Northeastern vs Carnegie Mellon - US university comparison
KEY DATA
HEAD-TO-HEAD STATISTICS
The verdict, from the data
Northeastern admits 5.2% of applicants, while Carnegie Mellon admits 11.7%.
The larger international cohort belongs to Carnegie Mellon: 23.3% of students against 13.1% (Northeastern).
Carnegie Mellon reports no financial aid for international students, while Northeastern awards them $24,539 on average. For an applicant from outside the US that is usually the most important difference on this page.
The higher median salary ten years after enrolment belongs to Carnegie Mellon: $115K against $93K.
None of these figures decides on its own; what decides is which course you want to be on, and on what budget.
Every sentence above comes from a field we hold in canonical. Where the data is missing, or the gap is small enough to be noise, the sentence simply does not appear.
EXPERT TAKE
Northeastern is the more selective of the two (5.2% vs 11.66% acceptance). Carnegie Mellon ranks higher in the ARWU world research ranking (#201-300 vs #101-150). Carnegie Mellon graduates earn a higher median 10 years after enrollment ($115K vs $93K). Carnegie Mellon has lower sticker-price tuition ($68,776 vs $69,289 per year).
Both universities have complete, comparable data in canonical - the choice should come down to fit (campus culture, major, aid package) alongside the differences visible in the numbers below.
Choose Northeastern for: higher selectivity.
Choose Carnegie Mellon for: a higher world ranking, higher graduate earnings, a higher graduation rate.
College Council Atlas analysis · IPEDS / College Scorecard CDS 2024-25, ARWU 2024.
BY THE NUMBERS
Northeastern is more selective (5.2% vs 11.66% acceptance); Carnegie Mellon has a higher median SAT (1540 vs 1490).
Carnegie Mellon graduates earn a higher median 10 years after enrollment ($115K vs $93K); Carnegie Mellon has a higher 6-year graduation rate (94.1% vs 90.5%).
Carnegie Mellon has lower sticker-price tuition ($68,776 vs $69,289); Carnegie Mellon offers a larger average aid package ($60,909 vs $46,555).
VALUE LANDSCAPE
FULL DATA TABLE
| Metric | Northeastern | Carnegie Mellon |
|---|---|---|
| World rank · ARWU | #201-300 | #101-150 |
| Rank · THE | - | #24 |
| Acceptance rate | 5.2% | 11.66% |
| Yield rate | 53.8% | 45.7% |
| Median SAT | 1490 | 1540 |
| Avg. GPA | - | 3.89 |
| Number of applications | 98,425 | 33,941 |
| International students | 13.1% | 23.3% |
| Median earnings · 10 yrs | $93K | $115K |
| Bottom 25% earnings · 10 yrs | $62K | $73K |
| Top 25% earnings · 10 yrs | $135K | $183K |
| Graduation rate | 90.5% | 94.1% |
| Retention rate | 96.9% | 98% |
| Median debt | $24,250 | $21,750 |
| Tuition · year | $69,289 | $68,776 |
| Avg. aid package | $46,555 | $60,909 |
| % of need met | 86.7% | 100% |
| Avg. graduate debt | $32,461 | $31,298 |
| Application fee | $75 | $75 |
| Enrollment | 39,774 | 16,676 |
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is it harder to get into Northeastern or Carnegie Mellon?
It's harder to get into Northeastern. Northeastern accepts 5.2% of applicants, while Carnegie Mellon accepts 11.66%.
Do Northeastern or Carnegie Mellon graduates earn more?
Carnegie Mellon graduates earn more: the median 10 years after enrollment is $115K vs $93K.
How much is tuition at Northeastern vs Carnegie Mellon?
Sticker-price tuition is $69,289 per year at Northeastern and $68,776 per year at Carnegie Mellon.
What SAT score do you need for Northeastern or Carnegie Mellon?
The median admitted SAT score is 1490 at Northeastern and 1540 at Carnegie Mellon; aim for these values or higher to be competitive.
Which university ranks higher - Northeastern or Carnegie Mellon?
Carnegie Mellon ranks higher in the ARWU world ranking: #201-300 for Northeastern vs #101-150 for Carnegie Mellon.
Which university offers more financial aid - Northeastern or Carnegie Mellon?
The average aid package is $46,555 at Northeastern and $60,909 at Carnegie Mellon.
Harvard
Stanford
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Princeton
Yale
Cornell
Penn
Johns Hopkins
Washington University
Northwestern