CMU vs UCSD: admit rates, GPA and how Taiwanese applicants choose
OfferLand users have reported 176 application results for CMU and 190 for UCSD; 66 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 | UCSD |
|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | United States |
| QS ranking (2027) | #55 | #81 |
| US News ranking (2027) | #14 | #29 |
| Application results | 176 | 190 |
| Applicants | 138 | 179 |
| Admit rate | 59.8% | 61.6% |
| Median GPA (admitted) | 3.76 | 3.72 |
| Median TOEFL (admitted) | 105 | 102 |
| Most-reported fields | Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (69),Information Technology (30),General Engineering (18),Biology/Ecology (13) | Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (114),Materials Science (22),General Engineering (19),Data Science (12) |
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% |
UCSD
| Program | Results | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science and Engineering (Master's) | 59 | 47.5% |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering (Master's) | 46 | 65.2% |
| Material Science and Engineering (Master's) | 22 | 86.4% |
| Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (Master's) | 11 | 72.7% |
| Data Science (Master's) | 9 | 33.3% |
Applicants to both schools
66 applicants reported results at both schools: 42 were admitted to CMU, 40 to UCSD, and 28 to both.
Of those admitted to both who reported a final choice, 1 chose CMU and 2 chose UCSD. A small sample; treat it as a hint only.
AI summary (from OfferLand data and posts on the site, 2026-10-21)
In results reported to OfferLand, CMU and UCSD have similar overall admit rates (59.8% vs 61.6%), but CMU's admits report a higher median GPA (3.76 vs 3.72) and TOEFL (105 vs 102). Of the 66 people who applied to both, CMU admitted 42 and UCSD 40; only 3 of the 28 admitted to both reported a final choice (1 CMU, 2 UCSD), so there is no visible preference. The program mix also differs: UCSD's reports center on CSE, ECE and materials science, while CMU's include, besides ECE and CS, many Information Systems Management (ISM) and computational biology results.
- CMU's computing master's programs are harder to get into than UCSD's: CMU's CS MS admitted 29.4% of 17 reports and ISM 26.7% of 15, against 47.5% of 59 for UCSD's CSE MS. In ECE it is CMU 73.1% (26 reports) and UCSD 65.2% (46 reports).Source: data on this page
- An NTU electrical engineering applicant with a 3.66/4.0 GPA was admitted to UCSD's CSE MS for Fall 2023 and rejected by CMU's MCDS and MSE-SS. It is a single case.Source: 2023 Fall CS 申請心得
- CMU ISM's interview is a recorded Kira session with 90 seconds to prepare and 90 to answer, which this applicant found plenty, and three recording attempts. They had prepared 40 past questions, and all three questions asked were from that set.Source: CMU Information Systems Management 面試
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.