International Applicants
Regardless of where in the world you’re coming from, you’ll be in good company.
The diverse perspectives and backgrounds of international students help make Carnegie Mellon the innovative, collaborative place it is.
Carnegie Mellon often ranks in the top five for national universities with the highest percentage of international undergraduates — students from outside of the United States made up 23% of the undergraduate student body in 2022-2023.
We define an international applicant as someone who is a citizen or permanent resident of a country other than the United States and who will be studying in the United States on a temporary visa. For international students, the application procedure and timetables are essentially the same as for candidates applying from schools in the U.S.
Carnegie Mellon doesn't offer financial aid to international students. If you're an international student who plans to enroll at Carnegie Mellon, you and your family must plan to pay the total cost of attendance.
Additional Information for International Students
In addition to international admission requirements noted below, international students must also satisfy the undergraduate admission requirements. International students must also meet the posted application deadlines to be considered for admission.
Language Requirements
If your native language isn't English, you'll need to submit official results from an English language proficiency test. Please refer to the English Language Proficiency Requirements section below.
Name on Application Documents
It's important for you to use the exact name on your passport on your application, recommendations and test scores. This will eliminate any confusion in the processing of your application.
Non-English Transcripts
If your secondary school transcript or any other admission document is written in a language other than English, it should be accompanied by an official translation and verified by a counselor or school official to be true copies of the original.
International Baccalaureate or GCE A-Level Examinations
If you are preparing for the International Baccalaureate or the General Certificate of Education (GCE) A-level examinations, please send your expected exam results.
English Language Proficiency Requirements
Nonnative Speaker Testing Requirements
If your native language is not English, official results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)*, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or its online equivalent (IELTS Online), the Duolingo English Test (DET), or the Cambridge English Assessment are required. Scores should be no more than two years old at the time of application, and we prefer that you submit all English proficiency test results from the past two years.
* Should a student take the TOEFL more than once, we'll use the set of TOEFL scores corresponding with the highest overall score. We don't use TOEFL MyBest scores, which ‘superscore’ subsection results from more than one test administration of the TOEFL.
Accepted Scores
IELTS
We require at least a 7.5 overall band score on either the paper-based or computer-delivered Academic Examination and give consideration to those with subscores of 7.5 and above.
When sending your official IELTS scores, please ensure that you choose “Carnegie Mellon University – Office of Undergraduate Admission" as the recipient for your score report.
TOEFL iBT or iBT Home Edition
We require at least a 102 overall score and give consideration to those with subscores of 25 and above.
Carnegie Mellon's TOEFL Code is 2074.
TOEFL Essentials
We require at least an 11 overall band score and give consideration to those with subscores of 11 and above.
Carnegie Mellon's TOEFL Code is 2074.
Duolingo English Test
For those who took the test prior to July 2024, we require at least a 135 overall score and give consideration to those with the following subscores and above:
- Literacy: 135
- Conversation: 130
- Comprehension: 145
- Production: 115
For those who took the test during or after July 2024, we require at least a 135 overall score and give consideration to those with the following subscores and above:
- Literacy: 135
- Conversation: 135
- Comprehension: 135
- Production: 135
Cambridge English Assessment
We require at least a 191 overall score and give consideration to those with subscores of 191 and above.
Recommended English Interviews
InitialView or Vericant interviews are recommended for nonnative English speakers but aren't required. Often these interviews can measure readiness for engagement in the classroom and also showcase a student’s personality, likes and dislikes as well as the area of intended major. These interviews can also show English language proficiency while also corroborating the application with more details about the student.
Feel right at home
If you’re an international student, you’ll easily find your place in our creative, collaborative community fueled by the diverse perspectives of individuals.