Compare Carnegie Mellon University vs Harvard University

Carnegie Mellon University vs Harvard University

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Carnegie Mellon University rankings place this private global research university among the top 100 universities in the world. It occupies the impressive 52nd position in the latest QS University Rankings 2023. Harvard University is  ranked #5 by US News as the best business school in 2022, and Harvard Law School is ranked #4 jointly with Columbia University as the best law school.

Overview Comparison
Carnegie Mellon UniversityHarvard University
Collegedunia Score6.4 Out of 1010 Out of 10
ranking (overall)# 24 Times Higher Education 2026
# 52 QS World University 2026
# 24 Times Higher Education 2025
# 5 QS World University 2026
# 5 Times Higher Education 2026
# 1 Center for World University Rankings 2025
Subject Strength# 7 for Engineering by US News 2025
# 2 for Data Science and Analytics by QS World University 2025
# 401 for Medicine by QS World University 2024
# 1 for Engineering by Times Higher Education 2025
# 6 for Data Science and Analytics by QS World University 2025
# 1 for Medicine by QS World University 2025
ProgramsUG Programs -58
PG Programs -57
Doctorate Programs -26
UG Programs -40
PG Programs -53
Doctorate Programs -9
Acceptance Rate12.0 %3.0 %
Exam ScoreDuolingo-120
IELTS-7.5
TOEFL-100
GMAT-620
GRE-300
IELTS-7
SAT-1470
TOEFL-80
Cost to StudyAverage Tuition Fees  48500
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 15390 Per Year
Average Tuition Fees   86926
[For UG Program]
Average Tuition Fees  71030
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 32724 Per Year
placement (average package)

Average salary of university graduates is 98,000 USD per annum; Annual ROI is 6.8%; Top employers are Amazon, IBM, Apple, etc.
Graduate Employability ranks (2020): #39. 
Executive MBA: $169,000.
Masters in Finance: $155,000.
MBA: $140,000
Masters: $100,000


Harvard University is one of the top private universities in Cambridge, United States. It is ranked #5 in QS World University Rankings 2023 and ranked #1 in US UNI.

  • Other Degree: $200,000 
  • Doctorate: $190,000 
  • Executive Masters: $172,000 
  • MBA: $168,000 
  • Executive MBA: $160,000 
  • LLM: $152,000 

application requirements

UG applicants must have at least grade B+ (3.69 GPA on 4.0). Interviews are conducted for many UG programs. 

Teacher Evaluation forms (as additional LORs); Sample of academic work, potfolio, music recordings, art work, etc  (supplementary documents); IELTS/TOEFL; Standardized test scores

Campuses and B-SchoolsCollege of Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
College of Fine Arts, Carnegie Mellon University
Tepper School of Business
Harvard Law School
Harvard Extension School
Harvard Kennedy School
Harvard Business School
CollegeDunia Reviews7.4/10 Read 9 reviews7.2/10 Read 6 reviews
General Facts Comparison
General FactsCarnegie Mellon UniversityHarvard University
Type of UniversityUniversity
University
Established1900
1636
Student:Faculty Ratio6:1:1
7:1
Male:Female0% Male, 0% Female52% Male, 48% Female
Location Facts

Main campus is located 5 km away from Downtown Pittsburgh; Over 12 degree-granting campuses are located in six continents including Qatar and Silicon Valley


Harvard Yard: Campus’s historic hub, Harvard Square: Campus’s personal hagout destination with restaurants, cafe, bookstores, theater, shops. Well connected to the local neighborhood of Boston by public transport, the campus traverses the Charles River to near by Allston.


Library

University has 5 libraries: Hunt Library, Roger Sorrells Engineering & Science Library, Mellon Institute Library, Posner Library and Qatar Library; Hunt Library is solely dedicated to the research of botany, horticulture and history of the plant sciences


Largest academic library in the world. 20.4 million volumes, 400 million manuscript items, 180,000 serial titles. The library offers various grants and fellowships for both students and faculty. 


Campus Life

Over 300 student organizations, activities and support services including Division of Student Affairs, Student Academic Success Center, Center for Diversity and Inclusion; Campus has an art store, bookstore, computer store, coffee shops, cafeterias and other dine options


Students from over 50 states and 80 countries are offered assistance by over 400 official student organization. The campus has its own museum, radio station, magazine and newspaper. Along with student clubs for Aikikai, archery, dance, theatre/drama, music, etc, campus also offers cultural & racial initiatives, asian student centric-projects, etc. Varsity sports, crimson pride and various atheletic teams.  


Hostel#Housing - $10260
#Medium Single - $10719
#Large Single - $13644
#Standard Single - $8361
Famous Alumni

Over 20 Nobel laureates, 124 Emmy Award recipients, 10 Academy Award recipients, 47 Tony Award recipients, 2 winners of the Stockholm Prize in Criminology; Steven Bocho (ten times recipient of Emmy Award); Charles Geschke (Co-founder of Adobe Systems); Randy Pausch (author of The Last Lecture); Edgar Mitchell (astronaut)


Eight US Presidents, 62 living billionaires, 242 Marshall Scholars, 359 Rhodes scholars. Barak Obama (ex-president of USA), Michelle Obama (Former First Lady of USA), Mark Zuckerberg, Natalie Portman (Actress), Bill Gates, Conan O’ Brien (comedian writer), Al Gore (Winner-Peace Prize), Matt Damon (Actor), Helen Keller, Subramaniam Swami (Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha)


City Life

Pittsburgh is 66th largest city in the USA and 2nd largest in Pennsylvania in terms of population; Popularly known as the Steel City; the Unemployment rate in January 2020 was 5.2%; Mining and logging, construction and manufacturing are the largest employing non-farm sectors of the city


Cambridge- city in Massachusetts; home to a huge student community; city offers a great nightlife with gastropubs, live music, and cocktail bars. Boston’s cosmopolitan excitement is bus-ride away. Average salaries offered within the state are up to 97,5000 USD; Famous tourist attractions: Charles River, Harvard Square, Mount Auburn Cemetery, MIT Museum, CambrdgeSide, John Harvard Statue, Sanders Theatre; Unemployment rate- 3.2%


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