by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is the data on what it actually costs to attend Carnegie Mellon University, from sticker cost of attendance and projected degree cost to net price, debt at graduation, and aid breakdowns.
If you want to dig into a particular figure, jump to any section below:
The cost of attendance at Carnegie Mellon University is about $80,514.00 for a single academic year.
The three scenarios below move from the full sticker price, to the net price after average aid, to the net price low-income students typically pay.
| Tuition and fees | $66,246.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $14,268.00 |
| Total cost | $80,514.00 |
| That is 145% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $80,514.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$51,710.00 |
| Net price | $28,804.00 |
| That is 12% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $80,514.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$74,557.00 |
| Net price | $5,957.00 |
| That is 82% below the national average net price. | |
| Want the line-by-line detail? Dig into the tuition & fees page and room and board. |
Cost of attendance here has been rising at about 4.0% per year, so the four-year total runs well above today’s cost. The tables below project the cost forward across a full degree, side by side for a low-income student with aid, a typical student with average aid, and a student paying full sticker price with no aid. Loan figures amortise the projected total over ten years at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4.0% |
| Freshman year | $6,194.00 | $29,951.00 | $83,720.00 |
| Senior year | $6,964.00 | $33,673.00 | $94,123.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $26,296.00 | $127,150.00 | $355,415.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $10,018.00 | $48,440.00 | $135,400.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $303.00 | $1,463.00 | $4,090.00 |
| Total amount paid | $36,314.00 | $175,590.00 | $490,815.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4.0% |
| Freshman year | $6,194.00 | $29,951.00 | $83,720.00 |
| Senior year | $6,441.00 | $31,143.00 | $87,053.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $12,635.00 | $61,094.00 | $170,773.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $4,813.00 | $23,275.00 | $65,058.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $145.00 | $703.00 | $1,965.00 |
| Total amount paid | $17,448.00 | $84,369.00 | $235,831.00 |
For the complete net-price picture, see the Net Price section.
The net price figure shows the cost after grants and scholarships are deducted. It is usually a better planning number than the sticker cost above.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $31,944.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $31,671.00 |
Net price is far from uniform: lower-income families typically pay much less after aid. Below, average net price is broken out by family income:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $8,460.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $12,600.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $17,534.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $27,827.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $52,593.00 |
For a personalized estimate, try the Carnegie Mellon University Net Price Calculator, or contact the financial aid office.
Want to know how that aid is awarded? See the financial aid breakdown.
The median amount borrowed by graduates of Carnegie Mellon University amounts to $20,250.00, which federal data classifies as a Moderate ($20-30k) debt-load classification.
Across borrowers, debt at graduation distributes like this:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $6,000.00 |
| 25th | $14,000.00 |
| Median (50th) | $20,250.00 |
| 75th | $30,750.00 |
| 90th | $37,912.00 |
The distance from the 10th to the 90th percentile shows how widely debt outcomes vary.
For the full borrowing and repayment picture, see the student-loan-debt breakdown.
Family income tracks closely with debt at graduation. Below, debt is broken out by low, middle, and high family income:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,000.00 |
| Middle income | $20,548.00 |
| High income | $20,500.00 |
First-gen students typically face different financial-aid contexts than students whose parents attended college.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $20,000.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $20,250.00 |
The Pell Grant is the main federal need-based award for undergraduates. Comparing Pell recipients vs non-recipients shows how debt is distributed by need.
The Pell-versus-non-Pell median debt difference at Carnegie Mellon University is $1,401.00. Federal data flags this school for Pell-related debt inequity.
The default-rate category at Carnegie Mellon University is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 0.9% |
To give some context for these rates, Stafford loans disbursed at Carnegie Mellon University amount to $314,650,507.00 covering 13,704 student borrowers.
Veteran and active-military students often access dedicated federal aid programs including the GI Bill and Department of Defense tuition support.
| GI Bill recipients | 102 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $29,273.00 |
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 1 |
| Avg DoD Tuition Assistance | $2,500.00 |
Read more about military and veteran aid on the college veterans page.
Use the figures above as a launch point, then think through Carnegie Mellon University, keep these questions in mind:
For a closer look at any of these topics, follow the links below:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.