult. Carnegie Mellon evaluates applicants carefully based on multiple criteria to decide who to admit, and who to deny or waitlist.

In 2021, Carnegie Mellon accepted 14% of students, about 4,453 of the 32,896 students who applied.

Schools that are extremely difficult to get into, like Carnegie Mellon, accept fewer than 30% of all applicants. At least 75% of admitted students have GPAs in the top 10% of their high school class and scored over 1310 on the SAT or over 29 on the ACT.

Transferring to Carnegie Mellon University

Transfer student admissions is extremely difficult.

For Students Waitlisted to Carnegie Mellon

In 2022, Carnegie Mellon waitlisted 8,792 students and 5,319 accepted a place on the waitlist. Of those, 35 eventually got off the waitlist.

What Does Carnegie Mellon Look For in an Applicant?

Colleges consider a range of factors when deciding who to admit for their next incoming class. Each college has a different way of determining which factors are are most important when choose which applicants to admit, and which to deny. When creating your list of schools to apply to, you may want to consider your strengths and any possible weaknesses in your application, and apply to colleges that put the most emphasis on the admissions factors where you're strong.

Admissions Factors at Carnegie Mellon

Curious about the factors that are considered by Carnegie Mellon during the admissions process? Take a look at the list below to see which factors are most important during the admissions process.

Admissions Factor	Level
Academic GPA	Very Important
Character/Personal Qualities	Very Important
Class Rank	Very Important
Extracurricular Activities	Very Important
Rigor of Secondary School Record	Very Important
Volunteer Work	Very Important
Work Experience	Important
Application Essay	Important
First Generation	Important
Racial/Ethnic Status	Important
Recommendation(s)	Important
Talent/Ability	Important
Alumni/ae Relations	Considered
Geographical Residence	Considered
Standardized Test Scores	Considered

Make sure to check with Carnegie Mellon for more information on admission factors.

Carnegie Mellon 2022-2023 Application Requirements

To apply to Carnegie Mellon, all applicants must submit the following items. Check in with Carnegie Mellon's admissions department to confirm all application materials and requirements.

Area	Required	Recommended	Required for Some	Details (If Any)
Interview
Other Requirements			√	audition/portfolio for fine arts
Transcript(S) of College Record
Standardized Test Scores
Statement of Good Standing From Prior Institution(S)
Written Essay or Personal Statement	√
Transcript of High School Record	√

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GPA and Testing

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What GPA Do I Need To Get Into Carnegie Mellon?

Students admitted to Carnegie Mellon have an average unweighted GPA of 3.9.

Out of all students that were admitted, 56.5% submitted a class rank. At Carnegie Mellon 88.9% of students ranked in the top 10% of their graduating class in high school, 99.5% were in the top 25% and 100% were in the top 50%.

GPAs of Admitted Students

At Carnegie Mellon University, student GPAs fall in the following ranges.

GPA	Percent of Students
4.0 GPA	44.5%
3.75 and 3.99	40.1%
3.50 and 3.74	11.5%
3.25 and 3.49	2.4%
3.00 and 3.24	0.8%
2.50 and 2.9	0.1%
2.00 and 2.49	––

This chart depicts the percentage of all enrolled, degree-seeking, first-time, first year (freshmen) students who had high school grade point average within the given ranges.

Note: Some schools choose not release this information. If you have any questions regarding missing numbers, be sure to reach out to Carnegie Mellon directly.

About GPAs

Your high school grade point average (GPA) is a number that reflects your high school academic performance. A weighted GPA or an unweighted GPA are the two possible GPA scores considered by colleges.

An unweighted GPA is an average of your scores from each class on a four-point scale. Unweighted GPAs range from 4.0 to under 1.0. A weighted GPA considers your average grade and the difficulty of your classes. A weighted GPA boosts your average by adding extra points for honors or Advanced Placement courses.

Standardized Test Scores

Carnegie Mellon considers standardized tests scores during the admissions process.

Carnegie Mellon is test optional. Test optional schools allow students to choose if they want to submit ACT or SAT scores with their applications or not.

In 2022, 47.7% of Carnegie Mellon's first-year students submitted their SAT scores with their application. 21.9% of admitted applicants sent ACT scores.

What is a Good SAT Score for Carnegie Mellon?

On the SAT Math Section, 25% of Carnegie Mellon students scored 800 or higher and 75% of students scored 710 or higher. On the SAT Critical Reading section (formerly called the Verbal section), 25% of Carnegie Mellon students scored 760 or higher, and 75% scored a 710 or higher.

What is a Good ACT Score for Carnegie Mellon?

To be most competitive at Carnegie Mellon, you should strive to earn between 33 and 35 on the ACT.

An ACT score of 35 means you fall in the 75th percentile for Carnegie Mellon's admitted students. One out of every four students scored above a 35, and three out of four students scored lower than 35 on the ACT.

A 33 on the ACT is the 25th percentile for Carnegie Mellon students. Only one out of every four students scored below 33.

Want To Bring Up Your ACT Score? Access ACT practice tests and study tips and see upcoming ACT test dates.

More Information on Transferring to Carnegie Mellon University

For transfer students, it is extremely difficult to get admitted to Carnegie Mellon.

For transfer students wishing to start in the fall, the deadline to apply is February 15. Applicants should hear back by May 15.

Transfer students can enroll in Carnegie Mellon during the following terms:

• Fall Term

• Spring Term

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Carnegie Mellon Admissions FAQs

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Can I defer my acceptance to Carnegie Mellon?

✅ Yes, admitted students can defer their admission to Carnegie Mellon.

Does Carnegie Mellon accept transfer credits?

✅ Carnegie Mellon accepts eligible transfer credits from accredited institutions.

Does Carnegie Mellon accept Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) credits?

✅ Carnegie Mellon accepts International Baccalaureate credits (IB) credits and Advanced Placement (AP) credits.

Do I have to submit test scores to Carnegie Mellon?

❌ No, Carnegie Mellon is test optional, so you can decide whether or not to submit your test scores. If you have higher than average scores, you probably want to include them. If your scores are average or below average, you it might make sense to leave them out of your application.

What is Carnegie Mellon's acceptance rate?

✅ The acceptance rate for Carnegie Mellon is 14%.

What is the early decision acceptance rate at Carnegie Mellon?

✅ Carnegie Mellon's early decision acceptance rate was 20% in 2021.

Want To Learn More About Carnegie Mellon?

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