R1 ResearchPrivate nonprofit

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Mid East·cmu.edu
6-yr Graduation
94%
—
Total enrollment
15,888
peer median 18,596
Avg net price
$31,944
+$11k vs R1 Research
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AboutAdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeResearch fundingCommon Data SetDocumentsAlumni

About

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology and began granting four-year degrees. In 1967, it became Carnegie Mellon University through its merger with the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research, founded in 1913 by Andrew Mellon and Richard B. Mellon and formerly a part of the University of Pittsburgh.

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
33,941
33,941 candidates competed
Admitted
3,959
11.7% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,808
45.7% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
94%
4-year graduation
81%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
94%
Full-time retention
98%

Pell equity

2.6pp gap
Pell recipients
92%233 of 254
Non-Pell (all)
95%1242 of 1313
Subsidized loan, no Pell
96%280 of 292
No Federal Aid
94%962 of 1021

Non-Pell students graduate at a 2.6-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 160 Title IV programs, 36 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 123 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
160
Passing
36
22.5% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
0.6% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.6%
vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

160programs
  • Passing36 · 22.5%
  • No Data123 · 76.9%
  • Failing1 · 0.6%

Severity spectrum

Critical
1
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
2
Safe
33
No data
123

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

37
Music
Master's Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-17.3%
$39,953 vs $48,304
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Master's Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+9.6%
$52,930 vs $48,304
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+15.1%
$40,073 vs $34,808
Arts Entertainment and Media Management
Master's Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+23.6%
$59,727 vs $48,304
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+54.3%
$53,726 vs $34,808
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
Master's Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+59.1%
$78,716 vs $49,483
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+78.2%
$62,027 vs $34,808
Public Administration
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+82.9%
$84,419 vs $46,158

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

24
Arts Entertainment and Media Management
Master's Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
119%
$70,864 debt · $59,727 earn
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Master's Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
107%
$56,706 debt · $52,930 earn
Computer Software and Media Applications
Master's Degree · Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
104%
$118,435 debt · $113,586 earn
Music
Master's Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
103%
$41,000 debt · $39,953 earn
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
65%
$25,943 debt · $40,073 earn
Public Administration
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
50%
$42,353 debt · $84,419 earn
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
Master's Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
49%
$38,724 debt · $78,716 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
44%
$26,971 debt · $62,027 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Accredited since 1921Next review Nov 2026

Programmatic accreditations · 3

Action history · 2

  1. Jun 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    Middle States Commission on Higher Education
  2. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$9,097
$30–48k$6,994
$48–75k$14,468
$75–110k$24,865
$110k+$51,480

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$31,944
+$10,996vs R1 Research median $20,949
Federal loans
33.6%
In-state tuition
$66,246
Out-of-state
$66,246

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 1,435 students received $9.4M in Pell grants, alongside $44.9M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,435
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$9.4M
$9,353,323 total
Direct Loans
$44.9M
2,891 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
1k
’21
1k
’22
1k
’23
1k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$5.2M
1,193 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.2M
323 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$12.3M
620 loan awards
Parent PLUS$10.9M
287 loan awards
Grad PLUS$15.3M
468 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 1,220 borrowers who entered repayment, 2 (0.1%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.1%
-2.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,220
Defaulted
2
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
0.1%
2017
0.6%
2018
0.7%
2019
0.1%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Carnegie Mellon

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs203
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

6,059 total completions
01Computer Sciences
1,92431.8%
02Engineering
1,88931.2%
03Business
5138.5%
04Multi/Interdisciplinary
4327.1%
05Mathematics
4227.0%
06Visual/Performing Arts
2634.3%
07Physical Sciences
2193.6%
08Biological Sciences
1712.8%
09Engineering Tech
1432.4%
10Social Sciences
831.4%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
15,888
12-mo unduplicated
17,274
Undergraduate
8,041
Graduate
9,233

Gender split

Men
57%9,888
Women
43%7,386

Race / ethnicity composition

Asian
34.5%
White
21.6%
Non-resident
19.1%
Hispanic
10.0%
Unknown
5.5%
Two or more
5.3%
Black
4.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.0%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
478
290 M · 188 W
Women athletes
39.3%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$6.5M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$76K
$66K
Head-coach salaries
$60K
$54K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
130 M · 115 W
$511K
Football
110 M · —
$779K
Swimming and Diving (combined)
43 M · 38 W
$405K
Soccer
37 M · 31 W
$467K
Basketball
18 M · 15 W
$601K
Tennis
14 M · 12 W
$381K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.38
6 offenses · 15,596 students

3-year trend

1.332 yrs ago0.501 yr ago0.38Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
34
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
52
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
8
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
3

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
3
Fondling
2
Aggravated assault
1

By location

6total
  • On campus5
  • Public property1

Includes 4 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

1
Domestic violence
5
Dating violence
12
Stalking
18 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons10
Drugs104
Liquor1151

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
5.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
1,411

Carnegie Mellon vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Carnegie Mellon selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectCarnegie Mellon University
94%—15,888$31,944R1 Research
Brown University
96%5.4%11,956$25,184R1 Research
California Institute of Technology
94%2.6%2,430$16,075R1 Research
Cornell University
95%8.8%26,793$28,690R1 Research
Duke University
97%5.7%17,499$29,612R1 Research
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
94%14.1%53,363$12,116R1 Research
Johns Hopkins University
94%6.4%30,210$18,809R1 Research
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
96%4.5%11,886$20,111R1 Research
New York University
88%9.2%56,832$37,050R1 Research
Northwestern University
95%7.7%23,856$29,167R1 Research
Princeton University
98%4.6%9,137$6,128R1 Research
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
84%63.5%7,040$36,228R1 Research
Rice University
95%8.0%8,961$13,370R1 Research
Stanford University
92%3.6%18,625$13,807R1 Research
University of California-Berkeley
93%11.0%45,882$13,481R1 Research
University of California-Los Angeles
93%9.0%47,335$12,548R1 Research
University of Chicago
96%4.5%18,566$14,860R1 Research
University of Maryland-College Park
89%44.8%41,725$15,678R1 Research
University of Notre Dame
95%11.3%13,042$26,780R1 Research
University of Pennsylvania
97%5.4%29,109$28,699R1 Research
University of Southern California
92%9.8%46,566$32,740R1 Research
Washington University in St Louis
94%12.1%16,357$21,786R1 Research
Peer group median94%8.0%18,596$20,949

Institutions like Carnegie Mellon

Explore the federal data for institutions in Carnegie Mellon's comparison group.

IPEDS

Carnegie Mellon Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research and Analysis
Reports to Office of the Vice Provost for Institutional Effectiveness and Planning
Address
5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

By collecting, organizing, and analyzing information, their resulting insights allow staff and faculty to better understand the CMU community and the environment in which they work.

Visit IR office page
Team
11 members
  • Dr. Henry Zheng
    Vice Provost of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning
  • Melissa Baker
    Assistant Vice Provost for Institutional Research and Analysis
  • Shannon Foster
    Associate Director for Institutional Research and Assessment
  • Mark Chimel
    Assistant Director for Institutional Research and Analysis
  • Kirby Livingston
    Data Strategy & Institutional Research Manager
  • Zoraya Cruz-Bonilla
    Data Quality Analyst
  • Madison Speck
    Institutional Research and Student Affairs Assessment Specialist
  • Julia Parker
    Administrative and Special Projects Coordinator
  • Malak Alseaf
    Senior Data Analyst, CMU Qatar
  • Matthew Hoolsema
    Director of Data Science and Advanced Analytics
  • Diana Lomelin
    Data Scientist

Research funding

External research funding from NSF, NIH, HERD, and federal spending sources.

NSF
NSF awards
$15,932,158
USA Spending
$284,689,033
All sources
$300,621,191

Common Data Set

Carnegie Mellon's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Source publications

Reports & documents (5)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Notable alumni of Carnegie Mellon (24)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • John L. Hall
    Physics
  • Finn E. Kydland
    Economics
  • Dale Thomas Mortensen
    Economics
  • John Forbes Nash
    Economics
  • Edward C. Prescott
    Economics
  • Clifford Shull
    Physics
  • Oliver E. Williamson
    Economics
  • Edward Feigenbaum
    Computer Science
  • Shafi Goldwasser
    Cryptography
  • Allen Newell
    Artificial Intelligence
  • Stephanie Kwolek
    Chemistry
  • Luis von Ahn
    Computer Science
Showing 1–12 of 24
1 / 2

Frequently asked questions about Carnegie Mellon University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Carnegie Mellon.

What is the graduation rate at Carnegie Mellon University?

Carnegie Mellon University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 94% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Carnegie Mellon University?

Carnegie Mellon University reports a total enrollment of 15,888 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Carnegie Mellon University?

The average net price at Carnegie Mellon University is $31,944 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Carnegie Mellon University?

Carnegie Mellon University's yield rate is 45.7%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Carnegie Mellon University located?

Carnegie Mellon University is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213-3890.

Who runs Institutional Research at Carnegie Mellon University?

Carnegie Mellon University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research and Analysis, which reports to Office of the Vice Provost for Institutional Effectiveness and Planning.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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