Was your child recently waitlisted to Carnegie Mellon University’s Class of 2029? If so, you’re likely not jumping up and down because a waitlist isn’t exactly an offer of admission. But is it akin to a rejection? In the wake of your child’s CMU waitlist decision, you’re likely wondering if they’ve got a genuine shot of earning admission over these next several weeks. So let’s dive in and address all questions about Carnegie Mellon’s waitlist. Spoiler Alert: they’ve got a real shot if they play their cards right!

Carnegie Mellon Waitlist Acceptance Rates and Statistics

Below is a breakdown of Carnegie Mellon’s waitlist admissions statistics over the last quarter of a century:

Carnegie Mellon University Class Year	Number of Students Waitlisted to Carnegie Mellon	Number of Students Who Chose to Join Carnegie Mellon Waitlist	Number of Students Accepted Off Carnegie Mellon Waitlist	Carnegie Mellon Waitlist Acceptance Rate
Class of 2029	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
Class of 2028	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published
Class of 2027	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published
Class of 2026	8,986	4,652	43	0.92%
Class of 2025	8,792	5,319	35	0.66%
Class of 2024	6,819	3,461	288	8.32%
Class of 2023	5,761	3,579	140	3.91%
Class of 2022	3,677	2,310	109	4.72%
Class of 2021	5,609	2,834	4	0.14%
Class of 2020	3,809	1,942	7	0.36%
Class of 2019	5,526	2,835	4	0.14%
Class of 2018	3,104	1,630	73	4.48%
Class of 2017	4,843	1,864	87	4.67%
Class of 2016	3,664	1,296	97	7.48%
Class of 2015	5,003	642	6	0.93%
Class of 2014	4,463	563	70	12.43%
Class of 2013	3,938	645	108	16.74%
Class of 2012	3,139	320	0	0%
Class of 2011	2,898	290	82	28.28%
Class of 2010	3,190	Not Published	56	Not Published
Class of 2009	2,704	Not Published	120	Not Published
Class of 2008	2,709	Not Published	120	Not Published
Class of 2007	2,941	294	180	61.22%
Class of 2006	2,476	915	145	15.85%
Class of 2005	3,265	715	73	10.21%
Class of 2004	3,437	690	85	12.32%
Class of 2003	Not Published	Not Published	Not Published	Not Published

The Ivy Coach Method for Getting Off Carnegie Mellon’s Waitlist

Over the last 26 years, Carnegie Mellon has thus far released sufficient waitlist admissions figures to glean the school’s waitlist acceptance rate for 20 of those years.

During that span, the school’s average waitlist acceptance rate was 9.69%. However, Carnegie Mellon turned to its waitlist significantly more before the last ten admissions cycles. Since the Class of 2015, the school’s average waitlist acceptance rate has stood at 3.06% — with a high of 8.32% for the Class of 2024.

So while CMU hasn’t been offering admission to as many students in recent years, the school is still turning to its waitlist year in and year out — admitting 43 students to its Class of 2026, 35 students to its Class of 2025, 288 students to its Class of 2024, 188 students to its Class of 2023, and 109 students to its Class of 2022.

Carnegie Mellon’s Waitlist Admissions: Trends Over the Years

Over the last 10 years, 43% of students Ivy Coach begins working with after being placed on Carnegie Mellon’s waitlist have earned admission to the institution.

Ivy Coach’s process for waitlisted CMU applicants involves two steps, which go as follows:

1. Complete Ivy Coach’s PostMortem application review. We need to parse through what went right and wrong in The Common Application and CMU supplement to understand how a student positioned their case for admission — and what needs to change in their go-forward strategy.
2.  Submit a compelling Letter of Continued Interest. While most parents know that waitlisted students should submit a Letter of Continued Interest after being placed on a college’s waitlist, their children tend to approach these letters incorrectly. They brag about their achievements. They update them on everything they’ve done since they first applied all but a few months ago. It’s not the approach of Ivy Coach — and it’s a critical reason why our letters — filled with our delicious secret sauce — are so often effective.

Getting Started with Ivy Coach on Carnegie Mellon Waitlist

If you’re interested in giving your child the best chance of earning admission off Carnegie Mellon’s waitlist this year, fill out Ivy Coach’s complimentary consultation form and indicate your child’s been waitlisted. We’ll then be in touch to outline our waitlist service.