Carnegie Mellon University

Online Application Process

We offer an online application in order to make applying to the program as easy and convenient as possible. Our online application system is now closed for Fall 2024 admission applications.

Your information is transmitted through a secured server and is kept confidential until you submit your application. Only after you submit your application will it be available for review by our admissions staff. No applications are reviewed until after the final submission deadline.

All applications were due December 15, 2023.

Please refer any questions to the Tepper School Ph.D. Program.

The application fee for the Tepper School Ph.D. program is $90. When you have completed your application and are ready to submit it, you can pay your application fee via credit card online.

Please carefully read the instructions that appear throughout the application pages. You can only submit your application one time. If you have updates to any information you have submitted, please notify the admissions office at once.

Best of luck. We look forward to reviewing your application.

Personal Background
Please provide us with all of the requested contact information.

Current Legal Sex / Gender Identity
Consistent with the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) reporting guidelines for US institutions, we ask for applicants to choose one of three options (as shown on at least one form of government identification, such as a birth certificate, driver's license or US state identification):  Male, Female, or Another Legal Gender.  There is also a separate, optional Gender Identity question in this section.  Please note that access to responses in this section will be restricted and confidential.

Field of Study
You may apply to up to three fields of study.  There is no need to repeat the same field of study for all choices; if you only have one choice, please enter it in the "First Choice" field.  Your application will be reviewed by each area/field to which you apply.

US High School Information
You will be asked if you graduated from a US high school.  If you answer No, you can then proceed to the next section of the application.  If you answer Yes, you will be asked to provide the name, city, state and zip code of the US high school.  Please note that most schools will auto-populate when you begin typing the name of the school, and once you select the school, the address fields will auto-populate.  If your school does not auto-populate, you will still be able to enter the information in all fields, and submit the information before proceeding to the next section.

Academic History
List all colleges and universities you attended, with the most recent first. Please supply a transcript and evidence of degree from each school listed. Evidence of degree for most US-based institutions is posted directly on an official transcript. Another acceptable evidence of degree is an official document from the Registrar of a given school confirming the degree earned. For the online application, these documents can be unofficial; if you are offered admission, you must provide official versions of all.

Programming Skills
It's helpful for us to know your computer programming background.

Test Scores
All applicants are required to submit either an official and valid GRE or GMAT test score.

Additionally, if your native language isn't English, we require official TOEFL or IELTS scores.  We also accept the Duolingo English Test (DET), an online English proficiency test that can be taken online, on-demand, in under one hour, for only $49.  The test is taken via a computer with a camera and includes a proficiency score, video interview, and writing sample which are shared with the Tepper School when you send your results.  Certified results are available within 48 hours of the test session.

Please note that we do not waive these requirements.

Be sure that you request to have your official score(s) be sent to us electronically from the testing agencies. If you haven't done so yet, please do so now!  Make sure you select the appropriate Program code when you send your scores. We cannot easily access scores sent to other departments at Carnegie Mellon University. The correct test score codes are as follows:

  • GMAT Program Code -  Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business Ph.D. Program: 69H-XH-19
  • GRE Program Code - Carnegie Mellon University: 2074 [do not use 4883]
  • TOEFL Program Code: 2074Carnegie Mellon University
  • Duolingo English Test (DET): choose Tepper School of Business in the list of institutions [be sure to filter for "Graduate" programs/schools].
    We will verify your self-reported scores with the testing agencies after you submit your application. Failure to send your scores to the Ph.D. program directly may impact processing time and our ability to finalize a decision in accordance with our posted deadlines.   
    Remember:
Official test scores must be sent from the testing agency for every uploaded test score. 
    For example, while only one score is required, if you list both a GRE and a GMAT score in your application, your application will remain incomplete until BOTH official scores are received. 
First Generation
We define first-generation graduate students as individuals whose parents or guardians do not have graduate degrees.  You will be asked whether or not you consider yourself a first-generation graduate student.

Achievements, Activities, Employment
Please provide a curriculum vitae (CV) or resume which details your history of scholarly achievements, extracurricular activities, and employment.

Recommendations
We ask for a minimum of three recommendations, and a maximum of five.  You should choose individuals who know you well and are able to provide specific and relevant information about your potential for doctoral studies and your future as a research scholar.

Statement of Purpose
What are your goals and objectives in pursuing graduate study at the doctoral level at the Tepper School?  You should provide any information, not obvious from your test scores, transcripts, etc., about how your background and training have prepared you for doctoral studies.

Please go to our online portal to create an account for your application to the Tepper School of Business PhD Program.
First-time users and returning users can go to our online portal to access our application.