Overview
Your application for admission will consist of an application form provided by Carnegie Mellon and documents you will be required to gather from other resources (i.e. high school transcripts).
You will be sent a letter of confirmation within a few weeks of our receipt of your application materials. Applications are still being accepted, pending available space in the program.
Application Materials
Please mail all of your application materials together to the following address:
Pre-College Programs
Office of Admission
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
- Online Application no longer available
- Application Fee - $40 check made payable to Carnegie Mellon University (Non-refundable)
- High School Transcript - an official, recent high school transcript, including as complete a listing as possible of your classes and grades
- Standardized Test Scores - your most recent PSAT, SAT Reasoning Test, PLAN or ACT with Writing standardized test results
- Letters of Recommendation - guidance counselor or two teachers who are familiar with your work habits, as well as your academic and artistic progress and promise or your response to teaching/directing and spirit of cooperation in group situations
- Activities Resume - detailed description of your extracurricular activities and/or work experience, or your experiences as they relate to the arts
- Essay - a one-page, typed essay answering one of the following topics:
- Please describe in detail some special interest, experience or achievement that you would like us to know about.
- Describe an intellectual, cultural or creative experience occurring within the past two years that has given you the greatest satisfaction.
- What characteristics do you possess or what academic or artistic experiences have you had that sets you apart from most other people your age?
- Drama Resume (Pre-College Drama Program applicants only) - listing of your experiences in theater
- Music Resume (Pre-College Music Program applications only) - statement describing your past musical training and a recent audio recording of a solo representative of your level of performance (vocal/instrumental applicants) or scores of recent original compositions (composition applicants). It is preferred that audio recordings be emailed in MP3 format as an attachment to music-precollege@andrew.cmu.edu. It is also acceptable to mail audio recordings in CD format to the address above.
International Applicants
If your native language is not English and your SAT Critical Reading score is less than 600, submit your scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) in addition to other required standardized tests. A TOEFL score of 600 paper-based/250 computer-based/100 internet-based or an IELTS score of 7 and above is preferred.
International students coming to Carnegie Mellon who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents may need to obtain an I-20 Certificate of Eligibility from the Office of International Education (OIE). If you are already in the U.S. on F-1 status, and will be returning to your current school next fall, you do not need an I-20 from us.
If you will be coming to the U.S. from overseas and will either:
- return to your overseas high school/college
- attend Carnegie Mellon or another school in the U.S. in the fall
you MUST contact OIE and complete the necessary paperwork to obtain an I-20. The Form I-20 is used to apply for an F-1 student visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate in your home country. With your I-20, you will be sent detailed instructions regarding travel to the U.S. and a mandatory immigration check-in on Opening Day (June 27).
Admission & Enrollment
Admission is on a rolling basis. Applicants will begin to receive notification of our admission decision in early March. If admitted, you will need to submit a $200 deposit within one month of the date of notification in order to reserve your space in the program.
Full settlement of fees (excluding the cost of books) must be postmarked by June 6, 2009 (international mail postmarked by May 6, 2009) for enrollment in the six-week summer program.
