Carnegie Mellon - GPA and Test Scores for Admission

By Allen Grove, About.com Guide

Carnegie Mellon accepts about one-third of all applicants, and prospective students are going to need good grades and test scores. In the graph above, the blue and green dots represent accepted students, and you can see that most applicants who got into Carnegie Mellon had "A" averages, SAT scores (CR+M+W) above 1900, and ACT composite scores above 29. Also realize that there's a lot of red hidden beneath the blue and green in the upper right corner of the graph. Many students with high GPAs and test scores still get rejected from Carnegie Mellon.

The difference between an acceptance and a rejection will often come down to non-numerical measures. Carnegie Mellon has holistic admissions, and they are looking for students who bring to campus more than good grades and test scores. A winning application essay, strong letters of recommendation, a rigorous high school curriculum, and interesting extracurricular activities are all important parts of the application.

To learn more about Carnegie Mellon, high school GPAs, SAT scores and ACT scores, these articles can help:

• Carnegie Mellon Admissions Profile
• What's a Good SAT Score?
• What's a Good ACT Score?
• What's Considered a Good Academic Record?
• What is a Weighted GPA?


• Lists Featuring Carnegie Mellon:
  • Top Engineering Schools
  • Top Middle Atlantic Colleges
  • Top Pennsylvania Colleges
  • Association of American Universities
  • Phi Beta Kappa