CMU vs USC: admit rates, GPA and how Taiwanese applicants choose
OfferLand users have reported 176 application results for CMU and 206 for USC; 49 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 | USC |
|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | United States |
| QS ranking (2027) | #55 | #153 |
| US News ranking (2027) | #14 | #27 |
| Application results | 176 | 206 |
| Applicants | 138 | 192 |
| Admit rate | 59.8% | 77.5% |
| Median GPA (admitted) | 3.76 | 3.71 |
| Median TOEFL (admitted) | 105 | 100 |
| Most-reported fields | Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (69),Information Technology (30),General Engineering (18),Biology/Ecology (13) | Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (105),General Engineering (21),Business Analytics (18),Finance & Investment (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% |
USC
| Program | Results | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineering, M.S. (Master's) | 54 | 61.1% |
| Electrical Engineering, M.S. (Master's) | 25 | 92.0% |
| Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) (Master's) | 18 | 72.2% |
| MS Finance (MSF) (Master's) | 12 | 90.9% |
| Mechanical Engineering, M.S. (Master's) | 10 | 90.0% |
Applicants to both schools
49 applicants reported results at both schools: 29 were admitted to CMU, 33 to USC, and 21 to both.
Too few people admitted to both have reported a final choice (1) to show a preference.
AI summary (from OfferLand data and posts on the site, 2026-10-21)
In OfferLand's application results, USC's overall admit rate (77.5%) is higher than CMU's (59.8%), and CMU admits report a slightly higher median GPA (3.76 vs 3.71) and median TOEFL (105 vs 100). Both schools' data are mostly EECS: CMU's largest programs are the ECE master's (26 results, 73.1% admitted) and the CS master's (17 results, 29.4%), while USC's are the Computer Engineering MS (54 results, 61.1%) and the Electrical Engineering MS (25 results, 92%), with a good number of business analytics and finance results as well. Of the 49 people who applied to both, 21 were admitted to both, and only 1 reported a decision (CMU), which is not enough to say how applicants generally choose.
- An applicant moving from ECE to CS with a second master's counted both CMU and USC among the schools with solid coursework; the applicant was admitted to USC's CS37 but rejected by CMU's INI and ECE.Source: 美國二碩ECE轉CS MS錄取心得 — Georgia Tech
- A USC MS in Business Analytics student says they valued the 16-month program length, which leaves more time to settle in and prepare for internships and job hunting than 10 to 12 month programs, and also mentions USC's alumni network.Source: MSBA 申請｜把興趣當優勢拿下夢校 Offer？美國、新加坡商業分析申請分享！
- One CMU Information Systems Management applicant prepared all 40 past Kira questions and all three questions asked were from that list; the applicant submitted on 1/10 and received the interview invitation the next evening.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.
More
When citing these figures, please credit OfferLand. How the data is collected: About the data.