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Admissions · United States

Carnegie Mellon Acceptance Rate: Admissions Statistics and English Requirements

Carnegie Mellon admitted 11.1% of first-year applicants for fall 2025 (3,859 of 34,867), according to its Common Data Set.

Carnegie Mellon's Institutional Research and Analysis office publishes the Common Data Set each year for the Pittsburgh campus. Below are the last three cycles, early decision, wait-list and transfer figures, what CMU does and does not publish about the School of Computer Science, and the TOEFL and IELTS minimums for international applicants.

Figures read from official sources on · LingoLeap Admissions Research

Carnegie Mellon University acceptance rate by year

Carnegie Mellon University applicants, admits and acceptance rate by admission cycle
CycleApplicantsAdmittedAcceptance rate
Fall 2025 entering class34,8673,85911.1% source
Fall 2024 entering class33,9413,95911.7% source
Fall 2023 entering class33,7073,84311.4% source

Carnegie Mellon acceptance rate by round and applicant group

Carnegie Mellon University acceptance rate by admission round, college or applicant group
GroupCycleRateDetail
Early DecisionFall 202520.6%553 admitted of 2,680 ED applicants source
Early DecisionFall 202413.8%612 admitted of 4,423 ED applicants source
Early DecisionFall 202313.6%615 admitted of 4,515 ED applicants source
Wait listFall 20250.7%36 admitted of 4,937 who accepted a wait-list place (7,117 offered) source
Wait listFall 20240.3%32 admitted of 10,062 who accepted a wait-list place (16,484 offered) source
Wait listFall 20231.5%75 admitted of 5,106 who accepted a wait-list place (8,587 offered) source
Yield (admits who enrolled)Fall 202546.7%1,804 enrolled of 3,859 admitted source
TransferFall 20258.4%136 admitted of 1,610 source
TransferFall 20245.6%94 admitted of 1,688 source
TransferFall 20235.8%87 admitted of 1,507 source

What the numbers mean

Carnegie Mellon's overall acceptance rate has been steady at about 11–12% for three cycles, on roughly 34,000 first-year applications a year. Early decision is the one round with a noticeably higher rate: 20.6% for fall 2025, although the number of ED applications fell from 4,423 to 2,680 that year. CMU has no early action round, and the wait list rarely moves: 36 students were admitted from it for fall 2025.

CMU admits students to one of its undergraduate colleges, and the School of Computer Science is the best-known. CMU does not publish an admit rate for the School of Computer Science, or for any individual college, in its Common Data Set or on the SCS admissions pages. SCS says it admits students into the school rather than into departments; students declare a major such as computer science, AI or robotics in the spring of their first year.

Enrolled first-years in fall 2025 had a middle 50% SAT of 1500–1560 (median 1540) and a middle 50% ACT of 34–36; 65.5% of the class submitted SAT scores and 18.1% ACT scores. CMU does not break its applicants down by residency, so it publishes no separate acceptance rate for international students.

Carnegie Mellon University TOEFL and IELTS requirements

Minimums for international applicants from the university's own pages. Since 21 January 2026 TOEFL iBT reports a 1–6 band score; the notes give the older 0–120 equivalent where the university states one. Convert TOEFL and IELTS scores.

Undergraduate (university-wide)

TOEFL iBT: 5 overall (1–6 scale)

Carnegie Mellon University requires a minimum TOEFL of 5.0 overall on the 2026 scale for undergraduate admissions. Individual colleges (SCS, Tepper) may have higher recommendations.

Official page · checked 22 March 2026

Master's (university-wide)

TOEFL iBT: 86 overall on the pre-2026 0–120 scale (no 1–6 minimum published yet)

CMU does not publish a single university-wide TOEFL minimum. Requirements vary by department: ECE/BME require 86 iBT; Mechanical Engineering requires 84 iBT; SCS (CS, ML, AI programs) requires 100 iBT; Heinz College has published new 2026-scale section minimums. The 86 iBT shown here represents the most common engineering baseline. Select a program-specific option for accurate requirements.

Official page · checked 21 March 2026

Master's · School of Computer Science (SCS)

TOEFL iBT: 100 overall on the pre-2026 0–120 scale (no 1–6 minimum published yet)

All SCS graduate programs (MSCS, MCDS, MSAII, MS Machine Learning, MS Language Technologies) require a minimum of 100 iBT on the old scale. This applies to all Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science Master's programs. 2026-scale equivalent not explicitly published.

Official page · checked 21 March 2026

Master's · Heinz College

TOEFL iBT: 4.5 overall (1–6 scale)

Heinz College (MSPPM, MSIT, MS Health Care Policy and Management, MS Arts Management) published explicit 2026-scale minimums: minimum R:4.5, L:5.0, S:4.0, W:4.5. Recommended scores are 5.0–5.5. This is lower than the SCS requirement of 100 iBT.

Official page · checked 21 March 2026

Check your score against Carnegie Mellon University

Take a free 2026-format TOEFL mock test for a 1–6 band estimate, then compare it with the minimum above and with other universities' requirements.

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FAQ

What is the Carnegie Mellon acceptance rate?

Carnegie Mellon admitted 3,859 of 34,867 first-year applicants for fall 2025, an acceptance rate of 11.1%, according to its Common Data Set. It was 11.7% for fall 2024 and 11.4% for fall 2023.

What is the CMU computer science acceptance rate?

Carnegie Mellon does not publish one. Its Common Data Set reports only university-wide figures, and the School of Computer Science admissions page does not give an admit rate. Any CMU CS acceptance rate you see elsewhere is an estimate, not a university figure. CMU admits students into the School of Computer Science as a whole, not into individual departments.

What is the Carnegie Mellon early decision acceptance rate?

For fall 2025 CMU admitted 553 of 2,680 early decision applicants, 20.6%. It was 13.8% for fall 2024 (612 of 4,423) and 13.6% for fall 2023 (615 of 4,515). CMU does not offer early action.

What SAT or ACT score do you need for Carnegie Mellon?

For fall 2025 enrolled first-years, the middle 50% SAT was 1500–1560 with a median of 1540, and the middle 50% ACT was 34–36 with a median of 35. 65.5% of the class submitted SAT scores and 18.1% submitted ACT scores.

What is the CMU acceptance rate for international students?

Carnegie Mellon does not publish a separate acceptance rate for international applicants; its Common Data Set does not split applicants by residency. International applicants also need to meet the English requirements below.

What is the Carnegie Mellon transfer acceptance rate?

CMU admitted 136 of 1,610 transfer applicants in the 2025-26 Common Data Set, 8.4%. It was 5.6% for fall 2024 and 5.8% for fall 2023.

What TOEFL score does Carnegie Mellon require?

For undergraduate admission CMU requires a TOEFL iBT of 5.0 overall on the 1–6 scale used since January 2026; some colleges recommend more. Graduate requirements are set by department: the School of Computer Science asks for 100 on the older 0–120 scale, while Heinz College publishes section minimums on the new scale.

Sources