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Applying for Aid

Carnegie Mellon is here to support you throughout the financial aid process

Need-Based Financial Aid

Carnegie Mellon offers need-based financial aid to admitted students and is committed to meeting their demonstrated need. This means our admitted students receive financial aid based not on their grades or test scores, but on their family's financial need.

Financial aid is offered to U.S. citizens, permanent residents and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students. If you don’t fit any of these criteria and plan to enroll at Carnegie Mellon, you and your family must assume the total cost of attendance.

Review our International Student Cost & Payment webpage for further information.
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When Is My Financial Aid Application Due?

Early Decision

Nov 15 (CSS Profile)

Jan 2025 (FAFSA)

Regular Decision

Feb 15

Required Documents

FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required to be considered for federal financial aid. There is no cost for filing this form. Carnegie Mellon's institutional code is 003242. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students are not required to submit the FAFSA.

The FAFSA Simplification Act brings major changes to the 2024-2025 FAFSA, making it easier for students and families to apply for federal financial aid. Learn more, stay informed with the most recent updates, and find out how these changes affect you with our guide to FAFSA Simplification.

The 2024-2025 FAFSA is now live. Carnegie Mellon will not begin receiving FAFSA records from Federal Student Aid until sometime in March. Therefore, if you have questions about your FAFSA, please contact Federal Student Aid directly.

CSS Profile

The CSS Profile is required to be considered for Carnegie Mellon institutional financial aid. For families with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of less than $100,000 per year, it's free to submit the CSS Profile. For families with an AGI of more than $100,000 per year, it's $25 to submit the CSS Profile to your first school and $16 for each subsequent school. If you need a fee waiver for the CSS Profile, please call the Office of Admission at 412.268.2082. Carnegie Mellon's institutional code is 2074.

Please note: International students are not eligible for financial aid at Carnegie Mellon, so they should not submit the CSS Profile to us.

Providing the student Social Security Number (SSN) is critical to correctly matching your file. Please note that if this field is left blank or an incorrect number is entered, your financial aid processing may be delayed.

For students with divorced or separated parents, we require profile submissions from both the custodial and noncustodial parents. If contacting your noncustodial parent represents a challenge for you, you may be able to have this requirement waived. Please see the Noncustodial Parent CSS Profile Waiver Information section below for more details.

Noncustodial Parent CSS Profile Waiver Information

A noncustodial parent is typically the parent the student did not live with most of the time during the past year. Carnegie Mellon requires that a student's custodial parent information be submitted with the student's CSS Profile submission, and that their noncustodial parent submits their own CSS Profile via a separate account. This page has more details related to your parent account creation.

In certain situations, we may be able to waive the noncustodial parent CSS Profile requirement. Some reasons for waiver requests that can typically be considered:

  • No contact or support ever received from your custodial parent.
  • Legal orders that limit the noncustodial parent's contact with you.
  • Abuse situations involving you and the noncustodial parent.

Types of waiver requests that are usually not considered include:

  • A parent who refuses to complete the CSS Profile.
  • Divorce decree stating that a parent is not responsible for the student's educational expenses.

If you believe that you are eligible for a noncustodial parent CSS Profile waiver, you'll need to submit this form, and a member of our staff will contact you regarding next steps.

Tax Documents

Carnegie Mellon may require signed parent and student tax returns, W-2s, and all related tax schedules to be considered for institutional financial aid. Non-U.S. tax filers must also submit their foreign tax returns and wage statements, along with a translation. If additional tax documentation is required, we will notify you and provide instructions on how to submit the documents to us directly.

Missing Financial Aid Documents

Additional items may be requested based on a number of factors.  Instructions on how to submit those items are below.

DocumentInstructions for Submitting
CSS ProfileIf applying for institutional financial aid programs, complete the CSS Profile online at cssprofile.org. If you do not have a College Board online account, you will need to create one in order to complete your CSS Profile application. Carnegie Mellon receives your Profile data electronically from CSS. Carnegie Mellon's CSS College Code is 2074.
FAFSAComplete your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) at studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa.

There are two ways to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form: the studentaid.gov/h/apply-for- aid/fafsa website, or a mobile app (available through Google Play or the Apple App Store).

Carnegie Mellon Federal School Code: 0003242 

A Department of Education Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID is required. View FSA ID instructions.
Federal Master Promissory Note (MPN) and/or Entrance CounselingThese only need to be completed after you enroll at Carnegie Mellon. The Office of Admission will provide instructions on how to complete these steps in the late spring/early summer.
Financial Aid Terms and ConditionsThis only needs to be completed after you enroll at Carnegie Mellon. The Office of Admission will provide instructions on how to complete this step in the late spring/early summer.
Non-Tax Filer Statement

If you are not required to and did not file taxes in the U.S. or any other country, please use this form to report your income from any/all sources. If that amount is zero, then please check the applicable box on the form.

 

Complete, sign (handwritten), and submit directly to CMU through My Student Aid or by email, @email.

Non-U.S. Tax DocumentationDid you file taxes with a U.S. territory or commonwealth or a foreign central government?

If not, please submit both of the following:

Wage statement(s) that confirm income earned from work from your employer.

Documentation from your taxing authority that confirms taxes were not filed. If this documentation is unavailable or unable to be obtained, you may complete the Non-Tax Filer Statement that is available in your My Student Aid portal.

Please note: Submit copies of your original tax or wage document(s) AND include a translation of the document(s) to English & U.S. dollars using the current currency exchange rates.
Parent CSS ProfileAll parents complete a CSS Profile application at http://cssprofile.org.

In the case of divorced or separated parents, each parent will complete their own CSS Profile application with different College Board accounts/login credentials, and you will see a Noncustodial Parent CSS Profile being requested. Carnegie Mellon receives your Profile electronically from CSS.
Parent/Student Form 1040xSubmit a signed copy of your Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return (Form 1040x) to your My Student Aid portal for the applicable tax year (2022 for Fall 2024 applicants).
Parent/Student Verification of Non-Filing LetterThis may be required if selected for federal verification. If confirmation of non-filing status is required, we recommend requesting an IRS tax transcript online. (View detailed instructions). Once you’ve received it from the IRS, upload to your My Student Aid portal.
Parent/Student Tax Returns and/or W-2sSubmit electronic copies to your My Student Aid portal. Please note that handwritten signatures and dates are required on page 2 of each Form 1040.
Parent/Student Tax Return TranscriptThis may be required for dependent students if selected for federal verification. If required, we recommend requesting a transcript online (view detailed instructions) and uploading to your My Student Aid portal once you’ve received it.
Schedules 1, A, B, C, D, E, K-1These tax schedules, part of your tax return filing, capture certain types of income that we may need to verify. If we’ve requested one of these tax schedules, it may be that your taxes include other schedules that could also be requested. Please be sure to submit any and all tax schedules. See www.irs.gov/forms-instructions for more details on each of these documents.
Copy of Social Security CardIf requested, please upload to your My Student Aid portal.
U.S. Citizenship Documentation
We may request citizenship documentation to confirm the citizenship status provided on your FAFSA. Documentation must be notarized. Submit an electronic copy of the U.S. citizenship documentation (i.e., U.S. Passport, Certification of Naturalization) and your notarized form to your My Student Aid portal or via email to @email.

If either of these presents a hardship (financial or limited access to notary), please reach out to the Undergraduate Admission Office: @email.
Verification of High School Completion*NOTE: This document is only required if you enroll at Carnegie Mellon

Provide one of the following documents to indicate your high school completion:

o A copy of a high school diploma
o A copy of a final, official high school transcript that
shows the date the diploma was awarded
o A copy of a General Education Development (GED)
certificate or GED transcript
o An academic transcript that indicates you
successfully completed at least a two-year program
acceptable for full credit toward a bachelor's degree
o A copy of a secondary school completion credential
for homeschool (other than a high school diploma or
its recognized equivalent) if state law requires
homeschooled students to obtain that credential
o A transcript or equivalent, signed by your parent or
guardian, that lists the secondary school courses you
completed and documents the successful
completion of a secondary school education in a
homeschool setting
Verification of Household InformationThis form can be found and submitted directly via your My Student Aid portal.
Verification of Identity/Government Photo ID

*NOTE: This document is only required if you enroll at Carnegie Mellon

This may be submitted using one of the following options:

1) We can accept a copy of a valid government-issued photo ID and an original notarized Statement of Education Purpose form mailed to The HUB, 5000 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213. We can only accept original notarized forms via mail; photocopied forms or those that are faxed or emailed cannot be accepted, or;

2) Submit a valid government-issued photo ID and the Statement of Educational Purpose form (linked below) in person to The HUB.

Additional Considerations

Carnegie Mellon students have the right to request changes to their financial aid based on Special Financial Circumstances (i.e., recent unemployment, changes to income, assets) or based on Unusual Circumstances that may qualify a student for a change in dependency status.

Examples of Special Financial Circumstances may include:

  • Recent unemployment of a family member or an independent student;
  • A student or family member who is a dislocated worker (as defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act);
  • Tuition expenses at an elementary school or secondary school for dependents with disabilities or special needs;
  • Medical, dental, or nursing home expenses not covered by insurance; or
  • Unusually high childcare or dependent care costs.

Examples of Unusual Circumstances related to dependency status include:

  • Students in foster care or students who are not in the custody of a parent or guardian and are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
  • Students who are at risk related to human trafficking, abusive family environment, legally granted refuge or asylum status, parental abandonment or estrangement, or student or parent incarceration.

More information about these processes can be found on this page. Students can submit a special or unusual circumstance request directly via their My Student Aid portal. If you have any questions about this process, please contact the Office of Admission at 412.268.2082 or @email.  
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