Carnegie Mellon University

Benefits at a Glance

Carnegie Mellon University offers a wide range of competitive employee benefits to help you live well. Benefit eligibility varies based on the hours per week employees are scheduled to work and the employee's geographic location.

The university's medical, prescription, dental and vision insurance options allow employees to select the right plan for their life. Medical plans are offered through Highmark and UPMC. Options for preferred provider organization (PPO), health maintenance organization (HMO) and exclusive provider organization (EPO) plans are available. Healthcare spending accounts are also offered to help you offset the cost of medical bills.

Carnegie Mellon automatically makes contributions for eligible employees to a 403(b) Faculty and Staff Retirement Plan* at no cost to the employee, with contributions ranging from 8% to 9.78% of an employee's salary. Employees may also make either pre-tax or post-tax (Roth) supplemental contributions.

*A 401(k) is offered for non-resident aliens.

Carnegie Mellon is pleased to enable its staff and faculty to further their education, enhance their skills and pursue career development through the university's tuition benefits program. Based on eligibility, employees may take up to two courses per term at 100% tuition remission through Carnegie Mellon University (any type of course) and receive 50% tuition assistance for courses through any other institution (career-related courses only).

Additionally, Carnegie Mellon assists faculty and staff with the expense of educating their children. We offer various levels of tuition assistance or coverage at Carnegie Mellon University or another institution for children's undergraduate education.

Paid Time Off (PTO) provides regular, full-time staff members with days away from work with pay for vacation, illness, personal time or to care for dependents. PTO varies based on position, location of employment, hire date and employment type. However, Carnegie Mellon generally offers a maximum of 17 PTO days for new full-time staff employees.

U.S. campuses also observe eleven official holidays, during which days the university is closed and non-essential personnel are not expected to work. Additionally, U.S. staff may take up to three floating holidays during the calendar year, based on their hire date and with approval of their immediate supervisor.

Carnegie Mellon offers Life and AD&D Insurance through MetLife, which provides financial protection to your survivors in the event of your death. We provide basic life insurance (1x your life base salary) at no cost to employees. You can select basic life insurance only, enroll in supplemental life insurance, or opt out of life insurance when you are hired, during Open Enrollment or upon a life change. No evidence of insurability is required for basic life insurance coverage.

Carnegie Mellon makes additional Life and AD&D Insurance available at group rates for interested individuals. Supplemental Life and AD&D Insurance is provided through MetLife. Additionally, the university enables full-time employees to purchase life insurance that provides coverage in the event of a dependent child's or spouse/domestic partner's death.

The university's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available to employees and their dependents at no cost. Use of any EAP service, from web resources to materials requests to counseling, is always 100% confidential. The EAP is a one-stop resource for expert information, personalized community referrals, telephone or face-to-face consultation, extensive web resources and services, and numerous free resources.

The EAP website also includes child care, summer camp, college, and elder care locators and many helpful resources for parents, from informational articles to interactive tools.

Carnegie Mellon is pleased to provide a number of benefits that assist parents in arranging quality child care.

  • Cyert Center for Early Education
    A renowned child care facility providing quality early care and education programs for young children from infancy through kindergarten. Full-time benefits-eligible employees may be eligible for a benefit of up to $5,000 per family. Space is limited, so inquire early.
  • Children's School
    Offers developmentally-appropriate preschool and kindergarten classes, as well as a laboratory for research in child development. Space is limited, so inquire early.
  • Dependent Care Reimbursement Account (DCRA)
    Allows eligible employees to use pre-tax money to pay for qualifying dependent care expenses. The DCRA saves you 25% or more on your eligible child or dependent care expenses.
  • Care for Business Family Care Benefits
    Eligible employees and graduate students receive a free premium membership to Care.com, where they can search provider profiles or post jobs. The program also provides access to emergency backup care options at a subsidized rate to cover unexpected gaps in care for children and adults. Specialists are available to help families looking to hire in-home caregivers, which can make the process of hiring a caregiver much simpler. The program also includes the LifeMart discount program, which provides discounts on a variety of products and services including child care.
  • Family Care Concierge Service
    Provides personalized information, support, guidance and education on all dependent- and care-related topics by leveraging current resources available to CMU employees.

CMU faculty and staff have numerous opportunities to get involved in the campus community:

We are pleased to offer additional benefits:
  • Free transportation through Pittsburgh Regional Transit
  • Free group exercise classes, access to fitness facilities, and mindfulness programs
  • Enhanced banking programs at PNC
  • Automobile purchase and Enterprise rental car discounts
  • Real estate/relocation services
  • Wireless service discounts