Carnegie Mellon University Reviews

"This school was one of the biggest disappointments of my life. It didn’t prepare me for any form of a sustainable art practice, no technical rigor, no grounding in how the art world actually works, and no emphasis on building a body of work that could survive outside the classroom bubble. The so-called “career services” were nonexistent; there was no real network to plug into, no mentorship from working artists, and no guidance on how to navigate galleries, residencies, grants, or any kind of professional opportunities.Faculty seemed more interested in protecting their own reputation than challenging students to grow. Critiques were shallow, often more about personalities than substance, and there was zero follow-through to help you develop your work beyond a semester. The school operates in a vacuum, disconnected from the realities of making a living as an artist, leaving graduates stranded with debt, a degree that carries little weight, and no practical path forward.Read Less"

"I attended the Carnegie Mellon School of Art hoping for a progressive, interdisciplinary, and supportive environment where creativity could thrive. Unfortunately, my experience was largely the opposite. While the university’s reputation in computer science and robotics is world-renowned, the School of Art feels like an afterthought—underfunded, under-supported, and structurally disconnected from the innovation happening elsewhere on campus. Most significantly, the faculty went out of their way to embarrass me and interfere in my career post-graduation, blocking me from connections in NY and interfering in my attempt to get a PhD from MIT.The curriculum is inflexible and discourages true experimentation. Despite CMU’s claims of fostering interdisciplinary exploration, I found it incredibly difficult to meaningfully engage with departments outside of art. Bureaucratic hurdles and a lack of collaboration between programs made it frustrating to pursue hybrid work that crossed into technology, design, or media studies—areas in which CMU is supposedly a leader.The culture within the school can feel toxic, with a strong emphasis on cynicism and competition. Many critiques felt performative and overly academic, focusing more on jargon than on meaningful artistic growth. The environment wasn’t nurturing—it often felt like a space where students were expected to prove they belonged by being constantly critical, rather than supportive or constructive. There is no training in critique or any structure to the critique environment.Compared to other programs I explored (such as RISD or UCLA), CMU’s School of Art lacks the infrastructure, community, and visionary leadership to truly support emerging artists. It felt like the program was coasting on the university’s name without investing in the students or adapting to the needs of contemporary creative practice. It is basically a shapeless and empty program, but one that lasts 3 years!If you’re a student who values mentorship, interdisciplinary access, or a healthy creative community, I would strongly urge you to look elsewhere.Read Less"

"CMU was a waste of time. I received no education and no connections whatsoever by attending there. Three years of graduate work resulted in no career advancement whatsoever. It’s hard to fathom how horrifying this really is. Going to school should in the very least result in some sort of opportunity. I did really well in the program but the degree just really doesn’t have any value. I am genuinely shocked and saddened to learn I made a three year long mistake that has had no impact (at most a negative one) on my career.Read Less"

"School of Fine Arts at CMU is really not worth it. Surprised the department is still even functioning at all. When I was there the IDEATE program started and it looks like in the long run the art program can be transformed into something more useful like that program. The faculty I had to work with and the facilities we had were really really dire. But once you move and sign up it’s very difficult to consider a different program. However it was not worth it at all."

"For $100,000 its not worth it. Half the time profs are ripping lectures from other universities. The course work is so time consuming it's incredibly detrimental to your metal health and usually feels more like trouble shooting than learning. It certainly sucks the passion out of the field, and life. A better education can be received else where, probably for less."

"Carnegie Mellon doesn’t offer a supportive educational environment for its graduate students- that’s all. It’s a struggling university that cares more about making money and completely ignores it’s students health and educational goals. How can anyone learn in such a mess?"

"Performance heavy based arts education! I had lots of opportunities to do full roles as an undergraduate student. The campus is easily accessible and the School of Music building is beautiful. My private teacher was Mildred Miller who is unfortunately now retired, but the currently vocal staff has a lot of wonderful teachers."

"Carnegie Mellon is a very academically challenging school. The social life and lack of school/life balance makes it even more challenging. But, five years into my career, I feel it prepared me for success in the workforce in every way possible. I have worked at top companies in Silicon Valley and been able to rise quickly thanks to the breadth of my skills. I compare myself to colleagues my age from other leading universities like Stanford and continue to feel I excel above them in many ways due to the work ethic CMU instilled in me. One of the biggest things I took away from CMU was learning how to learn - picking up a new skill, software language, etc. and being able to experiment and learn on my own. CMU also is a well respected name in the technology industry and you won't have trouble getting a job if it's on your resume. For current and prospective students, I would encourage you to get involved with the community of Pittsburgh and possibly in Greek life if you are struggling. Having some activities outside of school helped me in my later years of undergrad, just to destress. Pittsburgh also has some cool restaurants, shows, organizations etc if you venture off campus. Don't stay in the CMU bubble the whole time!Read Less"

"Carnegie Mellon was a life-changer. I went to undergrad in Fine Arts and graduate school there in two very different fields and got an amazing. My professors were fantastic...I could call them not only teachers but friends by the end of the term. It's a well-rounded education and has a combination of technical and creative."

"Unimpressive academically. Non-existent socially. No one's first choice school. No one's first choice city. Student body is lacking. It's just a research university. High level of assimilated international students. Most students are not experienced socially."

"Education is the foundation of a good society. It does not prepare you for job, it prepares you for life. in college you learn to think beyond your limited life experience. You meet people that are different than you, than your family and they hail from places that are geographically and culturally different than what you are use to. The significance of this not only to you but to society as whole is immeasurable. The world is avery large place, filled with a variety of people, languages, cultures, histories and knowledge. When you choose not to go to college, you choose to ignore these things and they are so worth knowing that it would be a detriment to you to not explore them.Read Less"

"Learn to be frugal in college. Job search is as important(if not more important) than academics Learn to Network"

"It is a small school yet it offers the best course in the world"

"The Heinz college does an excellent job of providing practical on-the-job training with a solid academic foundation. The professors are usually experts in their field, and many have decades of work experience from which to provide insight. The school also has numerous internship and externship resources."

"It was an awesome experience, where I learnt a lot on how to apply what I learned at job in a practical environment"

"CMU is full of brilliant people who will push you to be better."

"Good school, great professors, massively overpriced with few job opportunities coming out of there with a humanities degree"

"Great opportunity to gain confidence and learn skills to advance my career."

"Carnegie Mellon was filled with entitled undergraduate students who thought they coukd get away with a lot. This is what I noticed through grading and teaching there. It wasn't bad for graduate school as long as you can find friends outside of the school itself. Pittsburgh is a great city."

"Overall the Tepper school of Business at Carnegie Mellon offers a high quality program. The school is data oriented which helps students better tackle the problems of today. Being able to find value in data, and use to better understand the world around us, gives one a strategic advantage."