Undergraduate Program FAQs

At Carnegie Mellon University, we understand that the cost of attendance can be a significant concern. If you're interested in estimating your financial responsibility after receiving need-based aid, we recommend using CMU's Net Price Calculator. This tool provides an estimate based on your financial information and can give you a better sense of your potential out-of-pocket expenses. There is video on the page explaining step by step how to use the tool properly. 

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Additionally, after you apply and are admitted, our Office of Financial Aid will review your application and provide you with an official financial aid offer. This offer will detail the amount of need-based aid, grants, and scholarships you qualify for, helping you better understand your final cost of attendance.

Furthermore, all admitted students (who are domestic applicants) to the School of Design are automatically considered for merit-based endowed funds, which are mainly decided on the strength of the student’s SlideRoom application. No separate application is required for consideration. Please note that these funds are extremely limited, and our ability to award them fluctuates on a year-to-year basis. Merit-based funds are not intended to cover the majority of the cost of tuition at CMU. International students are not eligible for institutional aid from the university.
 

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) does not offer financial aid to undergraduate international students studying on its Pittsburgh campus. The School of Design only offers its degree program on the Pittsburgh campus. International applicants are expected to finance the full cost of attendance or have external funding sources to finance their degree through the School of Design. If you are a US citizen or permanent resident of the United States, you are not considered an international applicant, you are a domestic applicant. 

Currently, the BDes program is not STEM-designated. However, we are working on securing STEM designation in the future, stay tuned for updates. At the moment, only the BXA-Design degrees (BESA and BCSA) are STEM-eligible for OPT purposes. The BSA and BHA programs are not STEM-designated.

For admission to Carnegie Mellon University's School of Design or the Pre-College
Design Program, non-native English speakers must demonstrate English language
proficiency through one of the following tests:

• TOEFL iBT or iBT Home Edition: A minimum overall score of 102 is required,
  with consideration given to those with subscores of 25 and above.
• IELTS (Academic Examination): An overall band score of at least 7.5 is
  required, with consideration for subscores of 7.5 and above.
• Duolingo English Test (DET): A minimum overall score of 135 is required, with
  consideration for the following subscores and above: Literacy: 135,
  Conversation: 130, Comprehension: 145, Production: 113.
• Cambridge English Assessment: An overall score of at least 191 is required,
  with consideration for subscores of 191 and above.

Please ensure that your test scores are no more than two years old at the time of
application. For detailed information, refer to Carnegie Mellon's International Applicants
page.

If you do not meet these scores, the School of Design will not be able to consider
your application.

The School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University seeks applicants whose primary academic interest is Design. Our first-year curriculum is structured to help students gain foundational skills applicable to all tracks, Communications, Products, and Environments Design. Therefore, we are looking for students who show strong aptitude and curiosity across these areas and can adapt their skills and thinking to different design challenges. We expect applicants to have a solid understanding of our program, including what we offer and what we expect from students, showing they have carefully researched our school. In short, we are looking for applicants with the courage and determination to push boundaries and create innovative, groundbreaking design work.

Here is an an acronym to remember better the kind of applicant we seek to enroll:

PITCHES

• Potential as a future design practitioner
• Interest in design as an academic subject
• Teachable
• Collaborative
• Humble
• Expressive
• Skilled

The portfolio you submit on SlideRoom is the most important part of your application. Even if other parts of your application are strong, you need a portfolio that shows potential for success in our first-year program to be admitted. After the portfolio, your application essays and the answers to other questions, especially those on SlideRoom, are the next most crucial part. We want to see how you plan to use a Design education from CMU in your future. Other elements like GPA, test scores, teacher recommendations, and extracurricular activities are also considered. We are particularly interested in how you plan to use design to improve your community and the world.

We aim to enroll around 40 students every year in our new cohorts. Most admitted students to the School of Design choose the Bachelor of Design (BDes) degree as their first choice on their Common App. We admit very few BXA students for a variety of reasons detailed in the questions and sections below.

Early Decision (ED) is a binding agreement. Regular Decision (RD) allows you to weigh other offers if you are admitted to the School of Design. Only high school students applying for the Bachelor of Design degree will be considered for the ED round. BXA applicants will be moved to RD if they attempt to apply for the ED round. ED significantly increases an applicant’s chances of being accepted to the School of Design as it ensures that you will attend if a seat is extended to you, and thus, the acceptance rate for the Bachelor of Design degree program is generally higher in the ED round (though this varies year-by-year).

No, because of the sequential and interconnected nature of our curriculum, transfer students with rare exceptions are only considered for first-year admission. Despite your previous studies and coursework, a BDes from CMU will take 8 semesters of study (4 years). You can read more about this in the transfer application section.

When submitting your portfolio to CMU’s School of Design, we recommend showcasing a broad range of skills that demonstrate your potential as a designer. Here are some key areas you may wish to consider displaying in your portfolio:

• Traditional Art Skills: Highlight your abilities in drawing, painting, sculpture, and other forms of traditional art to showcase your foundational skills. If you do not come from a fine art background, that is also OK. We would love to see your attempts to gain the ability to draw by hand.
• Digital Art Skills: If possible, consider demonstrating your proficiency in digital art through tools like Adobe Creative Suite, 3D modeling software, or other digital platforms. You can show how you apply digital techniques to create visually compelling designs. If you do not yet possess these skills, showing that you intend to pick up such abilities would be a superlative in your application. Not every piece in your portfolio needs to demonstrate skill mastery. We want students that are excited and enthusiastic to learn.
• Design Process & Problem Solving: Consider including work that shows how you think through design challenges, from initial concepts to the final product. We value seeing how you iterate and respond to problems creatively.
• Technical Abilities: Consider showcasing your technical skills with both digital and physical tools, such as 3D modeling, prototyping, and using different materials like wood or metal. The ability to deconstruct and put back together complex items (such a bicycle or a refrigerator) would also be considered a superlative technical ability.
• Creativity and Innovation: Consider using a variety of mediums such as sketches, videos, animations, or mixed media to show your creative range.
• Collaboration: Consider having examples of team projects and clearly explain your role to highlight your ability to work collaboratively.
• Communication Skills: Show your capacity for visual storytelling through projects like posters, book covers, or any other work that communicates ideas effectively.
• Research & Observation: Consider demonstrating how you apply research and observational skills to respond to design problems and meet user needs. (Please do not include your textual research in your slides. You have a 1000-word text box to tell us more about your project after uploading a slide).
• Iterative Design: We would love it if you could include sketches and prototypes that showcase your iterative process and refinement of ideas.
• Diverse Range: Consider presenting a mix of abstract, representational, and observational artwork to showcase versatility.
• Cultural and Ethical Awareness: Consider highlighting any work that focuses on social innovation, service, sustainability, or ethical design. If you have a distinct cultural background or heritage, we would love to see how you incorporate that identity into your portfolio.

For prospective students interested in showcasing highly desirable skills in their portfolios for CMU’s School of Design, here’s an expanded guide on the types of digital and traditional art skills we value:

Digital Skills:

1. Vector Graphics and Iconography – Proficiency in computer programs to create clean, scalable designs, logos, or icons. Demonstrates strong visual clarity and technical precision.
2. Motion Graphics and Animation – Animated content that brings ideas to life, showing a grasp of movement, timing, and storytelling. This can include GIFs, short animations, or UI motion prototypes.
3. Photography Series – Curated series of photos with a thematic focus, highlighting an ability to capture compelling visuals and tell a story through imagery.

Traditional Art Skills:

1. Observational Drawing – Realistic sketches or studies based on direct observation, showcasing a deep understanding of proportions, shading, and textures.
2. Perspective and Architectural Drawing – Work that demonstrates technical skill in depicting structures and spaces accurately, essential for product and environmental design.
3. Ink and Line Work – Art pieces that emphasize contrast and detail through ink, enhancing understanding of form, contour, and texture.
4. Printmaking – Any form of print art (e.g., etching, linocut), which reveals your process and craftsmanship skills, adding depth to a portfolio.

Mixed Media and 3D Work:

1. Mixed Media and Collages – Pieces combining various materials (digital, paper, paint, etc.) that reflect innovative thinking and compositional skill.
2. Textile and Fiber Arts – Work with fabrics or fibers, potentially indicating an interest in material design, tactile qualities, or cultural storytelling.
3. Traditional Crafts – Sculptural or hand-crafted items using wood, ceramics, or other materials that exhibit a commitment to detail, patience, and manual skill.
4. 3D Physical Models and Sculptures – Models or sculptures that display proficiency in form, volume, and material understanding, are important for product and environments design.

We encourage applicants to display a balanced range of skills across these areas, offering digital and traditional works. This variety shows versatility and indicates a readiness for our interdisciplinary approach to design​​​.

While it’s beneficial to include text that explains your creative process, having it directly on the slide is not a requirement. Unlike many other university design programs that ask applicants to submit their portfolio as a single PDF document, our process is different. At CMU, you will upload your pieces individually onto Slideroom, and for each piece, you’ll answer several questions, including one that asks you to describe your creative process. This approach allows you to elaborate on your approach and develop your ideas for each specific work. When adding text (and other elements) to your individual slides, it’s essential to consider the overall layout of your slides and how they will appear when viewed together. Overly textual slides can sometimes disrupt the visual cohesion and make the design appear less polished. Aim for a balance that effectively communicates your process and maintains a visually appealing presentation overall.

This is a great question to ask. The Admissions committee would love to see both such items if an applicant has such a piece or is willing to create such a piece. Please note that neither of these items are a requirement.

The Admissions Committee would like to see drawings that a student has made by drawing from sight rather than a photo. An observation drawing is a drawing created by closely studying and visually interpreting real-life subjects. It requires careful attention to detail, proportion, light, and shadow. This type of drawing showcases your ability to translate what you see in the physical world onto paper, capturing the nuances of form, texture, and space.

A representational painting is a work that depicts recognizable objects or scenes from the real world, as opposed to abstract or stylized forms. It focuses on realism and the accurate portrayal of subjects such as people, landscapes, or objects, using techniques like color, light, and perspective to create a lifelike image.

Including both in your portfolio can demonstrate your technical skills and understanding of form, color, and composition. To feature them effectively:

• For observation drawings, choose subjects that showcase your ability to capture fine details and realistic proportions, such as still life, architecture, or figure drawings.
• For representational paintings, present work that highlights your skill in rendering light, texture, and perspective, while showing your command of painting techniques like brushwork and color blending.

Yes, you still have a chance to get in. Our program places emphasis on the ability to visualize concepts, but we believe everyone can learn to draw. Many students come to us with no previous drawing experience and there are many different styles of visual notation and drawing.

Our First- Year curriculum helps students find their own particular style or vocabulary for representing their ideas in visual form. As you prepare your portfolio, begin to practice drawing and diagramming. A good book to look at is Drawing Ideas: A Hand-Drawn Approach for Better Design by Mark Baskinger, who teaches in the First Year program.

Ideally, applicants will have a mix of traditional and digital arts skills. We highly recommend showing your aptitude for both in your portfolio. Students take two required design drawing courses during their first year in our program.

Your portfolio is your first assignment as a future designer. How you create it is entirely up to you. That being said, the faculty are looking for students they think would succeed in the program. As a Design student at CMU, you would need to undertake courses where digital tools would be required throughout your studies. This is true for both the BDes and BXA degrees. Ideally, applicants will have a mix of traditional and digital arts skills. We recommend showing your aptitude for both in your portfolio.

You do not need to edit your video at all. You can simply “talk to the camera” if you prefer. However, if you want to edit your video, feel free to do so. We want to get to know you and know more about the journey that led you to seek to pursue design knowledge or design as a career. We would also like to know what kind of future you envision for yourself in the context of Design.

Having only class projects in your portfolio won't necessarily hurt your chances. We like seeing various kinds of projects but understand not everyone has the ability or privilege to do projects independently or outside of school. One of the reasons we like to see things done outside of the classroom is because we want to see what kind of work you can do without a teacher, tutor, or professional guiding you through a project or giving you feedback. To evaluate a candidate holistically, we look at each person’s individual context. Sometimes, students’ personal situations limit their time or resources to work on projects outside of classwork. Please tell us in your essays or answers on Slideroom if you have not had the opportunity to do Design projects or formally learn about Design as an academic subject as a high school student. Suppose you DO have the privilege to explore Design projects outside the classroom. In that case, we highly recommend including some personal projects in addition to work that you completed under the supervision of a teacher or Design professional.

At Carnegie Mellon University, the School of Art and the School of Design are separate and look for very different things in applicant portfolios. Most high schools do not yet offer classes in design, so it is not uncommon for students who apply to the School of Design to have art-based portfolios. This is perfectly acceptable. Here, we have tips and inspirations on what to include in your portfolio. Here, we have suggested prompts if you're stuck about what to make for your portfolio. Design portfolios generally contain examples of concepts for solving a problem or meeting a ‘need’ instead of examples of artistic expression. We like to see examples of your creative potential and understand how you think, so it is a good idea to include examples from notebooks or process books that show the evolution of an idea or concept. Designers frequently ‘sketch’ in a combination of drawings/diagrams and notation, so if you have examples like this, it would be a good idea to include them.

You don't need design projects for your portfolio submission to the School of Design, but you MUST follow the instructions on our website to apply.

Yes, please review these points while crafting your portfolio. 

Focus on Core Skills: Our faculty on the admissions committee are seeking students with strong foundational skills relevant to Design, not necessarily those who have pre-learned advanced techniques taught in college programs, like typography or industrial product design. Showcasing raw potential in traditional and digital art is greatly more impactful than presenting "professional-grade" work as a high school student. Show them you are eager to learn Design as an academic discipline and a craft! 

Presentation Matters: How you display your portfolio pieces is just as important as the work itself. Opt for clean, visually engaging formats over text-heavy slides.

Cohesion: After assembling your portfolio, step back and view it holistically. Ensure the pieces complement each other and form the cohesive narrative that you wish to convey to the committee.

Skill Development: Spend time refining your drawing and traditional painting skills. If these are areas where you feel less confident, consider incorporating mixed media to demonstrate versatility. Photography and videography are also welcome additions. Focus on showcasing your best work and trying to show the balance in your skill sets. 

Tell Your Story Appealingly: Select several personal themes you wish to share with the admissions team and make pieces that showcase them. Each piece should highlight aspects of your identity, such as:

• Who you are as a person.
• Your hobbies, inspirations, and aspirations as a designer.
• Problems you want to address in the world through design. 
• Insights into your unique heritage or personal life experiences.
• Your creative process and the skills you are working to develop.

Understand Your Audience: Remember, your portfolio will be reviewed by design faculty looking for curious and mature students specifically interested in the things they will teach in the Design degree programs. You can find that information by reviewing our website and our Undergraduate Design brochure. The faculty are looking for unique, fresh, and inspiring perspectives that could positively influence the future of Design as a discipline. Help them get to know you as an individual and how you might best fit into our programs. 
 

We primarily look for “design potential” versus someone who feels ready to become a professional designer before completing a Design education. If you have yet to do design projects in high school, show us your traditional and digital art skills. Explain your access to opportunities OR your lack of opportunities to explore Design in your CommonApp essays and Slideroom answers. This would be essential in our ability to read your application holistically.

The BXA program seeks students with a strong foundation in the arts and their chosen secondary field, such as humanities or sciences. Applicants must demonstrate a capacity for creativity and interdisciplinary work in their high school coursework and extracurricular activities. Applicants must be accepted for entry by the School of Design AND the CMU college corresponding to their secondary field. To learn more about BXA, please visit their website.

Both the BXA and BDes programs are highly selective due to their small sizes and academic rigor. However, the BXA Design program is much smaller than the BDes degree program. For BXA applicants, we look for students who show exceptional promise in blending their artistic vision with other academic interests. On your application in Slideroom, you can indicate whether you would like to be considered for the BDes program if you are not accepted to the BXA program. The Admissions Committee asks that you think carefully before checking both boxes. The School of Design seeks individuals driven to change the world through design and pursue meaningful careers as Designers.

Consider what kind of career you’d like after graduation. A BDes degree will prepare you to become a Designer. A BXA degree will prepare you to become another sort of professional or researcher with Design knowledge AND other expertise, BUT not necessarily a Designer.

The best degree program for students looking to become designers is the Bachelor of Design (BDes) degree program.

As a BDes student, there are plenty of opportunities to take courses outside of the School of Design. Many BDes students minor in another field. Less commonly, some BDes students choose to double major in another area of study. Both of these paths would allow you to study in another college at CMU while also studying in the School of Design without doing the BXA program.

You can switch from BXA to BDes, not vice versa. Once you're in the BDes program, you're set on a path that focuses deeply on design. The BXA program is only open to first-year high school applicants. External or internal transfer students CANNOT apply for the BXA program. At the School of Design, each undergraduate cohort has 40 students. The majority are BDes students, with only a select few BXA students. Please think carefully about which program suits your interests and aspirations.

Drawing by hand is considered a fundamental skill at the School of Design. Even BXA students must take core classes in Design Drawing and Illustration.

In such a case, the BXA degree may be right for you. However, other options exist for obtaining such knowledge, such as a double major, doing a minor, or seeking a graduate degree after your bachelor’s. Alternatively, you could study for the BDes degree and take elective courses in your secondary subject. There are many opportunities within Design courses to use subject matter knowledge to enhance your coursework without doing a BXA.

Design studies refer to the non-studio courses that address the theory, ethics and practice of design. These courses are ‘about design’ rather than ‘how to design’. They examine the context within which design happens and introduce designers to related fields and disciplines. Design studies courses ask questions about the past and future of design, examines the ways designers work in different parts of the world and discusses the responsibility and ethics that are involved in designing in and for changing environments.

Our new curriculum is based upon a robust sequence of Design Studies courses that teach students to conduct thorough research and think strategically in complex situations. In contrast to traditional Design Studies courses that are often involve lectures and term papers, our courses involve creative projects and applied research.

The study of Design at CMU is neither more art-focused nor STEM-focused. Design can have elements of both areas and more. Design is its own distinct discipline that integrates principles from various fields to solve complex problems and create meaningful experiences. At CMU, we emphasize a holistic approach to design education that includes developing a strong foundation in visual communication and creativity, understanding and utilizing tools and technologies, applying psychology and user experience research, incorporating business and strategic planning, and working across disciplines to bring diverse perspectives to design challenges. We believe that designers need to be able to make art and utilize technology in their work; these are essential skills, but not the sole focus of our learning. Ideally, applicants should be skilled in both areas and more. Our curriculum provides students with a comprehensive skill set, enabling them to become versatile designers capable of addressing a wide range of design problems. Whether you are interested in creating innovative products, designing impactful communication strategies, or shaping immersive environments, CMU's School of Design prepares you to excel in all aspects of Design.

We have changed our undergraduate degree designation from a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) to a BDes (Bachelor of Design). Design programs around the world are moving to this distinction which acknowledges that Design has become a discipline that is separate and distinct from fine art. Just as Architecture offers a Bachelor in Architecture (BArch), design degrees are designated at the undergraduate level as a BDes, the master’s level as MDes (Master of Design) and professional doctorates as DDes. The academic accreditation of the BDes is the same as the BFA with the same number of credits awarded.

In our undergraduate program, students study Design for Interactions, which takes a large, inclusive view of design. Our curriculum focuses on the quality of interactions between people, the things we design (products, communications and environments) and the natural world (as the larger context for everything). These interactions are situated in both analog and digital contexts and frequently involve both.

No, you cannot because IDeAte is not a major. It is a way for students at CMU to minor or take courses in something outside of their major. For example, you may start your journey as a BDes student but realize you want to know more about beginning a start-up. In this case, you may take part in IDeAte to learn more about entrepreneurship by taking courses at Tepper through the “Innovation & Entrepreneurship” minor.

Industrial Design falls under our Products track at the School of Design. You can find more information about our tracks here.

While taking elective courses in Game Design at CMU is possible, the School of Design’s curriculum does not explicitly teach Game Design. It is recommended that applicants to the School of Design demonstrate their potential for success in at least one of the established tracks within the School’s curriculum. Portfolios with excessive pieces related to game design may not result in a favorable admission outcome. That being said, if your journey to pursue Design as a career led you to Design games, we would love to see a few of those pieces. We love applicants with a variety of skills and curiosity.

No, this major is offered through the College of Engineering, and it is an additional major exclusively offered to students enrolled in that college. You can read more about it here.

The School of Design’s curriculum does not explicitly teach set design or art design for productions. If this interests you, an application to the School of Drama or another CMU college would perhaps be a better fit. Portfolios with excessive pieces related to Set Design may not result in a favorable admission outcome. That being said, if your journey to pursue Design as a career led you to Set Design, we would love to see a few of those pieces. We love applicants with a variety of skills and curiosity.

The School of Design’s curriculum does not explicitly teach automotive design. Portfolios with excessive pieces related to automotive may not result in a favorable admission outcome. That being said, if your journey to pursue Design as a career led you to look at how cars are designed for functionality, we would love to see a few of those pieces. We love applicants with a variety of skills and curiosity.

Although elective courses can be taken in illustration and drawing, this is not a focus in core studio courses. Students will need to have design skills in other areas to succeed. If illustration and narrative storytelling through visual art are your main interests, an application to the School of Art would be a better fit. Portfolios with excessive pieces related to illustrations, anime, or cartoons may not result in a favorable admission outcome. That being said, if your journey to pursue Design as a career led you to illustration, we would love to see a few of those pieces. We love applicants with a variety of skills and curiosity.

The School of Design’s curriculum does not explicitly teach fashion design. Students at the school do some projects where they construct garments, but the focus on those projects is often more on functionality and problem-solving than designing for fashion. Portfolios with excessive fashion-related pieces may not result in a favorable admission outcome. That being said, if your journey to pursue Design as a career led you to try out fashion design, we would love to see a few of those pieces. We love applicants with a variety of skills and curiosity.

Our undergraduate design program offers a track in communications. Communication design is often used interchangeably with the term graphic design. Both refer to the design of visual and graphic communications but graphic design is more closely associated with print materials, whereas communication design encompasses the design of messages and their delivery within a range of both analog and digital media in a globally connected world.

BDes students benefit from a focused and rigorous design curriculum, high-quality studio courses, and access to a network of leading design professionals. Plus, they can participate in Confluence, our annual job fair, where over 70 companies come to recruit our graduates for top design roles. You can find more information about what CMU Design Alumni are doing here.

Graduates of the design program are in high demand by organizations of all kinds. They can work as interaction, information, communication, or product designers in design firms, multinational corporations, or business consultancies. The career possibilities for designers are expanding exponentially as organizations recognize the value of design.

Below is a list of areas that graduates of our program might work within:

• Book and publication design
• Type design
• Multimedia, video and motion graphics
• Web design Interaction design
• User experience design
• Design of apps and interfaces for mobile devices
• Service design
• Environmental graphics (signage and wayfinding)
• Product design
• Communication design
• Information design
• Corporate identity and brand strategy
• Package design
• Exhibition design
• Design of physical and digital environments

If you would like to find out more information about where our alumni work, you can do so by looking at our Post Graduate Outcomes page.

Please visit this webpage to explore what students are currently creating at CMU Design. Use the drop-down tabs to filter and view specific undergraduate projects. This resource can provide inspiration and guidance on the types of pieces you might consider including in your SlideRoom portfolio.

It's important to focus on showcasing your core skills. Faculty seek students with strong foundational skills relevant to Design, not necessarily those who have pre-learned advanced techniques taught in college Design programs, like typography or industrial product design. Showcasing raw potential in traditional and digital art is far more impactful than presenting "professional grade" work as a high school student. Remember you are applying to learn Design in college, not to immediately begin working professionally as a Designer. 

Additionally, if you're unsure where to start or would like inspiration, you can explore these creative prompts written by our faculty. While it’s not mandatory to use these prompts, they can be helpful for applicants looking to build a well-rounded portfolio. Remember, your unique perspective and individual story are the most important aspects of your application.
 

Both BDes and BXA students receive personalized guidance from faculty advisors who help tailor their course selections to fit their interests and career aspirations. Advisors are dedicated to ensuring students get the most out of their education, blending disciplines or diving deep into Design.