Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · Also known as Carnegie Mellon; CMU · Website
$114,862
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$114,862
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Carnegie Mellon University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with 7,304 undergraduates and 8,511 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $31,944 a year (tuition and fees $66,246). It admits 12% of applicants and 94% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $114,862 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $21,750 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$31,944
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$66,246
US median $11,837
Admission rate
12%
US median 78%
Completion rate
94%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$21,750
About $231 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$114,862
Rank 15 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $31,944
- Tuition and fees
- $66,246
- Cost of attendance
- $83,654
- Students with a need-based grant
- 16%
- Students with federal loans
- 34%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $9,097
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $6,994
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $14,468
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $24,865
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $51,480
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $50,665 in 2015-16 to $66,246 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 12%
- Average SAT
- 1,546
- SAT reading, middle
- 735
- SAT math, middle
- 785
- ACT, middle
- 34
- Undergraduates
- 7,304
- Graduate students
- 8,511
- Part-time students
- 2.3%
- Women
- 49%
- Students per teacher
- 5
- Completion rate
- 94%
- Retention rate
- 98%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 221
- Endowment
- $3.2B
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 15 of 5,094 US colleges and 2 of 270 in Pennsylvania (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | PA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $31,944 | $19,970 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $66,246 | $19,182 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 12% | 81% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 94% | 66% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 98% | 78% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $21,750 | $17,500 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $105,360 | $42,275 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $114,862 | $49,700 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 91% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 89% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
221 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 1,085 | $61,305 | $138,781 | $193,154 | $124,201 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 446 | $61,500 | $160,336 | $209,847 | $133,654 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsMaster's | Master's | 343 | $80,887 | $169,421 | Withheld | $124,807 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementMaster's | Master's | 276 | $51,970 | $103,148 | $146,578 | $121,855 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 270 | $21,442 | $171,264 | $268,121 | $107,009 |
| Computer EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 205 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $136,736 |
| Mechanical EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 203 | $34,193 | $93,617 | $127,603 | $115,974 |
| StatisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 172 | $21,000 | $93,111 | $156,743 | $92,425 |
| Computer Systems Networking and TelecommunicationsMaster's | Master's | 168 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $114,420 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 157 | $22,224 | $139,337 | $250,168 | $100,647 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 151 | $23,250 | $95,891 | $160,783 | $68,257 |
| Systems Science and TheoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 118 | $23,250 | $95,598 | $146,929 | $88,036 |
| Public Policy AnalysisMaster's | Master's | 117 | $41,000 | $68,342 | $103,268 | $93,020 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 111 | Withheld | Withheld | $187,437 | $92,374 |
| Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 109 | Withheld | Withheld | $221,170 | $140,634 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 107 | $22,777 | $76,523 | $105,623 | $92,135 |
| Applied MathematicsMaster's | Master's | 98 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computational ScienceMaster's | Master's | 95 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $138,757 |
| Computer Software and Media ApplicationsMaster's | Master's | 91 | $111,064 | $70,280 | $113,586 | $120,083 |
| Engineering-Related FieldsMaster's | Master's | 89 | Withheld | Withheld | $126,105 | $125,651 |
| Biomedical/Medical EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 84 | $65,577 | $75,083 | Withheld | $106,375 |
| Civil EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 80 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $98,323 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media ManagementMaster's | Master's | 71 | $70,864 | $47,740 | $59,727 | $59,685 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's | Bachelor's | 64 | $25,000 | $32,967 | $40,073 | $39,775 |
| Computer ScienceMaster's | Master's | 61 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $145,571 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Pennsylvania
- Homes: Homes for sale in Pennsylvania
Questions and answers
How much does Carnegie Mellon University cost?
$31,944 a year is the average net price at Carnegie Mellon University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $66,246, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $83,654. Families earning under $30,000 pay $9,097 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Carnegie Mellon University?
12% of applicants are admitted to Carnegie Mellon University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,546 and the middle ACT score is 34. The median admission rate of colleges in Pennsylvania is 81%.
How much do Carnegie Mellon University graduates earn?
$114,862 a year is the median pay of former Carnegie Mellon University students who work, 10 years after they started ($105,360 after 6 years). That ranks 15 of 5,094 US colleges and 2 of 270 in Pennsylvania. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Computer Science (Bachelor's) at $171,264.
How much student debt do Carnegie Mellon University graduates have?
$21,750 is the median federal student loan debt of Carnegie Mellon University graduates, about $231 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 34% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Carnegie Mellon University?
94% of first-time, full-time students at Carnegie Mellon University finish within 6 years. 98% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Carnegie Mellon University?
Computer and Information Sciences, General (1,085 master's graduates), Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (446 master's graduates), Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (343 master's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 221 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.