Carnegie Mellon University

Quick Stats

5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213: [map]

Phone: (412) 268-2000

2011-2012 Tuition

$43,396: tuition and fees

Students

6,108: enrolled

58%: male /

42%: female

Admissions

Jan. 1: application deadline

33.3%: accepted

More Information

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U.S. News Rankings

Ranking score and category

U.S. News rank	Category Name
#23	National Universities

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Summary

Carnegie Mellon University is a private institution that was founded in 1900. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,108, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 144 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Carnegie Mellon University's ranking in the 2012 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 23. Its tuition and fees are $43,396 (2011-12).

Carnegie Mellon University, founded by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, is located in Pittsburgh, which offers dining and entertainment options as well as professional sports teams including the Penguins (hockey), Steelers (football), and Pirates (baseball). Only freshmen are required to live on campus, but the university guarantees housing for all four years, and the majority of students choose to remain on campus. Nearly 20 percent of the student population is affiliated with Greek life, which consists of more than 20 fraternities and sororities. The Carnegie Mellon Tartans compete in NCAA Division III competitions, and the Kiltie Band, which sports full Scottish regalia, performs at every home football game.

Carnegie Mellon is known for its programs in science and technology, but its seven schools and colleges include a College of Fine Arts and College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Its graduate programs include the highly ranked Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Institute of Technology, and School of Computer Science. Undergraduates at Carnegie Mellon have the opportunity to participate in research and can even receive grants or summer fellowships to support research in their field of study. Randy Pausch, author of the New York Times best-selling book The Last Lecture, was a professor at Carnegie Mellon, which is the only top 25 university founded in the 20th century.

School mission and unique qualities (as provided by the school):

Carnegie Mellon University is a top-tier global university that has been a birthplace of innovation throughout its 111-year history. From the outset, we have endeavored to make an impact on the everyday lives of people. We choose not to study everything, but where we focus, we excel. We are renowned for working across disciplines to solve major scientific, technological and societal challenges. We put a strong emphasis on making things - from paintings to software to robots. We have partnerships across the globe. In addition to our locations in Pittsburgh, Qatar and Silicon Valley, we have more than a dozen degree programs in Asia, Australia, Europe and Latin America. Carnegie Mellon alumni, faculty and students are known for their powerful combinations of intellectual strength, creative spark, tireless work ethic and a commitment to problem solving. Carnegie Mellon is the only school founded in the United States by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Today, more than 84,000 alumni live and work around the world, embodying Carnegie's famous words, "My heart is in the work."

General Information

School type	private, coed college
Year founded	1900
Religious affiliation	N/A
Academic calendar	semester
Setting	urban
2010 Endowment	$811,732,601

Applying

When applying to Carnegie Mellon University, it's important to note the application deadline is January 1, and the early decision deadline is November 1. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due January 1. The application fee at Carnegie Mellon University is $70. It is most selective, with an acceptance rate of 33.3 percent.

For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.

Selectivity	most selective
Fall 2010 acceptance rate	33%
Application deadline	January 1
SAT/ACT scores must be received by	January 1

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Academic Life

The student-faculty ratio at Carnegie Mellon University is 12:1, and the school has 67.0 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Carnegie Mellon University include: Electrical and Electronics Engineering; Computer Science; Mechanical Engineering; Systems Science and Theory; and Biology/Biological Sciences, General. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 95.2 percent.

Class sizes

Student-faculty ratio

12:1

4-year graduation rate

69% - High

Five most popular majors for 2010 graduates

Electrical and Electronics Engineering	13%
Computer Science	12%
Mechanical Engineering	7%
Systems Science and Theory	6%
Biology/Biological Sciences, General	5%

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Student Life

Carnegie Mellon University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,108, with a gender distribution of 57.6 percent male students and 42.4 percent female students. 64.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 36.0 percent of students live off campus. Carnegie Mellon University is part of the NCAA III athletic conference.

See what students are saying about life at Carnegie Mellon University.

Total enrollment	11,618
Student gender distribution

Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity

Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority

Collegiate athletic association	NCAA III

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Campus Info & Services

Carnegie Mellon University offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, women's center, placement service, day care, health service, and health insurance. Carnegie Mellon University also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Carnegie Mellon University.

Students who have cars on campus	N/A
Health insurance offered	Yes
Students required to own/lease a computer	No

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Paying for School

At Carnegie Mellon University, 49.3 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $24,819.

Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.

Tuition and fees	$43,396 (2011-12)
Room and board	$10,800 (2011-12) - High
Financial aid statistics

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Student Reviews Ratings data provided by Unigo

Carnegie Mellon is a really tough school for the first couple of years, but the atmosphere is really nice and it is very collaborative. What's great is that it's not competitive and the students all help each other to get by. Spring Carnival is the huge event on campus. You get 2 days off in the spring, we bring in a comedian (Mitch Hedberg, Dimitri Martin, Human Giants, etc.), a band (The Roots, The Shins, Spoon, Incubus), and then there are small acts either from around the campus or around the country. What's really cool is that lots of different organizations build "booths" that are all themed & have games, primarily geared towards kids. They are very elaborate and people put in a lot of time. There are, of course, carnival rides, too. Finally, we have an event called Buggy, or Sweepstakes. Organizations build vehicles called "buggies" that are similar to box cars, although they're very aerodynamic & expensive (we are an engineering school). We find the smallest girl we can on campus, stick her in the buggy, then push her down a hill that reaches speeds of up to 35-40 mph! She's then pushed up several more hills to the finish line. It's pretty intense. CMU is located just outside of Pittsburgh. The public transportation is amazing, so you can get anywhere you need. You can easily go to baseball games, hockey games, but not so much football games (good luck getting a ticket). Although Pittsburghers love their sports, so it's fun to just watch a game in a bar. There are also a lot of museums, gardens, & parks. However, it may take a while to be able to get out into the city given academic demands.

Allison Senior

In a nutshell, CMU is a great place to go to school. It's located in Pittsburgh's Oakland region which is not-to-far but not-to-close to Downtown Pittsburgh. Oakland is also home to the University of Pittsburgh, among other colleges/universities, so it is in a pretty college-age friendly area. Oakland is also home to the Carnegie Musuem of Natural History, which is a fun place to visit from time-to-time since it is constantly changing -- and FREE for all CMU students. In addition to all the great aspects of Oakland, it is possible to explore the City of Pittsburgh (and its surroundings) with your CMU ID card since it grants you free and unlimited access to the region's public transportation system. So, you can head over to one of Pittsburgh's great sporting arenas/parks and see the local team play or to the Carnegie Science Center for a more casual outing. As for CMU itself, I cannot express how wonderful the atmosphere of the campus is. There are going-ons all the time -- all you have to do is find them. The size of the school is one of its best features. The smaller university setting gives you a chance to develop relationships with other students, as well as faculty and staff on campus. When people are told I'm a CMU student (at the risk of sounding egocentric and snobbish here) the reaction is usually along the lines of admiration. This is due to CMU's reputation of providing a quality education which helps to produce modivated students who are considered above average, in terms of quality. As for an unusual niche that CMU has, well it's just too hard to explain in words -- but at CMU we call it Carnival -- which comprises (mainly) of two things -- booth and buggy. Booth allows organizations/groups of students to literally construct massive carnival booths that are meant to inspire and impress (which they most certainly do). Buggy on the other hand is a racing competition that is truly one-of-a-kind, from what I can gather. Students build these "buggies" and race against one another in a soapbox-like, but oh-so-much-better manner. Young women are literally encapsulated in the buggy and pushed up and down hills; it sounds crazy, I know, but you'd have to see it to believe it and truly understand it.

Joel Senior

Its a remarkable academic environment. You're getting a top education, but surrounded by the most down to earth, NON arrogant people. Pittsburgh is a great city for college kids. Sports are huge so the environment is always great in any season, theres plenty of other colleges (Pitt just a couple blocks away), enough bars, restaurants, shopping, and museums to keep you busy, but small enough to feel intimate and NOT AT ALL an expensive city to live in! There's not much CMU pride in terms of atheltics, thats for sure. People love to complain about the all nighters we always pull (its true), and spend their entire freshman year threatening to transfer. Almost no one ever does. What's cool about the school is that is has so many diverse strengths. Its known for its top engineering and computer science programs, yet have some of the most competitive Design and Theater programs in the country as well.

Danielle Senior

More student reviews

* Overview details based on 2010 data

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Summary

General Information

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