Getting Into Carnegie Mellon's Master of Computational Data Science: A Data-Driven Guide for Fall 2027 Applicants
A single-school reference on Carnegie Mellon's Master of Computational Data Science for Fall 2027: the school's own 12.7% selectivity figure and GRE bands, a one-to-three-minute video standing in for the interview, a $99,574 academic year with no departmental funding behind it, and the placement record under a $150,000 median salary.
The Master of Computational Data Science is a professional master's degree at Carnegie Mellon University, taught by the Language Technologies Institute inside the university's School of Computer Science 1. Students complete 144 units of graduate coursework in at least one concentration, build a capstone project, and take a required summer internship 12. Most students finish across three semesters and graduate in December of their second year 2.
Three published facts frame the cycle a Fall 2027 applicant is in now. Applications opened September 9, 2026, with an early deadline of November 18, 2026 and a final deadline of December 9, 2026, both at 3 p.m. Eastern Time 13.
The program requires GRE scores less than five years old, so the test belongs in the plan 1. And Carnegie Mellon publishes an admission rate for this program: 12.7% 4.
The numbers in this issue come from one document, the comparison table the School of Computer Science publishes for its master's programs, whose admissions and placement columns are marked "2024 data; updated fall 2025" 4. No graduate program files a Common Data Set, so these are the school's own figures at the vintage the school gives them. Where a number is missing, this issue says so.
What CMU publishes about who gets in
One line of admissions data exists for this program, and it is more than most peer programs disclose.
| Published figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Applications received | 1,099 | 2024 data, updated fall 2025 4 |
| Offers of admission | 140 | Same table, 2024 data 4 |
| Selectivity, offers divided by applications | 12.7% | Same table, 2024 data 4 |
| GRE Quantitative, 25th to 75th percentile of admitted students | 168 to 170 | Same table, 2024 data 4 |
| GRE Verbal, 25th to 75th percentile | 155 to 161 | Same table, 2024 data 4 |
| GRE Analytical Writing, 25th to 75th percentile | 3.5 to 4.0 | Same table, 2024 data 4 |
| Undergraduate GPA, 25th to 75th percentile | 3.5 to 4.0 | Same table, 2024 data 4 |
| Graduates traced in the same table | 105 | Graduated August 2024 to May 2025 4 |
The table defines selectivity as offers of admission divided by applications received, and the record stops there. The enrolled count behind those 140 offers is not published, and the 105 graduates describe an earlier cohort than the applicants do 4. CMU publishes no breakdown by citizenship, undergraduate field or undergraduate institution, which is where applicants usually look next.
What the committee says it selects for
CMU sets 3.0 as the undergraduate GPA floor for any application to the school, and the published bands show how far above it the admitted class sits 1. Half the students offered admission scored between 168 and 170 on GRE Quantitative, where the ceiling is 170 4.
The committee's stated interests run past the scores. The school says its reviewers value applicants who show persistence and resilience under challenge, a commitment to ethics, concern for others and their community, and leadership 3.
The resume is where that evidence goes, and the application asks it to list education, research and work experience, publications, prizes and honors, society memberships, and other extracurricular activities 3. Class rank and class size are offered as optional fields 3.
Two rules catch international applicants. Anyone studying on an F-1 or J-1 visa whose first language is not English must submit a TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo score, and the school grants no waiver for earlier study in the United States 3.
MCDS adds a timing rule on top: the English test must have been taken within the last two years, whatever degrees the applicant already holds 13. Most admitted applicants in recent years scored 105 to 114 on the TOEFL iBT, 7 to 8 on IELTS, or 130 to 155 on Duolingo 3.
The school also asks applicants to write their own statement: it recommends using AI tools only for grammar and spelling, and warns that heavier use may affect admission 3.
Where CMU sits in field-specific rankings
U.S. News ranks Carnegie Mellon first in computer science for 2026, tied with MIT and Stanford, and first on its own in artificial intelligence, programming languages and systems, with theory tied for second 5. The ranking describes the school's standing among academic peers, and it is not a statement about any applicant's chances 5. MCDS itself sits in the Language Technologies Institute, one of the school's departments 1.
The calendar you are working to
Applications opened September 9, 2026, and MCDS observes two deadlines. The early one, on November 18, 2026, reduces the application fee from $100 to $80, and the final one falls on December 9, 2026 13.
Review of complete files begins after the deadline, and the school notes that some committees start earlier and may release individual decisions before it 3. An applicant still needing a GRE or an English test should sit it by November 25, 2026, because reportable scores take about two weeks to process 3. Fee waivers are available inside the application 3.
The degree: 144 units, two tracks, three concentrations
Every MCDS student completes 144 units. The degree is built from four core courses in machine learning, cloud computing, interactive data science and a data science seminar, three courses in a concentration, a three-course capstone sequence, and one elective from the school's graduate catalog 2. The concentrations are Analytics, Systems and Human-Centered Data Science, and students select one during the first semester 2. No thesis is required, and the capstone sequence is the culminating work 2.
The track decides how long you are on campus and how many times you are billed. Professional Preparation runs 16 months across fall, spring, a summer internship and a final fall, at a minimum of 48 units a semester, and graduates in December 2.
Research Preparation runs 20 months across four semesters at 36 units each, and graduates in May. The handbook recommends it for students who intend to apply to doctoral programs, and it costs more because four semesters of tuition are paid 2. Students choose a track at the start of the program for visa purposes and may change it later with approval 2.
Two structural facts matter to the decision. MCDS is full-time only, and the School of Computer Science accepts no transfers into a master's program from another university 3. And there is no doctoral program in computational data science: MCDS graduates may apply to CMU's PhD programs, and the handbook states that they receive no preferential treatment 2.
What you write, and who writes for you
The written file is short. You submit a statement of purpose of one to two pages describing your interests and objectives, a current resume, and unofficial transcripts from every institution you have attended 3.
Fall-semester grades are not required, so a December transcript does not delay the file 3. The application permits more than one master's program, at $100 each or $80 before the early deadline 3. MCDS publishes no fixed prompt for that statement; what the program publishes is the video question 1.
The video runs one to three minutes and asks you to introduce yourself and explain your interest in the program 1. The program page labels it strongly suggested, and the school's instructions describe such clips as either a live video essay recorded inside the application or an uploaded digital portfolio, depending on the program 13.
Three letters of recommendation are required, and up to five are accepted 3. At least two should come from faculty members or recent employers, and the committee wants writers who can judge independent work. The school says a letter that is only a character reference carries little weight 3. Letters may arrive a few days after you submit, and the rest of the file may not 3.
What stands in for an interview
Neither the program page nor the school's application instructions describe an interview stage. The video is the only place in the file where a committee hears an applicant speak 13.
That puts the work an interview usually does, showing how you think and how you talk about your own projects, into the statement and the clip. The committee's stated interest in independent work sets what to demonstrate in both 3.
What the year costs, and who pays for it
Carnegie Mellon's registrar publishes a 2026-27 cost of attendance for the school's master's students, dated July 30, 2026 6.
| Cost item, 2026-27 academic year | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $62,200, or $31,100 a semester and $864 a unit | CMU Student Financial Services 6 |
| Student activities fee | $248 | Same page 6 |
| Housing | $14,752 | Same page 6 |
| Food | $8,664 | Same page 6 |
| Books and supplies | $2,212 | Same page 6 |
| Health insurance | $3,352 | Same page 6 |
| Personal and miscellaneous | $4,098 | Same page 6 |
| Travel allowance | $1,756 | Same page 6 |
| Transportation fee | $302 | Same page 6 |
| Technology fee | $490 | Same page 6 |
| Estimated loan fees | $1,500 | Same page, for students who borrow 6 |
| Non-tuition costs | $37,374 | Same page 6 |
| Tuition plus non-tuition costs | $99,574 | Sum of the two rows above, on CMU's rates 6 |
One academic year buys two semesters, and the 16-month track needs three, so a second fall adds another $31,100 in tuition 26.
Before the first fall, MCDS encourages students to complete 11-637 Foundations of Computational Data Science in the summer, at the summer rate of $650 a unit, which is $7,800 for its 12 units. The Systems concentration's prerequisite, 15-503, is 6 units at the same rate 27.
One discrepancy is worth knowing about. The program's own sheet for admitted students still quotes $32,400 a semester, or $64,800 a year, which sits higher than the registrar's current rate. The figures above come from the registrar's page dated July 30, 2026, which is what the university bills 67.
Funding separates this degree from the funded doctorates in the same building. The MCDS program states that it provides no financial aid, no tuition waivers and no scholarships, and the school's graduate admissions FAQ says master's programs generally offer none 23. The one route the program names is employment: students may apply for teaching-assistant positions after their first semester, and non-native English speakers must pass a language assessment first 27.
Federal borrowing narrowed on July 1, 2026. Graduate students lost access to Graduate PLUS loans unless they qualify for a limited exception. The unsubsidized loan that remains is capped at $20,500 a year and $100,000 across graduate study 8. CMU states that it does not offer programs classified as professional programs, which leaves the larger $50,000-a-year limit unavailable at this university 8.
The lifetime federal ceiling is $257,500 across all levels of study, and enrolling below full time, defined as 36 units a semester for a CMU graduate student, reduces annual eligibility 8. Against a $20,500 annual limit and a $99,574 academic year, CMU points students toward private loans for the difference 68.
Where the graduates go
The same comparison table carries the placement record, and it states its own limits. It counts students who graduated in August 2024, December 2024 or May 2025, and it withholds salary statistics where fewer than four graduates reported one 4.
| Published figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Graduates | 105 | Graduating August 2024 to May 2025 4 |
| Employed | 94 | Same table 4 |
| Employed or continuing to a doctorate | 95, or 90.5% | Same table 4 |
| Employed, as a share of graduates with a known destination | 99% | Same table 4 |
| Salaries reported | 46 | Same table 4 |
| Median salary | $150,000 | Same table 4 |
| Average salary | $145,767 | Same table 4 |
| Employers hiring two or more graduates | Databricks, Apple, Adobe, Bloomberg, Oracle, JPMorgan Chase | Same table 4 |
The program describes its graduates as software engineers, data scientists and project managers at information technology, software services and social media companies. The handbook says most of them go into corporate research and development 12.
For a national reference point rather than a program one, the Bureau of Labor Statistics put the median wage for data scientists at $120,230 in May 2025. It counted 275,600 jobs in the occupation and projects 35% growth between 2025 and 2035 9. That national figure covers everyone in the occupation, and the MCDS median sits above it.
Five myths checked against CMU's own pages
- A computer science degree is required. The handbook says an undergraduate degree in computer science is not required. Students arriving from other disciplines may need the fourth semester of the 20-month track 2.
- The video is optional, so it can be skipped. The program's requirements page calls the one-to-three-minute video strongly suggested, and the school's instructions treat video essays and digital portfolios as reviewed components of the file 13.
- Admission comes with funding. The program states that it provides no financial aid, no tuition waivers and no scholarships, and the school's FAQ confirms that master's programs generally offer none 23.
- An MCDS admit is a step toward a CMU doctorate. There is no doctoral program in computational data science, and the handbook says MCDS graduates receive no preferential treatment when they apply to CMU's PhD programs 2.
- Only the December 9 deadline matters. The November 18 early deadline reduces the fee from $100 to $80, review begins sooner, and some committees release decisions before the final deadline 13.
Five things to do next
- Book the GRE, which MCDS requires, and sit it by November 25, 2026 so the scores are reportable before December 9; use institution code 2074 and department code 0402 13.
- Ask three people to write, at least two of them faculty or recent employers who can describe independent work, and brief each one on the projects you want discussed 3.
- Write the statement as one to two pages on what you want to build in large-scale data systems and which concentration, Analytics, Systems or Human-Centered Data Science, your background prepares you for 23.
- Record the one-to-three-minute video answering the program's own question, who you are and why you want this degree, and keep it inside the stated length 1.
- Build the funding plan before you accept: file the FAFSA, price the $99,574 academic year against the $20,500 annual federal limit, and ask about teaching-assistant openings for your second semester 678.
What the published numbers cannot settle is the choice itself. Sixteen months in Pittsburgh costs $99,574 for the first academic year, with $20,500 a year of federal borrowing available against it, and only you can weigh that against the jobs this program places graduates into. Carnegie Mellon publishes enough for you to price the decision. The rest is your call.
References
- 1Master of Computational Data Science
lti.cs.cmu.edu
- 2MCDS AY26-27 Master's Student Handbook
lti.cs.cmu.edu
- 3SCS Graduate Admissions
cs.cmu.edu
- 4SCS Master's Programs Comparison Data
cs.cmu.edu
- 5
- 6
- 7MCDS Additional Information for Admitted Students
lti.cs.cmu.edu
- 8
- 9
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