Carnegie Mellon University vs Washington University in St. Louis: Acceptance Rate, SAT & Net Price

Carnegie Mellon University and Washington University in St. Louis are about equally selective, admitting 11.1% and 12.1% of applicants respectively. For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $22,744 per year at Carnegie Mellon University versus $13,324 at Washington University in St. Louis.

Carnegie Mellon University vs Washington University in St. Louis: admissions and cost statistics from the most recent Common Data Set, IPEDS, and College Scorecard
MetricCarnegie Mellon UniversityWashington University in St. Louis
Overall acceptance rate11.1%12.1%
Early acceptance rate20.6%25.3%
SAT middle 50%1510–15601500–1570
Avg unweighted GPA3.913.95
Yield rate47.0%47.0%
Class size1,8081,850
Net price, $48,001–$75,000 income$22,744$13,324
Net price, over $110,000 income$45,428$44,941

Admissions and cost data as of July 3, 2026 (CDS 2024–25 cycle), from the most recent Common Data Set, IPEDS, and College Scorecard. Rows appear only where both colleges report the statistic.

Frequently asked questions

Is Carnegie Mellon University harder to get into than Washington University in St. Louis?

The two are about equally selective: Carnegie Mellon University admits 11.1% of applicants and Washington University in St. Louis admits 12.1%, based on the most recent Common Data Set.

Which is cheaper for a middle-income family, Carnegie Mellon University or Washington University in St. Louis?

For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $22,744 per year at Carnegie Mellon University and $13,324 at Washington University in St. Louis, so Washington University in St. Louis is the lower-cost option at that income level (source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard/IPEDS data).

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