How to Apply to Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University: Direct Admission to Six Engineering Majors or Undecided With a Choice in First-Year Spring, Four Years of Math Preferably Including Calculus, Test-Flexible Scores, and Admission Routes and Prerequisites for Chinese and Canadian High School Students and Transfers

At Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, undergraduate engineering is offered by the College of Engineering. Here is what you need to know, based on CMU’s official information, for students at high schools in China (including A-level, IB and AP students), students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver students), and transfer students.

1. Majors

• Primary majors (BS): Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. Each department offers an Integrated Master/Bachelor program.
• Additional majors: engineering students can add Biomedical Engineering, Engineering and Public Policy, Engineering Design, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (EDIE) or Engineering and Arts; admissions says all students can declare an additional major in the spring of the first year. The engineering programs page also lists Biomedical Technology, which admissions describes as an additional major for non-engineering students.
• Minors: designated minors for engineering students include Additive Manufacturing, Audio Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Global Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering.
• Other: engineering students can continue to a fifth-year MBA at the Tepper School or a fifth-year engineering master’s degree.

2. How you are admitted to a major

• New policy: apply directly to an engineering major. The college and admissions office say applicants apply to and are admitted directly to a department or major, unless they choose undecided.
• Civil and Environmental Engineering: students admitted to this department declare Civil or Environmental Engineering at the end of the fall semester of their first year.
• Undecided: only students admitted as undecided within the College of Engineering may choose among the six primary majors in the spring of their first year.
• Changing majors: requests are considered after the first year but are not guaranteed and are reviewed case by case.
• Supplemental materials: CMU does not accept resumes, portfolios, recordings or websites and suggests using the Common App and CMU supplemental essays to show your experiences.

3. High school requirements and credit

• College of Engineering: 4 years of English, 4 years of math, 1 year each of chemistry, physics and biology, 2 years of a foreign language and 3 electives.
• Math: four years should include at least algebra, geometry, trigonometry, analytic geometry and elementary functions (pre-calculus), and preferably calculus; advanced math, especially calculus, is strongly encouraged.
• AP, IB and A-level credit: AP scores of 4 or 5, IB higher level scores of 6 or 7 and exemplary Cambridge A-level grades may earn credit or placement, decided by each college’s dean. Engineering and science students who receive calculus credit can choose a lower course in the sequence if they feel unprepared, with credit adjusted.

4. First-year application and deadlines

• Early Decision (binding): apply by 2 November; decisions by 15 December; confirm by 1 February.
• Regular Decision: apply by 4 January; decisions by 1 April; confirm by 1 May.
• The dates page shows no year, so check again before applying.
• Test flexible: engineering applicants must submit test scores to complete the application but choose the type: SAT, ACT, IB (predicted or actual), AP, Cambridge A-level (predicted or actual) or French Baccalaureate. Those submitting predicted results send actual results only if admitted and enrolling. The SAT can be superscored but the ACT cannot; SAT and ACT testing should ideally be done by 1 November for Early Decision and 3 January for Regular Decision.

5. Students at high schools in China

• Gaokao: CMU does not mention the Gaokao; check with admissions.
• Tests: you can submit the SAT or ACT, or AP, IB or A-level results (see section 4).
• English: non-native speakers must submit IELTS Academic 7.5 or above; TOEFL iBT 102 for tests before 21 January 2026 or 5 for tests from that date; Duolingo 135; Cambridge English 191; or TOEFL Essentials 11. Scores must be no more than two years old, and CMU suggests taking TOEFL or IELTS by December of senior year.
• Transcripts: non-English documents need official translations. CMU recommends (but does not require) an InitialView or Vericant interview for non-native English speakers.

6. Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver)

• Process: prepare to the engineering high school requirements; the same test-flexible policy applies.
• BC courses: CMU sets no separate requirements for BC or other provinces and does not say which BC courses meet the four years of math.
• English: the requirement is based on first language, so applicants whose first language is not English still need a test.

7. Costs and aid

• 2026-27 costs for first-years entering in fall 2026 (USD, living on campus): tuition 69,702 (969 per unit); tuition, fees, housing and food 91,214; total cost of attendance 93,614 with books and personal expenses. The tuition page lists a single undergraduate rate. Costs for 2027 entry are not yet published.
• No aid for international students: CMU does not offer financial aid to international students, who should plan to cover the full cost.

8. Transfer students

• Deadlines: fall transfer only, if space is available. CMU gives two dates: the admission dates page says 16 February, while the transfer page says 15 February with documents by 10 March; both list decisions by 17 May.
• Eligibility: you must complete a semester of college before the deadline and may apply to only one CMU college or program.
• Major: external transfers admitted to the College of Engineering cannot move to another engineering department or major after enrolling.
• Credit: the admitting college evaluates transfer credit and sends it with your decision. The college does not publish specific transfer prerequisites or GPA requirements.
• Housing: university housing is not guaranteed for transfers.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Apply by 2 November (ED) or 4 January (RD), choosing an engineering major or undecided
• Take four years of math (preferably with calculus) plus chemistry, physics and biology; submit one of the SAT, ACT, AP, IB or A-levels
• English: IELTS 7.5, TOEFL 102 (new scale 5) or Duolingo 135 and above

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• Prepare to the engineering course requirements; non-native English speakers still need an English test

Transfer students:

• After at least one college semester, apply for fall by 15 (or 16) February; you stay in the engineering major you are admitted to

Sources: Carnegie Mellon University, Engineering undergraduate admissions; Engineering undergraduate programs; Admission: College of Engineering; Admission dates; Undergraduate admission requirements; Academic requirements and college-level credit; Standardized testing and English; Transfer applicants; 2026-27 undergraduate tuition. The admission dates page shows no year, and costs are 2026-27 rates for first-years entering in fall 2026. Check CMU for the latest details.