Basic Information
Type
Private
Geographical Reach
National
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Population
1,700,000
Website
http://www.cmu.edu/
Weather
Comfortable Days
115 (84%)
Sunshine Hours
2,021 (3% 🌧️)
Days Without Precipitation
213 (11%)
Demographics
Total Undergraduates
7,207
Men / Women
51% / 49%
From State
9%
From Region
21%
Athletes
8.7%
Racial/Ethnic
Asian
34%
White
21%
International
19%
Hispanic
10%
Mixed
5%
Black
4%
Native American
0%
Men in the Entering Class
Men
Entering Class by Race & Ethnicity
Native
Asian
Black
Hispanic
White
International
Share of the full-time first-time degree-seeking cohort. Groups IPEDS reports separately — two or more races, and race unknown — are left out, so the lines don't sum to 100%.
Enrolled Undergraduates by Race & Ethnicity
Native
Asian
Black
Hispanic
White
International
Share of all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates, not just the entering class. Same excluded groups as above.
IPEDS Admissions (2011–2024), Graduation Rates (2011–2024) and 12-month Enrollment (2020–2025) surveys. Years a college didn't file leave a gap in the line.
Schools & Majors
| ⇅ | Trends | Degrees | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | ROI | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of Engineering | 496 | 50% / 50% | 18% | $147,514 | 100 | 98% | |
| Biomechanics | — — | — | — | $100,393 | 91 | — | |
| Chemical Engineering | 49 — | 31% / 69% | 12% | $123,860 | 99 | 92% | |
| Civil Engineering | 33 — | 55% / 45% | 12% | $108,056 | 95 | 100% | |
| Electrical & Computer Engineering | 247 — | 58% / 42% | 26% | $185,819 | 100 | 99% | |
| Environmental Engineering | 10 — | 10% / 90% | 0% | $106,496 | 95 | — | |
| Mechanical Engineering | 105 — | 47% / 53% | 10% | $116,928 | 98 | 100% | |
| Undeclared Engineering | — — | — | — | $121,943 | 98 | — | |
| Materials Science & Engineering | 52 — | 40% / 60% | 6% | $82,550 | 76 | 100% |
| ⇅ | Trends | Degrees | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | ROI | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of Fine Arts | 170 | 41% / 59% | 21% | $63,453 | 32 | 98% | |
| Digital Communication | — — | — | — | $82,106 | 76 | — | |
| Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology | 33 — | 48% / 52% | 45% | $70,458 | 53 | 100% | |
| Architecture | 11 — | 18% / 82% | 55% | $76,030 | 65 | 100% | |
| Art | 20 — | 30% / 70% | 20% | $52,480 | 8 | 100% | |
| Art Studies | — — | — | — | $52,480 | 8 | 100% | |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | — — | — | — | $77,293 | 68 | 98% | |
| Composition | 5 — | 80% / 20% | 0% | $23,589 | 1 | 95% | |
| Design | 35 — | 29% / 71% | 20% | $135,376 | 99 | 93% | |
| Digital Arts | 1 — | 0% / 100% | 0% | — | — | — | |
| Drama | 50 — | 42% / 58% | 2% | $26,052 | 1 | 100% | |
| Instrumental Performance | 4 — | 50% / 50% | 0% | $23,589 | 1 | 95% | |
| Music and Technology | 6 — | 100% / 0% | 33% | $23,589 | 1 | 95% | |
| Stringed Instruments | 3 — | 67% / 33% | 0% | $23,589 | 1 | 95% | |
| Voice and Opera | 2 — | 0% / 100% | 0% | $23,589 | 1 | 95% |
| ⇅ | Trends | Degrees | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | ROI | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences | 375 | 38% / 62% | 14% | $102,936 | 93 | 96% | |
| Information Systems | 124 +26 | 39% / 61% | 20% | $134,914 | 99 | 98% | |
| Logic & Computation | 2 — | 100% / 0% | 0% | $189,587 | 100 | — | |
| Neuroscience | 33 — | 18% / 82% | 3% | $67,848 | 45 | — | |
| Applied Economics | — +1 | — | — | $132,550 | 99 | 94% | |
| Economics and Mathematical Sciences | 49 +1 | 71% / 29% | 29% | $132,550 | 99 | 94% | |
| Applied and Professional Ethics | 12 +1 | 25% / 75% | 0% | $69,565 | 50 | — | |
| Chinese | 2 +2 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $70,258 | 52 | — | |
| Cognitive Science | 9 — | 44% / 56% | 22% | $160,258 | 100 | 100% | |
| Creative Writing | 11 +9 | 55% / 45% | 0% | $93,642 | 87 | 100% | |
| English Language and Literature | 5 +2 | 40% / 60% | 0% | $89,774 | 84 | — | |
| Foreign Languages | — +1 | — | — | $70,232 | 52 | — | |
| General Studies | 13 — | 54% / 46% | 0% | $53,785 | 10 | 92% | |
| Global Studies | 4 +2 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $134,474 | 99 | — | |
| History | 5 +5 | 40% / 60% | 0% | $76,868 | 67 | — | |
| International Relations and Politics | 16 — | 25% / 75% | 6% | $102,294 | 93 | — | |
| Japanese | — +1 | — | — | $70,075 | 52 | — | |
| Liberal Arts | 37 — | 27% / 73% | 16% | $53,785 | 10 | 92% | |
| Linguistics | 4 — | 50% / 50% | 50% | $70,788 | 53 | — | |
| Philosophy | 2 +4 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $70,063 | 52 | — | |
| Political Science | 2 — | 0% / 100% | 0% | — | — | — | |
| Psychology | 29 +4 | 24% / 76% | 7% | $60,571 | 24 | 93% | |
| Psychology and Biological Sciences | 3 — | 0% / 100% | 0% | $75,137 | 64 | — | |
| Public Policy | 2 +1 | 50% / 50% | 0% | — | — | — | |
| Russian | 1 — | 100% / 0% | 0% | $69,760 | 51 | — | |
| Social Sciences | — — | — | — | $76,659 | 67 | — | |
| Spanish | 1 +3 | 0% / 100% | 0% | — | — | — | |
| Technical Writing | 3 +5 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $93,642 | 87 | 100% | |
| Film and Visual Media | 6 +6 | 33% / 67% | 0% | $57,237 | 16 | — |
| ⇅ | Trends | Degrees | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | ROI | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mellon College of Science | 308 | 56% / 44% | 22% | $134,715 | 99 | 94% | |
| Astrophysics | 8 — | 62% / 38% | 0% | $103,797 | 93 | — | |
| Chemical Physics | 1 — | 0% / 100% | 0% | $105,866 | 94 | — | |
| Chemistry | 22 — | 59% / 41% | 9% | $93,366 | 87 | 81% | |
| Chemistry | 6 — | 33% / 67% | 17% | $93,366 | 87 | 81% | |
| Computational Finance | 14 — | 57% / 43% | 57% | $150,947 | 100 | — | |
| Computational Mathematics | 28 +2 | 46% / 54% | 21% | $149,750 | 100 | — | |
| Computational and Applied Mathematics | — — | — | — | $154,348 | 100 | — | |
| Economics and Statistics | 12 — | 75% / 25% | 17% | $155,801 | 100 | 96% | |
| Mathematical Sciences | 23 +11 | 65% / 35% | 22% | $136,262 | 99 | — | |
| Mathematics and Statistics | 23 +3 | 48% / 52% | 9% | $143,541 | 100 | 100% | |
| Physics | 12 — | 75% / 25% | 25% | $104,668 | 94 | — | |
| Statistics | 126 +47 | 57% / 43% | 29% | $155,801 | 100 | 96% | |
| Statistics and Machine Learning | 1 — | 100% / 0% | 0% | $155,801 | 100 | 96% | |
| Theoretical and Mathematical Physics | 2 +1 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $104,679 | 94 | — | |
| Biological Sciences | 27 — | 44% / 56% | 7% | $68,980 | 48 | — | |
| Biophysics | 3 — | 33% / 67% | 0% | $72,022 | 57 | — |
| ⇅ | Trends | Degrees | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | ROI | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School of Computer Science | 351 | 62% / 38% | 26% | $237,742 | 100 | 96% | |
| Robotics | — — | — | — | $126,151 | 99 | — | |
| Artificial Intelligence | 38 +15 | 50% / 50% | 26% | $185,110 | 100 | 98% | |
| Computer Science | 280 +35 | 64% / 36% | 26% | $253,580 | 100 | 96% | |
| Computer Science and Arts | 14 — | 79% / 21% | 29% | $185,110 | 100 | 98% | |
| Cybersecurity | — — | — | — | $119,811 | 98 | — | |
| Human-Computer Interaction | 1 — | 100% / 0% | 0% | $135,376 | 99 | 93% | |
| Information Technology | 12 +64 | 42% / 58% | 8% | $185,110 | 100 | 98% | |
| Computational Biology | 6 +5 | 17% / 83% | 17% | $77,144 | 67 | — |
| ⇅ | Trends | Degrees | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | ROI | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tepper School of Business | 193 | 44% / 56% | 11% | $160,531 | 100 | 94% | |
| Applied Engineering Technology | 2 — | 0% / 100% | 0% | — | — | — | |
| Business Administration | 191 +13 | 44% / 56% | 12% | $160,531 | 100 | 94% | |
| Policy and Management | — — | — | — | $160,531 | 100 | 94% |
Financial
Tuition & Fees
$69,269
ROI Percentile
100th
Retention & Graduation
Full-Time Retention
98%
4-Year Graduation Rate
81%
6-Year Graduation Rate
94%
Transfer-Out Rate
2%
Six-Year Graduation Rate
Graduated
Students finishing within 150% of normal time. Each year labels the cohort that entered six years earlier — 2024 tracks the class that started in 2018.
Six-Year Graduation Rate by Gender
Men
Women
IPEDS reports the cohort as men and women only.
Six-Year Graduation Rate by Race & Ethnicity
Asian
Black
Hispanic
White
International
Each group's completers over its own share of the entering cohort. Groups making up less than 2% of everyone this college graduated over the period are left off — their rates swing on a handful of students and read as noise.
IPEDS Graduation Rates survey, 2011–2024. Years a college didn't file leave a gap in the line.
Earnings by Major Category
Each major category's degree-weighted estimated median 5-year earnings at this college, expressed as a z-score against the national degree-weighted distribution for that category. 0 is the national average. The shaded band between +1.28 and −1.28 marks the central 80% of the national distribution (10th–90th percentile).
Academics
| ⇅ | % | Degrees | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | ROI | Employment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 24.9% | 471 | 56% / 44% | 24% | $212,512 | 100 | 96% | |
| Engineering | 23.5% | 444 | 51% / 49% | 19% | $155,123 | 100 | 98% | |
| Physical Sciences & Math | 17.4% | 330 | 54% / 46% | 21% | $132,444 | 99 | 96% | |
| Business & Economics | 12.8% | 242 | 49% / 51% | 15% | $154,818 | 100 | 94% | |
| Arts | 9.3% | 176 | 40% / 60% | 20% | $63,240 | 31 | 98% | |
| 8.5% | 161 | 31% / 69% | 8% | $76,286 | 66 | 94% | ||
| Life & Natural Sciences | 3.6% | 69 | 29% / 71% | 6% | $69,281 | 49 | — |
Research R1
| ⇅ | Research $ | Rank | Federal | Industry $ | PhDs | Rank | PhD students | Postdocs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $226M | #3 | 59% | $39.6M | 87 | #3 | 513 | 31 |
| Engineering | $160M | #28 | 62% | $15.4M | 147 | #19 | 933 | 46 |
| Physical Sciences & Math | $47.0M | #70 | 49% | $0.7M | 62 | #45 | 421 | 60 |
| $30.6M | #76 | 29% | $1.8M | 22 | #173 | 16 | 25 | |
| Life & Natural Sciences | $15.6M | #135 | 55% | $0.3M | 22 | #98 | 179 | 12 |
| Business & Economics | $12.4M | #53 | 8% | $0.8M | 6 | #168 | 30 | — |
| Education | $1.3M | #208 | 84% | $0 | — | — | — | — |
| Health Sciences | $1.0M | #247 | 52% | $0 | — | — | — | — |
| Agriculture & Food Science | $0 | #318 | — | $0 | — | — | — | — |
| Total | $494M | #62 | 56% | $58.6M | 346 | #65 | 2,092 | 174 |
Expenditure and funding source: NSF HERD, FY2024. Degrees: IPEDS completions, 2023–24. Students and postdocs: NSF Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates, fall 2024, which covers science, engineering and selected health fields only. An em dash means the source does not report the figure, which is not the same as zero.
Admissions
Uses Common App
Yes
Acceptance Rate
11%
Yield (Unbound)
38%
Early Decision 1
Nov 3
Regular Decision
Jan 5
Acceptance Rates
| In-State | Out-of-State | International | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Decision | 10% | 10% | 10% |
| Early Decision | 21% | 21% | 21% |
Acceptance & Yield
Acceptance
Yield
Applicants, Admitted & Enrolled
Applicants
Admitted
Enrolled
IPEDS Admissions survey, 2011–2024. Years a college didn't file leave a gap in the line.
Standardized Tests
Test Policy
required
Submitted Test Scores
84%
SAT Range
1500
–
1560
SAT Math Range
770
–
800
SAT RW Range
730
–
770
SAT Composite
25th
75th
SAT Math
25th
75th
SAT Reading & Writing
25th
75th
Submitting a Test Score
Submitted
IPEDS Admissions survey, 2011–2024. Years a college didn't file leave a gap in the line. Test-score submission adds SAT and ACT submitters, capped at 100% — a student can send both.
Rankings
Academics
Crying in the Library at 3 AM
Toughest Schools
All-Nighter Hall of Fame
Prestige
Grandma Eyebrow Raisers
Easy Brags for the Prestigious-Conscious
Nerd Cred
Someone Like Me
Places, Please!
Theater Participation
Theater Kid Generation
My Tribe
Tiger Mom Heaven
Most Asian-Americans
Significant Presence
Engineering
It Actually IS Rocket Science
Aerospace Engineering
Wind Tunnel Wizards
It's Not About Molecules, It's About Pipes
Chemical Engineering
Math Masochists Scared of Actual Chemicals
Playing House
Civil Engineering
Project Managers
Resistance Is Futile
Computer Engineering
FPGA Whisperers & Bit-Twiddling Demigods
Resistance Is Not Futile
Electrical Engineering
Shockingly Elite
Hugging Trees with Calculus
Environmental Engineering
Watershed Wizards
Is It a Solid? Is It a Liquid? Yes.
Materials Engineering
Crystal Clear Leaders
WD-40 & Duct Tape
Mechanical Engineering & Robotics
Mad Scientists' Machine Shop
Computer Science
Chat-GPT? Claude? I can do better.
Artificial Intelligence
AI is the New CS
No, I Can't Fix Your Printer
Computer Science (Eng)
Untouchables
Hoodie Not Included
Cybersecurity
NSA Recruiters Already Have Your Number
import pandas as pd
Data Science
The Matrix Architects
Pixels, Psychology, and Post-its
Human-Computer Interaction
The HCI & Gaming Overlords
Have You Tried Turning It Off and On Again?
Information Technology
The Network Overlords
Physical Sciences & Math
Quants, Proofs & p < 0.05
Applied Mathematics & Statistics
Wall Street's Favorite Feeder Schools
Breaking Bad
Chemistry
Plastics, Polymers & Profitable Patents
The "I Understand Interstellar" Elite
Physics & Astronomy
Our Labs Have Labs (The Experimentalists)
No Words Allowed
Pure Mathematics
Proof is in the Pudding
Life & Natural Sciences
Pre-Med Reject Waiting Room
Biology
Mitosis Mode
Lord of the Petri Dish
Microbiology & Immunology
Sterile Technique Survivors
Staring at a Gel Electrophoresis Until Our Eyes Bleed
Molecular Biology & Genomics
Pipette Pros
Agriculture & Food Science
Doomsday Prepping with Data
Environmental Science
Green Scholars
Business & Economics
PowerPoint Presentation Power Rankings
Business Administration
Tech Incubators
Pivot Tables & Missing Pallets
Business Analytics
VLOOKUP Virtuosos
It's Basic Supply and Demand, Bro
Economics
The "Chicago Boys" Free Market Fan Club
Move Fast, Break Tuition
Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Future Founders
Wolf of Wall Street Prep
Finance
Quants
Humanities & Social Sciences
I Think, Therefore I Major
Cognitive Science
Silicon Valley Overlords
Much Ado About Nothing
English, Literature & Writing
Page Turners
Model UN Generation
Government & Politics
Caucus Crew
Professional Yapping
Media & Communication Studies
Too Prestigious to Call It a Comm Degree
The "Why Are We Here?" Support Group
Philosophy & Ethics
Existential Crisis Club
Feelings, But With Error Bars
Research & Experimental Psychology
P-Hacking Paranoiacs
I Want To Understand Myself
Psychology
Biological Reductionists
Everything is a Construct
Sociology & Anthropology
Office Hours Regulars
Grammar Police Academy
World Languages & Linguistics
Grammar Nerds
Arts
Actually Employable Aesthetes
Applied Design
Apple Calls This The Recruiting Pool
Sleep Deprivation by Design
Architecture
Design Visionaries
Trapped in the Render Queue
Digital Arts & Photography
Pixels & Programming
Lights, Camera, Tuition
Film
Festival Circuit Royalty
Eight Hours of Scales
Music
Recital Royalty
Theatre Kid Generation
Performing Arts
Opening Night