Carnegie Mellon vs Brandeis

Carnegie Mellon University and Brandeis University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Carnegie Mellon, renowned for its strength in STEM fields, boasts an acceptance rate of 14%, while Brandeis, known for its liberal arts and sciences curriculum, has an acceptance rate of 33%. Carnegie Mellon's student body is more diverse, with international students comprising 28% of the population, compared to Brandeis' 14%. Both universities offer a vibrant campus life, with Carnegie Mellon's 4,600 undergraduates enjoying a lively urban setting in Pittsburgh, and Brandeis' 3,600 undergraduates experiencing a suburban campus in Waltham, Massachusetts. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two exceptional universities. Explore the table to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Brandeis University	Carnegie Mellon University
Overview
Location	Waltham, Massachusetts	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	39.1%	13.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1370 - 1530	1480 - 1560
ACT range	31 - 34	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	48.0%
Students submitting ACT score	17.0%	22.0%
Total number of applicants	9,796	32,896
Total number of admissions given out	3,834	4,453
Admitted students who chose to enroll	943	1,896
Yield rate	24.6%	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	$75,006	$75,664
Average net price	$35,147	$37,450
Tuition	$59,408	$57,560
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,380 Meal plan: $7,070	Room/dormitory: $9,614 Meal plan: $6,536
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	83.0% Average amount $29,119	50.0% Average amount $39,421
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $3,948	37.0% Average amount $4,672
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $22,397	3.0% Average amount $29,079

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,591 Men 40.5% Women 59.5%	6,932 Men 50.2% Women 49.8%
Graduate students	1,967 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%	8,125 Men 62.3% Women 37.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	85.0%
International students	25.4%	40.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,950	3,754
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi New York New Jersey California Connecticut	California Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Computer and Information Science	Engineering Computer and Information Science Business Visual & Performing Arts Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	5:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	87.5%	92.8%
Dropout rate	4.5%	3.5%
Transferred out	7.2%	2.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,340 Year 2: $80,309 Year 3: $101,400 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,678 Year 2: $72,214 Year 3: $85,160 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,105 Year 2: $66,401 Year 3: $70,790 Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,731 Year 2: $55,840 Year 3: $64,826 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,010 Year 2: $54,192 Year 3: $63,166 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,126 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $59,597 Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $49,902 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,983 Year 2: $44,356 Year 3: $49,523 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,142 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $47,023 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,477 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $46,669	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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Brandeis

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