Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon University. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | StanfordStanford, CA | Carnegie MellonPittsburgh, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 3.6% | 11.7% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1510–1580 | 1500–1570 |
| Average net price | $13,80719.2% on Pell grants | $31,94416.0% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $65,910Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $66,246Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 91.9% | 94.1% |
| First-year retention | 98.2% | 98.0% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 19.2% | 16.0% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $124,080 | $114,862 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $12,000 | $21,750 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 6:1 | 5:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 7,554 | 7,304 |
| Consensus percentile | 1Lower is better | 7Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 1 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 11 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | Stanford | Carnegie Mellon |
|---|---|---|
| US News | #4 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #20 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | #4 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #43 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #6 of 442National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #47 of 442National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| WSJ | #3 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #56 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #2 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #18 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
| Princeton Review | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
| QS | #3 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #52 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 |
Ambitious generalists who want an elite research university without giving up big-campus life, athletics or industry access — and who intend to use the Bay Area, not just live in it.
At roughly 3.9%, the lowest acceptance rate of any national university.
Full profileStudents with a sharply defined specialty — computing, robotics, design, drama, quantitative business — who want to go deep immediately rather than explore broadly.
Need-based aid is weaker than peers at the same ranking tier; net price averages $31,944.
Full profile