Carnegie Mellon University

• Professional résumé (one or two pages)Required

  Upload a current one- or two-page résumé covering education, skills, accomplishments, employment and volunteer experience, with all part-time and full-time work, start and end dates, and a brief description of responsibilities.

• Official transcript (U.S. degree) or course-by-course evaluation report (non-U.S. degree)Required

  Bachelor's degree in the U.S.: the official undergraduate transcript sent directly to Heinz College by the undergraduate institution. Bachelor's degree outside the U.S.: a course-by-course transcript evaluation report sent directly by an approved evaluation service. Unofficial transcripts for other schools where relevant courses were taken must be uploaded. The application is not complete until the official transcript or evaluation report is received.

• Two recommendations (up to three)2 letters

  Employers, supervisors, professors, or others able to comment on your professional and educational goals and potential; at least one recommender 'should' know you in a professional setting (full-time employment, internship, part-time employment, research, non-academic extracurricular activity, etc.). Recommendations from friends, family members or acquaintances are not accepted. Maximum three.

  Two (2) recommendation forms are required; you may opt to have up to three (3) submitted (maximum). Recommenders submit electronically through the online application system; paper recommendations are not accepted. Letters must be written in or translated into English.

• GMAT (or GRE); waiver possible or GRE (or GMAT); waiver possibleRequired — waiver possible

  GMAT (or GRE); waiver possible: Applicants are REQUIRED to submit GRE/GMAT scores unless they qualify for a waiver. Either version of the GMAT Exam, from within the last five years, reported directly to Heinz College (MISM GMAT code listed on the Standardized Test Scores page). Up to two exam dates; the highest verified section scores are used.

  GRE (or GMAT); waiver possible: Applicants are REQUIRED to submit GRE/GMAT scores unless they qualify for a waiver. GRE General Test (including the GRE Test at Home) from within the last five years, reported directly by ETS to institution code 3085 (any department code). Up to two exam dates; the highest verified section scores are used.

  Waiver / exemption: Waiver of the GRE/GMAT requirement by submitting one or both of: evidence of prior quantitative coursework (at minimum a 'B' or higher in a college-level, credit-bearing Pre-Calculus class or higher math; AP/IB Precalculus or Calculus counts if it appears on the undergraduate transcript as college credit), or an undergraduate transcript from Carnegie Mellon University. The admissions committee reserves the right to require GRE/GMAT scores before completing its review.

• Duolingo English Test, IELTS Academic or TOEFLIf your degree wasn't taught in EnglishRequired

  Duolingo English Test (160-point scale with subscores): Minimum scores required to apply: Literacy 120, Comprehension 125, Production 90, Conversation 105, Overall 120. Recommended: Overall 130 (Literacy 130, Comprehension 135, Production 100, Conversation 115). Only the current 160-point test with subsection scores is accepted (not the old 100-point scale); scores sent directly by Duolingo.

  IELTS Academic: Academic format only. Minimum scores required to apply: Listening 6.5, Reading 6.5, Writing 6.5, Speaking 6.0, Overall Band 6.5. Recommended: 7 overall and 7 in each band. Scores sent directly by IDP/British Council and verified electronically; valid two years.

  TOEFL (iBT, new-scale iBT, Essentials or Special Home Edition): Minimum scores required to apply: Reading 22, Listening 22, Speaking 20, Writing 22 (TOEFL iBT taken before January 21, 2026); new-scale iBT minimums Reading 4.5, Listening 5, Speaking 4, Writing 4.5; TOEFL Essentials minimums Reading 9, Listening 10, Speaking 8, Writing 9. Recommended: 25 on each section (pre-January 21, 2026 iBT), 5.5 Listening and 5 on the other sections (new iBT), 11 Listening and 10 on the others (Essentials). Scores reported directly by ETS (DI code 2176); valid two years; up to four exam dates.

  Waiver / exemption: Required if your native language (mother tongue) is not English. The only exceptions: applicants who have worked or studied for five or more years in Australia, Botswana, Canada, Eswatini, Ghana, Ireland, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States and/or Zambia; or who studied four years of their undergraduate education in the United States and earned their bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. school (encouraged to upload an unofficial copy of the English test used for undergraduate admission). An English-medium degree outside these cases does not qualify.

• PTE Academic not listedIf your degree wasn't taught in EnglishNot accepted

  Not listed: TOEFL, TOEFL iBT, TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition, TOEFL Essentials, IELTS (Academic) and Duolingo English Test results satisfy the English Language Proficiency requirement.

• Video interview (optional, strongly recommended)If invited · after you submit

  Optional, but strongly recommended and 'extremely important' for MISM applicants, especially those unable to visit campus or non-native English speakers; more than 95% of admitted Information Systems Management applicants completed one. One randomly selected question: 90 seconds to prepare and up to 90 seconds to answer, no re-recording. The email invitation arrives after you submit the application and your official undergraduate transcript (or evaluation report) is received and processed; complete it within five days to be sure it is available at review.

Who can apply

• Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution (or equivalent) before startingRequired

  All applicants must earn a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution (or its equivalent) before the date they would begin at Heinz College; applicants still finishing may be admitted on condition that they submit the final official transcript with the graduation date before the first semester.

• College-level pre-calculus (or calculus or higher)Required

  Required quantitative preparation before starting classes: a college/university-level pre-calculus course (a calculus class or higher also satisfies it), for credit with a grade of B or higher, on campus or online. Applicants who don't meet it at application may be offered conditional admission and must take the class in the summer before the first semester.

• College-level introductory Python programming (Java or C++ also acceptable)Required

  Required technical preparation before starting classes: a college/university-level introductory Python programming course (Java and C++ are also acceptable), for credit with a grade of B or higher. Applicants who don't meet it may be offered conditional admission; for Python, the school provides a remote summer course (no tuition charged) for enrolling students.

• College-level introductory statisticsRequired

  Required quantitative preparation before starting classes: a college/university-level introductory probability/statistics course, for credit with a grade of B or higher. Applicants who don't meet it at application may be offered conditional admission and must take the class in the summer before the first semester.

• Essay 1 · Required · Recommended: about 300 wordsWhat are your career goals after completing graduate school?

  What are your career goals after completing graduate school?

• Essay 2 · Optional · 250 wordsYou may choose to submit an essay in which you comment on any item(s) in your application that you consider worthy of further explanation. We are mostly interested in having you address any gaps in your professional experience, or anything you would consider a weakness that could have an impact on your admission status.

  You may choose to submit an essay in which you comment on any item(s) in your application that you consider worthy of further explanation. We are mostly interested in having you address any gaps in your professional experience, or anything you would consider a weakness that could have an impact on your admission status.

• Essay 3 · Required · Recommended: about 500 wordsHow have your prior experiences (professional, academic, and/or personal) prepared you for graduate study and informed your career goals?

  How have your prior experiences (professional, academic, and/or personal) prepared you for graduate study and informed your career goals?

• Essay 4 · Required · Recommended: about 300 wordsHow will attending this degree program at Heinz College help you achieve your career goals?

  How will attending this degree program at Heinz College help you achieve your career goals?