Strong graduate outcomes with earnings well above peer institutions.
What graduates earn 10 years after enrollment.
Annual salary at 10 years
Lower quartile earnings
Upper quartile earnings
How graduate earnings grow in the decade after enrollment.
Carnegie Mellon graduates demonstrate modest earnings progression during the early-to-mid career period. Earnings increase from $105,360 at six years to $105,524 at eight years and $114,862 at ten years after enrollment, representing 9.0% growth from the six-year to ten-year mark.
How outcomes compare to similar institutions.
Graduates from this institution significantly outperform peers — earnings are 82% higher than similar schools.
Financial justification for the investment.
Excellent affordability. Median debt of $21,750 is well under annual earnings, enabling comfortable repayment.
Carnegie Mellon graduates carry median debt of $21,750, slightly below the peer median of $24,181, resulting in a favorable comparison of $2,431 less debt than typical institutions. Debt levels range from $14,000 at the 25th percentile to $30,750 at the 75th percentile, indicating variation in borrowing patterns across students.
Carnegie Mellon ranks at the 99.0th percentile for return on investment, placing it among the highest we track nationally. Graduates earn $10,270 beyond expectations compared to similar students, ranking well above average at the 86.0th percentile for earnings uplift.
Approximately 29.6% of Carnegie Mellon graduates continue to graduate or professional school, based on program mix analysis with medium confidence. T...
Program mix explains much of the earnings story.
Program-level earnings demonstrate Carnegie Mellon's concentration in high-return technical fields. Computer Science leads with $247,552 median earnings, ranking #2 nationally, followed by Electrical Engineering at $149,740 (#4 nationally) and Mathematical Statistics at $142,883 (#1 nationally).
Business Administration produces $123,200 earnings while ranking #2 nationally. These flagship programs drive the institution's exceptional return performance, with most technical programs achieving value scores above 90.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
Earnings distribution reveals significant variation in outcomes across career paths. The spread from $72,560 at the 25th percentile to $182,769 at the 75th percentile represents a 2.5:1 ratio, indicating substantial upside potential for graduates in high-earning tracks.
