Undergraduate tuition and estimated attendance cost
CMU Student Financial Services lists undergraduate tuition at 91,214 for tuition, fees and living expenses before books, personal costs, estimated loan fees and transportation allowance, and $93,614 as the total attendance estimate for residents. Commuter totals and returning-student costs differ. These are annual planning estimates in US dollars, not a promise of the billed amount for another year or a particular student. First-year students are expected to live on campus unless Student Affairs grants permission to commute.
The first-year resident row is especially useful as a complete baseline. It combines 11,700 housing, 748 first-year experience fee, 322 student activities fee and 91,214 before the additional attendance allowances. The total cost-of-attendance figure adds 1,300 personal expenses, 93,614. Some of these amounts are estimates and some do not appear on the student bill. The row is explicitly for fall 2026 entering first-years; returning students have a distinct table. Keep that distinction in any spreadsheet or comparison, rather than presenting the first-year total as a price applicable throughout four years.
Insurance and expenses outside tuition
Health insurance coverage is required. The 2026–27 schedule lists an individual premium of $3,093 per year, with a waiver route for a student covered under a family plan, subject to approval. The schedule also lists books and course materials, personal expenses, loan fees and transportation allowances separately; its notes say some of these amounts do not appear on the student account. Keep billed charges distinct from estimated expenses when comparing funding needs. Housing and food estimates depend on student status and living arrangement, and transport allowance varies by home state. A family should read the notes under the cost table as well as the total row.
The graduate schedule reinforces why the exact programme matters. Several schools publish ‘varies’ for tuition; some programmes charge by unit, others by semester, and fees can also vary. The Full-Time MBA rate is a semester price and cannot by itself answer the total two-year cost question. The same is true of the School of Computer Science semester amount. Students should ask the programme which summer terms are expected, whether tuition is flat-rate or unit-based at their workload, and what fee and health-insurance estimates apply to their student category. This prevents a common comparison error: placing an annual undergraduate total beside a graduate semester tuition without normalising either the period or the scope.
Graduate tuition varies by school and degree
CMU publishes graduate tuition by school and named programme, not one university-wide graduate rate. Its 2026–27 schedule marks several school rates as variable, while giving specific per-semester or per-unit amounts for other programmes. For example, the Full-Time MBA lists 29,570 per semester. These amounts are tuition, not the total cost of attendance. Before estimating the whole degree, confirm the programme duration, required semesters, summer enrolment, per-unit loads, mandatory fees and any school-specific health or insurance costs. Do not multiply a per-semester figure by an assumed number of semesters without verifying the actual course plan.
For international undergraduates, the no-aid statement changes the planning sequence. Begin with the institution’s cost table, then make a multi-year funding plan that includes living costs and likely rate changes. CMU’s Office of International Education says supporting financial documents must be dated no more than six months before submission and show the account holder, account type and currency; it accepts certain bank, approved-loan and scholarship documents. A budget that depends on planned US employment or unapproved future funding may not satisfy the stated evidence rules. This is separate from tuition billing and immigration advice, but it means financing should be checked early. Current visa rules and accepted documentation should be confirmed with CMU and the relevant government offices.
International student funding context
CMU states that international undergraduate students do not receive financial aid from the university and should plan for the total cost of attendance. Domestic aid examples and the Net Price Calculator have a different eligible audience. International graduate funding can depend on programme, assistantship, fellowship and external award terms; this undergraduate statement should not be generalized to every graduate school. Do not include an unconfirmed award in a budget. For visa documentation, the Office of International Education separately requires evidence of sufficient first-year funding and a reasonable expectation of support in later years. The funding evidence must meet its document rules and the amount should be checked against the relevant school’s current estimated cost.
Build an apples-to-apples comparison
For a useful comparison with another US or international institution, record the academic year, degree level, school, currency, tuition basis, fees, housing and food status, insurance and other estimated costs. CMU’s graduate fees are not equivalent to undergraduate tuition, and an attendance budget is not tuition alone. For a multi-year plan, ask whether published rates are expected to rise and which charges are billed each term. Convert foreign currency only with a stated exchange-rate date, and keep the original USD value visible. The 2026–27 amounts here should be refreshed from the current Student Financial Services schedule before an application or deposit decision; they are not a 2027–28 quote.