Especially for Alumni Daughters/Sons
Thank you for considering Carnegie Mellon! You heard time and again about your family’s experiences at the university, Carnival to painting the Fence – now it’s your turn to experience Carnegie Mellon!
Whether you’ve attended Tartan athletic events or attended a reunion, we want to invite you to campus for an official tour and informational interview. Because our campus and student work is constantly evolving, we encourage you to explore all that the university has to offer. While you may follow a family member’s footsteps by attending Carnegie Mellon, we are confident that you will leave a mark on the university that is all your own.
› Our Site, Your Perspective
› What Do We Want to See
› How to Prepare
› Timeline for Preparation
› How to Pay for College
Our Site, Your Perspective
Below we've highlighted pages on our site that we don’t think you should miss as an alumni daughter/son. Take a look around and discover Carnegie Mellon from your perspective. A link to this page is located at the bottom of every page in the site so you can return here easily.
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What Do We Want to See
Every applicant is an individual. At Carnegie Mellon, we select our admitted class from a group of many very qualified candidates. We don’t use calculations to select an admitted class of freshmen. Calculations can’t take into account all of the factors we like to consider when making admission decisions. No single grade, factor or score will automatically gain or deny you admission to Carnegie Mellon. We treat every application individually, taking great care to make our admission decisions fair, thorough and sensitive. We’re interested in students who can be successful at Carnegie Mellon, while taking full advantage of all the university has to offer and enriching our campus community.
We consider a variety of factors. The majority of our candidates are admissible and could be successful at Carnegie Mellon. We use a variety of factors to select prospective freshmen from those admissible candidates.
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Admission interviews are not required, but they are recommended. It’s another way for the admission staff to gain insight into who you are and it helps personalize the process. Don’t be nervous! Our interviews are informal – it’s a chance for us to learn more about you and for you to learn more about Carnegie Mellon. If you can’t meet with a member of our admission staff, we have numerous alumni representatives who also conduct interviews.
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Academic and Artistic Potential
Our admission process is designed to select a highly talented, diverse undergraduate population from among those who will succeed at Carnegie Mellon. If you are applying for academic programs, your high school performance will be the main factor in our admission decision because it’s the most meaningful indication of your abilities. We pay close attention to your curriculum rigor, the grades you’ve earned and the work you’ve accomplished. We’re interested in seeing that you’ve challenged yourself within your secondary school environment. If you are applying for programs in the arts, your artistic performance will be either the main factor or a significant factor (depending on the program) in our admission decision.
Standardized Tests
Standardized test scores add to our knowledge of your ability, but we don’t make decisions simply on the basis of test scores. Your high school record and standardized test scores (SAT Reasoning Test or ACT with Writing and SAT Subject Tests) work together to make up the academic portion of your evaluation.
Activities, Jobs and Other Interests
Your non-academic activities, including extracurricular accomplishments, part-time jobs or hobbies and community service also play a very important part of the admission process. We also consider leadership, motivation, out-of-class recognition, community and volunteer service and other experiences when making admission decision.
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Your high school performance is a major factor in the admission decision. We don’t just look at your grades – we also look at the types of classes you’re taking. We want to see students challenging themselves if honors and AP classes are available in their school. It not only shows that you’re willing to put in the extra effort, it’s also the best preparation for the coursework you’ll have in college. We also look to see how you’ve performed in the subject material related to your intended major…so for students interested in a technical field we look at your math and science background to make sure you have a firm foundation to be successful.
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Our students make Carnegie Mellon an exciting campus. The positive qualities and diverse experiences you bring with you will enrich our community. By looking at this non-academic information, we develop a sense of your personality, motivation and sense of responsibility.
Interest in Carnegie Mellon
By showing an interest in learning more about Carnegie Mellon, you can enhance your application. We strongly recommend that you have a campus visit, which adds a personal touch to our evaluation.
Other Personal Information
Because we want to have a sense of who you are as a person, we look closely at the essay and personal statement you’re asked to write, your guidance counselor’s evaluation and your teacher’s recommendation.
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How to Prepare
In preparation for your application process to Carnegie Mellon, you should first be aware of the many documents that you are required to submit for your application to be complete. Your application review cannot be completed without all required documents having been received by the assigned date. It is essential that you familiarize yourself with these required documents. The late submission of required documents can significantly hamper our ability to provide you with a timely decision.
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If you are submitting documents for application review that are not in English, these documents must be translated for our application review committees. This includes all academic materials.
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Required Documents
- Common Application
- Carnegie Mellon Common Application Supplement
- Carnegie Mellon Supplement Essay
- Common Application Essay
- Secondary School Report (from Common Application)
- An official high school transcript
- Teacher Recommendation
- Official SAT Reasoning Test or ACT with Writing results and SAT Subject Test score reports (if applicable, see Test Requirements and official TOEFL or IELTS score report (see International Applicants).
Please note, Carnegie Mellon uses the Common Application exclusively. You MUST submit the Carnegie Mellon Common Application Supplement before your application will be processed by the Office of Admission.
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In the recommendation letters from counselors and teachers we’re looking for more than a reiteration of your grades. We can get that information from your transcript. We want to know more about you as an individual – Do you take an active role in class discussion? How do you interact with others in the classroom? Anything that can tell us more about you on a personal level is helpful.
The same goes for your essay and personal statement. Tell us something about yourself that we’re not going to get from other materials in your application. We love to see your personality! It’s very helpful if students provide insight into their interests, hobbies, and personal background.
If you are applying to more than one college or program, be sure to mention each program in your essay. Different committees review for different areas so you want to be sure to touch upon your interests in all areas you’ve applied to in your essay.
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Timeline for Preparation
- Before preparing your application materials for Carnegie Mellon, please familiarize yourself with our deadlines and available majors.
- If your application review requires an audition or portfolio/project review, be certain to schedule this portion of the review by visiting our scheduling Web site.
- Begin preparing your application materials well in advance of the deadline. Be sure to give your counselor and teacher(s) ample time to write their letters of recommendation!
- Be certain to make copies of all the documents you submit in case something is mishandled or misplaced!
- Submit all required documents by the stated deadlines. Call our Office of Admission well in advance of the deadline should you have any difficulty in completing your application.
- If the Office of Admission notifies you that something is missing from your application, be certain to respond in a prompt and timely manner by submitting the missing documents. Applications cannot be considered (and are eventually rejected) if we do not have all required documents.
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How to Pay for College
Financing a college education will take creativity, sacrifice and support…although there are many ways of making it happen. That’s why Carnegie Mellon has a financial assistance program designed to provide your family with options.
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