There are two initiatives included as part of the CMU Pathway Program: Tuition-Free and No Loans.

Tuition-Free: Tuition-free means that the total of all federal, state and institutional grants/scholarships will be at least equal to the student's tuition assessment for the academic year (fall and spring semesters only).

No Loans: No Loans means that the student will have their demonstrated financial need met without loans.

To qualify for the no loan initiative, you must:

• be a domestic undergraduate student (U.S. citizen or permanent resident) enrolled at the Pittsburgh campus;
• have a total family income of less than $100,000; and
  • Total income is determined from the student’s and parent's (for dependent students) income information reported on the FAFSA.
• complete the financial aid application process.

To qualify for the tuition free initiative, you must:

• be a domestic undergraduate student (U.S. citizen or permanent resident) enrolled at the Pittsburgh campus;
• have a total family income of less than $75,000;
  • Total income is determined from the student’s and parent's (for dependent students) income information reported on the FAFSA.
• have family assets typical for that income range; and
• complete the financial aid application process.

The CMU Pathway Program is specifically for domestic students (U.S. citizens and permanent residents) who are eligible for financial aid at CMU.

All prospective applicants, newly admitted and enrolled undergraduate students who apply for financial aid are automatically considered for the CMU Pathway Program once their financial aid application is complete. As part of the application, students must complete and submit a CSS Profile and a FAFSA, and in some cases, submit supporting tax documents. Learn more about applying for financial aid. 

Students who have already earned a bachelor’s degree are not eligible for the CMU Pathway Program, but may still be eligible for Federal Direct Loans and Federal Work Study by completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Students who previously completed some college coursework or earned an associate’s degree are eligible for the CMU Pathway Program.

Students who previously attended another college/university should complete the transfer admission process and financial aid process.

Students who previously attended another institution (who have not already earned a bachelor’s degree) or will be attending college for the first time are eligible for the CMU Pathway Program. They will need to complete the financial aid process and the transfer admission process.

To be eligible for the CMU Pathway Program, a student must be enrolled at Carnegie Mellon’s Pittsburgh campus. Our Pittsburgh undergraduate degree programs are only offered in person/on campus.

Students and families with annual income below $75,000, who have significant assets above what is typical for their income level, may not be eligible for the CMU Pathway Program.

Assets evaluated for eligibility include:

• Cash, savings, checking
• Investments (includes but not limited to college savings plans, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc.)
• Equity in real estate other than the home
• Business net worth

We do not include formal retirement assets (401k, 403b, IRA, Keogh) or equity in your primary residence in our analysis.

Demonstrated financial need is the gap between the cost of attending a school (including tuition, fees, housing, food, books/course materials, travel allowance, and personal expenses) and what a student and their family can reasonably contribute based on their financial situation. CMU determines this amount by assessing a student's financial information through the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), the CSS Profile and, in some cases, additional tax documentation. 

In other words, demonstrated financial need represents the financial support a student requires to attend an institution after determining what a family can contribute based on their income, assets and family size. Many colleges use this calculation to offer need-based financial aid, such as grants, scholarships, work-study, or loans, to help bridge the gap and make education more affordable.

Carnegie Mellon meets 100% of demonstrated financial need for all undergraduate students who are U.S. citizens and permanent residents, regardless of their family income.

Demonstrated financial need is the amount of aid that CMU estimates you need in order to afford CMU, based on the information you provide in your financial aid application.

Depending on your demonstrated financial need, you may be eligible for Federal grants, loans, and work-study, as well as state and institutional need-based grants.

Students and families eligible for the CMU Pathway Program will still need to make important decisions about their approach to financing their educational costs. Those who qualify for the CMU Pathway Program will have their demonstrated need met with a financial aid offer that does not include loans. Students and families are still responsible for their family’s contribution to the cost of attendance, and may elect to include loans as part of their strategy for financing these costs.

While the tuition-free aspect of the CMU Pathway Program ensures that a student will receive grant/scholarship funding equal to tuition at a minimum, students may be eligible for grants and other financial aid up to the entire cost of attendance based on their demonstrated financial need.

Beyond tuition, cost of attendance includes required fees, along with allowances for housing, dining, books and supplies, travel, and miscellaneous personal expenses. Each of these components are expenses that a student would typically be expected to incur at any college or university.

Federal loans are both need-based (Federal Subsidized Loan) and non-need based (Federal Unsubsidized Loan), so it depends. A student who qualifies for the CMU Pathway Program will have their demonstrated financial need met without loans; however, the student may also qualify for a Federal Subsidized Loan, which will be indicated within My Student Aid, our financial aid portal. If the student would like to pursue a non-need based loan (Federal Unsubsidized Loan), this may be requested and is permitted if the student's total aid does not exceed cost of attendance. Learn more about Federal Loans.

Federal Work-Study is need-based, so it depends. A student who qualifies for the CMU Pathway Program may still be eligible for Federal Work-Study, which will be listed within their financial aid offer. Students offered work-study as part of their financial aid can apply for a part-time position in which they would work during the academic year to earn the amount offered. Learn more about Federal Work-Study.

Students must reapply for financial aid each academic year and eligibility for financial aid is reevaluated prior to each academic year. Financial aid is offered on an annual basis, determined after careful analysis of the application materials submitted. If your family’s financial situation changes, the amount and type of financial aid offered may be adjusted in a subsequent academic year.

Your financial aid offer won’t be reduced due to the receipt of outside scholarships unless one of the following occurs:

• Your federal grants, loans and/or work-study plus your outside scholarship exceeds your financial need. In this case, your federal aid will be reduced, beginning with loans.
• Your entire financial aid offer plus your outside scholarship is greater than the Cost of Attendance. In this case, institutional (CMU) aid will be reduced only after adjusting federal aid.

Graduated students would not qualify for student loan forgiveness under this program. If you have Federal Direct Loans, there are options for loan forgiveness and loan deferment/forbearance. If you have a private loan, you should work directly with your loan servicer for any repayment flexibility/forgiveness.