Carnegie Mellon vs California Institute of Technology

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and California Institute of Technology (Caltech) stand as two of the most prestigious universities in the United States, each offering a unique educational experience. CMU, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is renowned for its strength in computer science, engineering, and business, while Caltech, situated in Pasadena, California, excels in science, engineering, and technology. With acceptance rates of 13% and 7%, respectively, both institutions are highly selective, attracting top students from around the world. While CMU boasts a larger student body with a diverse mix of undergraduate and graduate programs, Caltech maintains a smaller, more intimate community focused primarily on undergraduate education. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two exceptional universities, including popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which institution best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California Institute of Technology	Carnegie Mellon University
Overview
Location	Pasadena, California	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	99.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	3.9%	13.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $100	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75
SAT range	N/A	1480 - 1560
ACT range	N/A	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score		48.0%
Students submitting ACT score		22.0%
Total number of applicants	13,026	32,896
Total number of admissions given out	510	4,453
Admitted students who chose to enroll	270	1,896
Yield rate	52.9%	42.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$82,122	$75,664
Average net price	$30,162	$37,450
Tuition	$56,364	$57,560
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,398 Meal plan: $7,350	Room/dormitory: $9,614 Meal plan: $6,536
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $47,556	50.0% Average amount $39,421
Students receiving federal student loan	5.0% Average amount $5,333	37.0% Average amount $4,672
Students taking out private loans	15.0% Average amount $4,732	3.0% Average amount $29,079

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	987 Men 55.3% Women 44.7%	6,932 Men 50.2% Women 49.8%
Graduate students	1,410 Men 66.7% Women 33.3%	8,125 Men 62.3% Women 37.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	92.2%	85.0%
International students	29.4%	40.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,572	3,754
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Texas Georgia Maryland Florida	California Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Physical Science Computer and Information Science Biological and Biomedical Sciences Mathematics and Statistics	Engineering Computer and Information Science Business Visual & Performing Arts Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	3:1	5:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.9%	92.8%
Dropout rate	4.6%	3.5%
Transferred out	1.7%	2.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $155,297 Year 3: N/A Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $129,693 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: N/A Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $59,996 Year 2: $89,875 Year 3: N/A	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $161,723 Year 2: $160,116 Year 3: $201,541 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $139,390 Year 2: $133,383 Year 3: $150,136 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $109,615 Year 2: $107,758 Year 3: $132,201 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $116,935 Year 2: $114,223 Year 3: $129,112 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $109,283 Year 2: $120,549 Year 3: $122,667 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $95,295 Year 3: $112,628 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $85,041 Year 2: $89,859 Year 3: $106,086 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,653 Year 2: $94,940 Year 3: $104,312 Statistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $89,636 Year 2: $88,506 Year 3: $103,853 Systems Science and Theory (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $82,123 Year 2: $84,393 Year 3: $103,805

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