What are Carnegie Mellon's average SAT scores and GPA? In this guide, we'll discuss what scores are needed for you to get admitted into Carnegie Mellon. You'll also get to calculate your own chances with our admissions calculator.
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
This school is also known as: Carnegie Mellon University, CMU
You're applying to a very selective school. Want to get a perfect 1600 SAT score?
Read our famous guide on how to get a perfect score, written by our perfect scorer and Harvard graduate, Allen Cheng. You'll learn what it takes to achieve perfection, with strategies you can use to prep more effectively.
Carnegie Mellon Admissions Statistics
There are three critical numbers when considering your admissions chances: SAT scores, GPA, and acceptance rate. All these combine to tell you what you scores are required to get into Carnegie Mellon University.
Average SAT: 1510
The average SAT score composite at Carnegie Mellon is a 1510.
Carnegie Mellon SAT Score Analysis
The 25th percentile New SAT score is 1460, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1560.
In other words, a 1460 places you below average, while a 1560 will move you up to above average. There's no absolute SAT requirement at Carnegie Mellon, but they really want to see at least a 1460 to have a chance at being considered.
Here's the breakdown of SAT scores by section:
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
| Math | 780 | 770 | 800 |
| Reading + Writing | 730 | 720 | 770 |
| Composite | 1510 | 1460 | 1560 |
Exclusive: Want to learn how to improve your SAT score by 160 points?
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
Average GPA: 3.9
The average GPA at Carnegie Mellon is 3.9. This makes Carnegie Mellon Extremely Competitive for GPAs.
(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.
With a GPA of 3.9, Carnegie Mellonrequires you to be at the top of your class. You'll need nearly straight A's in all your classes to compete with other applicants. You should also have taken plenty of AP or IB classes to show your ability to excel in academic challenge.
If you're a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change from this point on. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 3.9, you'll need a higher SAT score to compensate and show that you're prepared to take on college academics. This will help you compete effectively with other applicants.
Admissions Rate: 11.3%
The acceptance rate at Carnegie Mellon is 11.3%. In other words, of 100 students who apply, only 11 are admitted.
This means the school isvery selective. Scores are vital to getting past their first round of filters. After that, you will need to impress them beyond just your academic scores.
Final Admissions Verdict
Because this school is extremely selective, getting a high SAT score and GPA is vital to having a chance at getting in. If you don't pass their SAT and GPA requirements, they'll likely reject you without much consideration.
To be safe, you should aim for the 75th percentile, with a 1560 SAT and a 3.9 GPA or higher to be above average.
This is only part of the challenge - after this, you'll need to impress them beyond your academic scores, with your accomplishments and extracurriculars. But if you apply with a 1510 SAT or below, you unfortunately have a small chance of getting in.
Want to build the best possible college application?
We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League.
We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.
Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.
Admissions Calculator
What are your chances of admission at Carnegie Mellon University?
Chances of admission with these scores:
Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are.
Pick your test:SATACT
SAT Score
Your GPA
Note: Your admission decision relies not only on your GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but also on your coursework difficulty, extracurriculars, letters of recommendation, and personal statements. This tool provides only a simplistic estimate of your chances of admission. Instead of treating this tool as a crystal ball, we recommend you consider the big picture of what your chance means:
We recommend you apply to schools across a range of chances. Applying to some safety schools will guarantee you have a college to go to, while applying to some reach schools will give you a shot at getting into the school at the top of your range.
How would your chances improve with a better score?
Try to take your current SAT score and add 160 points to the calculator above. See how much your chances improve?
At PrepScholar, we've created the leading online SAT prep program. We guarantee an improvement of 160 points on your score, or your money back.
Here's a summary of why we're so much more effective than other prep programs:
- PrepScholar customizes your prep to your strengths and weaknesses. You don't waste time working on areas you already know, so you get more results in less time.
- We guide you through your program step-by-step so that you're never confused about what you should be studying. Focus all your time learning, not worrying about what to learn.
- Our team is made of national SAT experts. PrepScholar's founders are Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. You'll be studying using the strategies that actually worked for them.
- We've gotten tremendous results with thousands of students across the country. Read about our score results and reviews from our happy customers.
There's a lot more to PrepScholar that makes it the best SAT prep program. Click to learn more about our program, or sign up for our 5-day free trial to check out PrepScholar for yourself:
Other Schools For You
If you're interested in Carnegie Mellon, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. We've divided them into 3 categories depending on how hard they are to get into, relative to Carnegie Mellon.
Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into
These schools are have higher average SAT scores than Carnegie Mellon. If you improve your SAT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School Name | Location | SAT Avg | ACT Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Chicago | Chicago, IL | 1520 | 34 |
| Princeton University | Princeton, NJ | 1518 | 34 |
| Yale University | New Haven, CT | 1515 | 34 |
Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into
If you're competitive for Carnegie Mellon, these schools will offer you a similar chance of admission.
| School Name | Location | SAT Avg | ACT Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | 1500 | 34 |
| Dartmouth College | Hanover, NH | 1500 | 34 |
| Brown University | Providence, RI | 1493 | 34 |
| Tufts University | Medford, MA | 1465 | 33 |
| Northeastern University | Boston, MA | 1465 | 34 |
| New York University | New York, NY | 1455 | 34 |
| University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | 1435 | 33 |
Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into
If you're currently competitive for Carnegie Mellon, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If Carnegie Mellon is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.
| School Name | Location | SAT Avg | ACT Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College | Chestnut Hill, MA | 1435 | 33 |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Troy, NY | 1393 | 30 |
| Binghamton University | Binghamton, NY | 1375 | 31 |
Data on this page is sourced from Peterson's Databases © 2023 (Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.) as well as additional publicly available sources.
If You Liked Our Advice...
Visit our blog for free strategy guides on college admissions and test prep.
Our experts have written hundreds of useful articles on improving your SAT score and getting into college. You'll definitely find something useful here.
Visit our blog now.
Subscribe to our newsletter to get FREE strategies and guides sent to your email. Learn how to ace the SAT with exclusive tips and insights that we share with our private newsletter subscribers.
Get Free SAT Tipsto Boost Your Score
You should definitely follow us on social media. You'll get updates on our latest articles right on your feed. Follow us on all of our social networks:
