Carnegie Mellon considers all non-U.S. citizens to be international students with the following exceptions: permanent residents of the United States, eligible non-citizens, and undocumented students in the U.S.

Admission requirements

Language

All international and United States permanent resident applicants must take an English language proficiency exam UNLESS the applicant holds a previous degree from an institution in the United States, is a CMU student or alumnus, or has United Kingdom or Canadian citizenship. This requirement helps determine academic success in the program and supports visa applications for admitted students studying on an F-1 visa. The scores must be received by the application deadline for the semester in which students are applying.

Official Duolingo English Test, TOEFL, or IELTS scores are accepted. Carnegie Mellon prefers TOEFL scores above 102, Duolingo scores of 120/160 and above, and IELTS scores above 7.5. If your scores are below these thresholds, we may also opt to call you to evaluate your English further.

  • Carnegie Mellon’s TOEFL code is 2074.
  • DuoLingo scores should be sent to: 
    Carnegie Mellon University – College of Engineering
  • IELTS test scores should be sent to:
    Carnegie Mellon University College of Engineering
    431 Hamerschlag Drive
    ANSYS Hall Suite 250
    Pittsburgh, PA 15213

An English language proficiency test is not required if the applicant holds a prior degree from a U.S. institution or is a CMU student or alum. It is also not required for applicants with United Kingdom or Canadian citizenship.

Transcripts

When you are applying, you will need to submit your transcripts and GPA based on a 4.0 scale. You may use the free tool from the World Education Services to calculate your GPA.

If you are accepted, we require that all international academic documents be verified by a transcript verification service. The verification not only provides courses in English and grades on the U.S. scale, but it also provides services to our committee members should they have questions regarding the transcript.

If you find another transcript evaluation service that you would prefer to use, please ensure it provides all the stated requirements:

  • Accredited evaluation agency
  • Office in the United States
  • Customer service contact phone number our Admissions Committee may call
  • Course-by-course evaluation service

Here are a few verification agencies you may consider using. Please contact us if you have any questions:

Financial letter of support

If admitted, you will be required to submit an official document to Carnegie Mellon’s Office of International Education as proof of funding to obtain immigration paperwork. This is a mandatory requirement.

International student resources