Key differences on Getting in

1
U. Chicago's yield is 42 pts higher than Carnegie Mellon's
Yield rate
2
U. Chicago is 2.5× more selective than Carnegie Mellon
Acceptance rate
3
Carnegie Mellon's SAT midpoint is 5 points higher than U. Chicago's
SAT midpoint

Admissions

Getting in, fall 2024

Acceptance and yield, test score ranges, test policy, and what each college weighs.

The funnel

Acceptance rate

U. Chicago4.5%Most selective

Carnegie Mellon11%

Applicants

U. Chicago43.6KMost

Carnegie Mellon34.9K

Admitted

U. Chicago2K

Carnegie Mellon3.9KMost

Yield rate

U. Chicago88%Highest

Carnegie Mellon47%

Quad's selectivity

U. ChicagoUltra selective
Carnegie MellonUltra selective

Men and women

Acceptance rate for men and women who applied, where a college reports admissions by sex.

Women admitted

U. Chicago3.7%

Carnegie Mellon15%

Men admitted

U. Chicago5.6%

Carnegie Mellon9.8%

Test scores

SAT total,

U. Chicago

1500–1560

Carnegie Mellon

1500–1560

Axis runs 1400–1600. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

ACT composite,

U. Chicago

34–35

Carnegie Mellon

34–36

Axis runs 30–36. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

Submitted SAT

U. Chicago57%

Carnegie Mellon66%

Submitted ACT

U. Chicago25%

Carnegie Mellon18%

Test policy

U. ChicagoTest scores required
Carnegie MellonTest-optional

How they read a record

U. Chicago
is very important; GPA, class rank, and tests are all considered. This college reports (average 4.54), so its GPA figures can't show how crowded unweighted GPAs are.
Carnegie Mellon
, GPA, and class rank are all very important; tests are considered. 86% of first-years who sent test scores had a 3.75 or higher, so and rarely sets an applicant apart; the courses behind it carry more of the weight.

What they look at

Factor	U. Chicago	Carnegie Mellon
High school GPA	Considered	Very important
High school record	Required	Required
Class rank	Considered	Very important
College-prep program	Required	Considered
Recommendations	Very important	Important
Essay	Very important	Important
Legacy status	Considered	Not considered
Work experience	Considered	Considered
Demonstration of competencies	Considered	Considered
English proficiency test	Considered	Required
Other tests	Not considered	Not considered

All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;University of Chicago Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;University of Chicago Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;University of Chicago Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;Carnegie Mellon University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why