Amherst College vs Carnegie Mellon University

Amherst, MA · Pittsburgh, PA · largest Scorecard gap: median earnings (6 yr)

Scorecard match plate

Pair MA:PA

PRIVATE-NP-PAIR · CROSS-STATE · ACCEPT-TIGHT · NET-SPLIT · EARN-SPLIT · DEBT-SPLIT · COMPLETE-HIGH · GAP-EARN

  • PRIVATE-NP-PAIR Private nonprofit pair
  • CROSS-STATE MA × PA
  • ACCEPT-TIGHT Tight admission
  • NET-SPLIT Net-price split
  • EARN-SPLIT Earnings split
  • DEBT-SPLIT Debt split
  • COMPLETE-HIGH High completion
  • GAP-EARN Largest gap · Median Earnings (6 yr)

Instrument codes from this pair's College Scorecard ownership, geography, acceptance, net price, earnings, debt, and completion, plus the ENROLL-RACE · wide · 2013–2023 decade-path stamp below, not a ranking or recommendation.

Decade path · College Scorecard

Both grew, one campus expanded much faster

ENROLL-RACE · wide · 2013–2023

Undergraduate headcount rose at both Amherst College and Carnegie Mellon University across 2013–2023, with a wide pace gap, while acceptance rates tightened on both sides. Growth plus a shared selectivity squeeze is the board's distinctive shape.

  • Carnegie Mellon University: enrollment grew +23.2% over 2013–2023; fitted +137 students/yr fitted, r² 0.97.
  • Amherst College: enrollment grew +6.8% over 2013–2023; fitted +12 students/yr fitted, r² 0.41.
  • Amherst College: acceptance rate tightened -31.2% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.80).
  • Carnegie Mellon University: acceptance rate tightened -55.3% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.95).

College Scorecard institution series; dollars are nominal. Direction claims require r² ≥ 0.40 on the fitted annual slope, otherwise the page reports the observed range. Descriptive history, not a recommendation.

Scorecard metrics

Cards ordered by relative gap on this pair. Teal = better side.

Largest gaps: Amherst College vs Carnegie Mellon University

  1. MEDIAN-EARNINGS-(6 Carnegie Mellon University leads on median earnings (6 yr) ($105,360 vs $62,537 at Amherst College)
  2. MEDIAN-DEBT-AT-GRA Amherst College leads on median debt at graduation ($13,740 vs $21,750 at Carnegie Mellon University)
  3. MEDIAN-EARNINGS-(1 Carnegie Mellon University leads on median earnings (10 yr) ($114,862 vs $77,644 at Amherst College)

Amherst College profile · Carnegie Mellon University profile · Compare other colleges

Median Earnings (6 yr) and other Scorecard questions

On median earnings (6 yr), who leads between Amherst College and Carnegie Mellon University?
Carnegie Mellon University leads on median earnings (6 yr) at $105,360 versus $62,537 at Amherst College. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On median debt at graduation, who leads between Amherst College and Carnegie Mellon University?
Amherst College leads on median debt at graduation at $13,740 versus $21,750 at Carnegie Mellon University. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On median earnings (10 yr), who leads between Amherst College and Carnegie Mellon University?
Carnegie Mellon University leads on median earnings (10 yr) at $114,862 versus $77,644 at Amherst College. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard College Scorecard institution outcomes (earnings, completion, debt); median earnings (6 yr) focus for this pair · 2025