CMU vs UIUC: admit rates, GPA and how Taiwanese applicants choose
OfferLand users have reported 176 application results for CMU and 230 for UIUC; 55 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 | UIUC |
|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | United States |
| QS ranking (2027) | #55 | #74 |
| US News ranking (2027) | #14 | #34 |
| Application results | 176 | 230 |
| Applicants | 138 | 214 |
| Admit rate | 59.8% | 68.3% |
| Median GPA (admitted) | 3.76 | 3.70 |
| 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 (100),Finance & Investment (27),General Engineering (25),Information Technology (24) |
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% |
UIUC
| Program | Results | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science, M.C.S. (Master's) | 58 | 39.7% |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering, M.Eng. (Master's) | 35 | 60.0% |
| M.S. in Finance (MSF) (Master's) | 27 | 100.0% |
| Information Management, Master of Science (Master's) | 21 | 95.2% |
| Materials Science & Engineering, MS (Master's) | 12 | 83.3% |
Applicants to both schools
55 applicants reported results at both schools: 34 were admitted to CMU, 29 to UIUC, and 21 to both.
Of those admitted to both who reported a final choice, 2 chose CMU and 1 chose UIUC. 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 and UIUC have similar overall admit rates (59.8% vs 68.3%) and similar median GPAs among admits (3.76 vs 3.70), with CMU admits reporting a slightly higher median TOEFL (105 vs 102). Both schools' data lean heavily toward EECS, but the main programs differ: at CMU the largest are the ECE master's (26 results, 73.1% admitted) and the CS master's (17 results, 29.4%), while at UIUC they are the MCS (58 results, 39.7%) and the ECE M.Eng. (35 results, 60%), plus a group of MS in Finance results. Of the 55 people who applied to both, 21 were admitted to both, but only 3 reported a final decision (2 chose CMU, 1 chose UIUC), too few to show a preference.
- For CS specifically, both schools are much harder than their overall numbers suggest: CMU's CS master's admitted 29.4% (17 results) and UIUC's MCS 39.7% (58 results); higher-admit programs pull the overall rates up.Source: data on this page
- A 2023 Fall applicant with an NTU EE degree and a 105 TOEFL was rejected by CMU's MCDS and MSE and by UIUC's MCS, and ended up choosing Cornell Tech.Source: 2023 Fall CS 申請心得
- CMU's Information Systems Management Kira video interview gives 90 seconds to prepare and 90 to answer, with three recording attempts; one applicant felt the first take went badly, used a second attempt and found it worthwhile.Source: CMU Information Systems 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.