Do you have questions? We have assembled the questions we get the most into a useful Frequently Asked Questions guide.
Statement of Assurance
Carnegie Mellon University does not discriminate in admission, employment, or administration of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, handicap or disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, ancestry, belief, veteran status, or genetic information. Furthermore, Carnegie Mellon University does not discriminate and is required not to discriminate in violation of federal, state, or local laws or executive orders. For more information about our Statement of Assurance, visit the Division of Student Affairs.
Prerequisites to Apply
Prospective students applying to the MHCI program are expected to have a 4-year bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university in the United States, or its equivalent from a foreign institution, by matriculation for fall term. We do not require specific degrees or backgrounds. We value an interdisciplinary cohort and have students joining us with backgrounds in design, social sciences, business, computer science and more. Students also enter with varying levels of industry experience.
Application Materials
For consideration of admission to the MHCI program, please submit the following application materials online by the application deadline.
Three (3) Letters of Recommendation
Letters of recommendations are to be submitted online prior to the end of the application deadline. Recommenders should know you well and be able to evaluate the quality of your work. At least two of your letters should be from faculty or recent employers.
It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure recommenders have uploaded letters through the online application by the due date. Letters received by post will not be considered with a student's application. After you have created a profile through the graduate student online application, you will be able to send instructions to your recommenders as well as track the status of your letters online. Your recommenders can upload a letter after you have submitted your application up until the 11:59 PM EST deadline.
Personal Statement/Statement of Purpose
Applicants are required to complete a one-to-two page essay as part of their application to the MHCI program. Please include your name and application user ID on the essay and submit in PDF format.
This is an important component of the application, so please be concise and clearly address the following prompts:
Current Resume
Applicants will include a copy of their current resume in PDF format and should outline their education, work experience, research experience, publications, scholarships and honors received as well as other relevant information.
Transcripts
Upload an official copy of your transcripts in English in PDF format. You should include transcripts for all undergraduate/graduate schools you have attended. A hard copy of your transcripts will not be required until students have been accepted into the program. Upon acceptance to the program, students will receive more information.
GRE Scores
TOEFL Scores (as required)
Applicants whose native language is not English must take this examination even if they have completed an undergraduate or graduate degree from a U.S. educational institution. TOEFL scores are only valid and accepted for the past two years. Institution code, 4256; Department code, 78.
For the Internet Based scores (preferred) applicants must score a minimum of 25 on each subsections. For the Paper Based Test, a minimum total score of 600 is required.
IELTS
Note: we will also accept the IELTS scores in lieu of the TOEFL. The minimum band score is 8.5 overall with no sub scores less than 8.0.
Carnegie Mellon University does not require hard copies of test scores during applications. Your scores will be marked as received within 10 business days once you have uploaded them to your application, submitted your application and paid the required fee.
Duolingo English Test
Due to Covid-19, we will accept the Duolingo English Test for the 2021-2022 Admission application. The English proficiency requirement cannot be waived for any reason.
We strongly encourage applicants to take either the TOEFL or IELTS. In cases where these are not available, it is acceptable to take the Duolingo test.
Duolingo English Test Minimum Scores:
Be sure to use the same email address that you plan to use when you apply to the MHCI. Also, be sure that Duolingo scores are sent to "Carnegie Mellon University - Graduate Computer Science Programs."
Portfolio (Optional)
If applicable for your background, applicants may include a link to their portfolios. This is not a requirement and is optional for all applying.
Video Essay (Required)
Prepare a 1 - 2 minute video that lets the admission committee know who you are. Talk about what you like, what you do outside of work and school, how you spend your free time, your professional and personal goals, or anything else not already shared in your Statement of Purpose. This will help the committee know you better and help us to evaluate your communication and presentation skills. The video (and audio) must be of the applicant (not a proxy). There should be only one person in the video.
Application Fee
Application Fee Waiver Application Deadline is January 5, 2022 to ensure timely submission and processing of requests.
We expect all applicants to submit payment with their online application. However, please note that we do waive the required fee under certain circumstances.
Fees for the MHCI application can be waived for participants in certain pipeline programs. In addition, if you are unable to pay the application fee, the MHCI will consider a fee waiver request.
For information about the pipeline programs, please visit the SCS Fee Waivers web page.
Waivers related to financial hardship
If the application fee presents financial hardship to the applicant, we will consider a fee waiver request.
Please allow up to 3-5 business days for your request to be processed. We will confirm your need, and provide a voucher code which can be used to waive the MHCI application fees.
We are no longer accepting applications for the 2022-2023 MHCI cohort.
We will re-open the application this fall for those interested in starting the MHCI program in August of 2023.
You can review our Frequently Asked Questions page to see if we have already answered it.
Remember that the application deadline is late January. Have you prepared these items?
Nicole Willis
Human-Computer Interaction Institute
Carnegie Mellon University
300 S. Craig Street, Suite 209
Pittsburgh, PA 15213