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Undergraduate Admission

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Applying for Aid

Carnegie Mellon is here to support you throughout the financial aid process

Need-Based Financial Aid

Carnegie Mellon offers need-based financial aid to admitted students and is committed to meeting their demonstrated need. This means our admitted students receive financial aid based not on their grades or test scores, but on their family's financial need.

Financial aid is offered to U.S. citizens, permanent residents and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students. If you don’t fit any of these criteria and plan to enroll at Carnegie Mellon, you and your family must assume the total cost of attendance.

Review our International Student Cost & Payment webpage for further information.

Need-Blind Admission Policy

Carnegie Mellon follows a need-blind admission policy, which means we don’t admit U.S. citizens or permanent residents based on their ability to pay for their education.

Applying for financial aid will have no effect on your chances for admission. However, it may affect those students we’re able to admit from the waiting list.

When you complete a financial aid application, the university will evaluate your eligibility for all forms of financial assistance, including federal, state and Carnegie Mellon aid.

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When Is My Financial Aid Application Due?

 
Early Decision 1
 
Early Decision 2
 
Regular Decision

Required Documents

FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required to be considered for federal financial aid. There is no cost for filing this form. Carnegie Mellon's institutional code is 003242. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students are not required to submit the FAFSA.

When completing the FAFSA, we strongly encourage you to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) if you're able to. Doing so will streamline the financial aid application process for you and your family.

CSS Profile

The CSS Profile is required to be considered for Carnegie Mellon institutional financial aid. If you need a fee waiver for the CSS Profile, please call the Office of Admission at 412.268.2082. Carnegie Mellon's institutional code is 2074.

Please note: International students are not eligible for financial aid at Carnegie Mellon, so they should not submit the CSS Profile to us.

Providing the student Social Security Number (SSN) is critical to correctly matching your file. Please note that if this field is left blank or an incorrect number is entered, your financial aid processing may be delayed.

More questions? Check out our CSS Profile Resource Guide webpage.

Information for Divorced or Separated Parents

Tax Documents

For financial aid applicants who don't use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) when completing the FAFSA, Carnegie Mellon requires signed parent and student tax returns, W-2s and all related tax schedules to be considered for institutional financial aid. Non-U.S. tax filers must also submit their foreign tax returns and wage statements, along with a translation. All tax documents must be submitted via the College Board IDOC service. If you made an error on the CSS Profile or have extenuating circumstances, please see our Special Circumstances Request form. We'll only review these documents for admitted students or those on the waiting list.

In order to guarantee the privacy of your personal information, the Office of Admission doesn't accept any documents pertaining to financial aid via fax or email and will shred these submissions for your security.

Missing Financial Aid Documents

Additional items may be requested based on a number of factors.  Instructions on how to submit those items are below.

DocumentInstructions for Submitting
CSS ProfileIf applying for institutional financial aid programs, complete
the CSS Profile online at cssprofile.org. If you do not have a
College Board online account, you will need to create one in
order to complete your CSS Profile application. Carnegie
Mellon receives your Profile data electronically from CSS.
Carnegie Mellon's CSS College Code is 2074.
Child Support Paid/Child Support Received StatementYou indicated child support paid or child support received on
your FAFSA and/or CSS profile. Submit to your CollegeBoard
IDOC portal a signed statement indicating the total amount of
child support received or the total amount of child support
paid for the applicable tax year (2021 for Fall 2023 applicants).
FAFSAComplete your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student
Aid) at studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. There are two ways
to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA) form: redesigned studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-
aid/fafsa website or a mobile app (available through Google
Play or the Apple App Store).
Carnegie Mellon Federal School Code: 0003242
A Department of Education Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID is
required. View FSA ID instructions.
Federal Master Promissory Note (MPN) and/or Entrance CounselingThese only need to be completed after you enroll at Carnegie
Mellon. The Office of Admission will provide instructions on
how to complete these steps in the late spring/early summer.
Financial Aid Terms and ConditionsThis only needs to be completed after you enroll at Carnegie
Mellon. The Office of Admission will provide instructions on
how to complete this step in the late spring/early summer.
Non-Tax Filer StatementComplete the CollegeBoard Non-Tax Filer form that is available
in your CollegeBoard IDOC portal, and upload it to IDOC once
completed.
Non-U.S. Tax Documentation

Did you file taxes with a U.S. territory or commonwealth or a foreign central government? 

If yes, please submit to your CollegeBoard IDOC portal a signed copy of your tax statement.

If not, please submit both of the following:

  • Wage statement(s) that confirm income earned from work from your employer.

  • Documentation from your taxing authority that confirms taxes were not filed. If this documentation is unavailable or unable to be obtained, you may complete the Non-Tax Filer Statement that is available in your IDOC portal.

Please note: Submit copies of your original tax or wage document(s) AND include a translation of the document(s) to English & U.S. dollars using the current currency exchange rates.

Parent CSS ProfileAll parents complete a CSS Profile application at http://cssprofile.org. in the case of divorced or separated
parents, each parent will complete their own CSS Profile
application with different College Board accounts/login
credentials, and you will see a Noncustodial Parent CSS
Profile being requested. Carnegie Mellon receives your Profile
electronically from CSS.
Parent/Student Form 1040xSubmit a signed copy of your Amended U.S. Individual Income
Tax Return (form 1040x) to your CollegeBoard IDOC portal for
the applicable tax year (2021 for Fall 2023 applicants).
Parent/Student Verification of Non-Filing LetterThis may be required if selected for federal verification. If
confirmation of non-filing status is required, we recommend
requesting an IRS tax transcript online. (View detailed
instructions). Once you’ve received it from the IRS, upload to
your CollegeBoard IDOC portal.
Parent/Student Tax Returns and/or W-2sSubmit electronic copies to your CollegeBoard IDOC portal.
Please note that handwritten signatures and dates are
required on page 2 of each Form 1040. You may log into
your College Board CSS Profile account and select “Check
Status” at the top of the page to verify that CSS/IDOC received
your documents. If your submitted documents are not
reflected under your account, please contact CSS/IDOC.
Parent/Student Tax Return TranscriptThis may be required for dependent students if selected for
federal verification. If required, we recommend requesting a
transcript online (view detailed instructions) and uploading to
your CollegeBoard IDOC portal once you’ve received it.
Proof of Medical & Dental Expenses

This may be requested if an amount of unreimbursed medical/dental expenses are listed on your CSS Profile. Please submit copies of medical/dental expenses that are not covered by insurance/unreimbursed corresponding to the tax year reported on your FAFSA/CSS Profile. For the 2023-2024 award year, the expenses would be from 2021. These do not include insurance premiums. Any documentation supplied should show proof of payment, not just billed or owed.

You may submit these documents via email to the Office of Admission: (@email(opens in new window)) or to IDOC:  (https://idoc.(opens in new window)collegeboard.org/idoc/(opens in new window)).

Schedule A

This may be requested if an amount of unreimbursed medical/dental expenses are listed on your CSS Profile. Please submit a copy of your Schedule A corresponding to the tax year reported on your FAFSA/CSS Profile. For the 2023-2024 award year, the Schedule A would be from 2021. 

Submit this document to IDOCS by uploading electronic copies to: https://idoc.collegeboard.(opens in new window)org/idoc/(opens in new window)

Schedules 1, A, B, C, D, E, K-1These tax schedules, part of your tax return filing, capture
certain types of income that we may need to verify. If we’ve requested one of these tax schedules, it may be that your taxes include other schedules that could also be requested. Please be sure to submit any and all tax schedules. See
www.irs.gov/forms-instructions for more details on each of
these documents.
Copy of Social Security CardIf requested, please upload to your CollegeBoard IDOC portal.
U.S. Citizenship Documentation
We may request citizenship documentation to confirm the citizenship status provided on your FAFSA.  Documentation must be notarized.  Submit an electronic copy of the U.S. citizenship documentation (i.e., U.S. Passport, Certification of Naturalization) and your notarized form to your CollegeBoard IDOC portal or via email to @email
 
If either of these presents a hardship (financial or limited access to notary), please reach out to the Undergraduate Admission Office: @email.
Verification of High School Completion*NOTE: This document is only required if you enroll at
Carnegie Mellon
Provide one of the following documents to indicate your high
school completion:
o A copy of a high school diploma
o A copy of a final, official high school transcript that
shows the date the diploma was awarded
o A copy of a General Education Development (GED)
certificate or GED transcript
o An academic transcript that indicates you
successfully completed at least a two-year program
acceptable for full credit toward a bachelor's degree
o A copy of a secondary school completion credential
for homeschool (other than a high school diploma or
its recognized equivalent) if state law requires
homeschooled students to obtain that credential
o A transcript or equivalent, signed by your parent or
guardian, that lists the secondary school courses you
completed and documents the successful
completion of a secondary school education in a
homeschool setting
Verification of Household InformationThis form can be found and submitted directly via your Where
Am I in the Process? applicant portal.
Verification of Identity/Government Photo ID

*NOTE: This document is only required if you enroll at
Carnegie Mellon

This may be submitted using one of the following options:

1) We can accept a copy of a valid government-issued photo ID and an original notarized Statement of Education Purpose form(opens in new window) mailed to The HUB, 5000 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213. We can only accept original notarized forms via mail; photocopied forms or those that are faxed or emailed cannot be accepted, or;

2) Submit a valid government-issued photo ID and the Statement of Educational Purpose form (linked below) in person to The HUB

Special Circumstances

If you are starting at Carnegie Mellon in Fall 2023 and you or your family have special circumstances you'd like us to review, please contact the HUB for instructions.

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