CMU vs UCLA: admit rates, GPA and how Taiwanese applicants choose
OfferLand users have reported 176 application results for CMU and 120 for UCLA; 43 applicants applied to both. The table puts admit rates, admitted applicants’ scores, top fields and programs side by side.
Self-reported sample from OfferLand users, not official school data; figures based on fewer than 5 results are not shown. Data as of 2026-10-22.
Side by side
Admit rate = (admitted + enrolled) ÷ (admitted + enrolled + rejected); waitlisted and pending results are left out. Median GPA and TOEFL count each admitted applicant once. Figures based on fewer than 5 results are not shown.
| Metric | CMU | UCLA |
|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | United States |
| QS ranking (2027) | #55 | #49 |
| US News ranking (2027) | #14 | #20 |
| Application results | 176 | 120 |
| Applicants | 138 | 120 |
| Admit rate | 59.8% | 50.0% |
| Median GPA (admitted) | 3.76 | 3.71 |
| Median TOEFL (admitted) | 105 | 103 |
| Most-reported fields | Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (69),Information Technology (30),General Engineering (18),Biology/Ecology (13) | Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (52),General Engineering (23),Materials Science (13),Business Analytics (10) |
Most-reported programs
Programs with at least 5 results, by number of results.
CMU
| Program | Results | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical & Computer Engineering (Master's) | 26 | 73.1% |
| Computer Science (Master's) | 17 | 29.4% |
| Information Systems Management (Master's) | 15 | 26.7% |
| Computational Biology (Master's) | 13 | 53.8% |
| Information Networking Institute (Master's) | 10 | 90.0% |
UCLA
| Program | Results | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science (Master's) | 27 | 11.5% |
| Electrical & Computer Engineering (Master's) | 20 | 25.0% |
| Materials Science & Engineering (Master's) | 13 | 92.3% |
| Management – Business Analytics MS (Master's) | 10 | 66.7% |
| Mechanical Engineering (Master's) | 9 | 77.8% |
Applicants to both schools
43 applicants reported results at both schools: 30 were admitted to CMU, 14 to UCLA, and 11 to both.
Of those admitted to both who reported a final choice, 1 chose CMU and 2 chose UCLA. A small sample; treat it as a hint only.
AI summary (from OfferLand data and posts on the site, 2026-10-21)
In OfferLand's application results, CMU's overall admit rate (59.8%) is higher than UCLA's (50%), CMU admits report a slightly higher median GPA (3.76 vs 3.71), and median TOEFL is similar (105 vs 103). CS is hard at both: CMU's CS master's admitted 29.4% of 17 results and UCLA's only 11.5% of 27, while CMU's ECE master's (26 results, 73.1%) is far more forgiving than UCLA's ECE (20 results, 25%). Of the 43 people who applied to both, 11 were admitted to both, and of the 3 who reported a decision, 2 chose UCLA and 1 chose CMU, too small a sample to read much into.
- UCLA's Materials Science master's admitted 92.3% of 13 results and its Business Analytics MS 66.7% of 10; at CMU, the Information Networking Institute admitted 90% of 10 and Computational Biology 53.8% of 13.Source: data on this page
- An applicant to CMU's Information Security Policy & Management found the recorded interview questions fairly easy, with a few seconds to prepare after each appears, and advises staying calm and stating your reasoning and conclusion clearly.Source: CMU Information Security Policy & Management 面試心得
Written by AI from the data on this page and the cited posts and interview reports. It may contain mistakes and is neither official school information nor application advice; check the original posts and the schools’ own announcements.
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When citing these figures, please credit OfferLand. How the data is collected: About the data.