Is Carnegie Mellon more selective than the University of Maryland?

The biggest practical difference is that Carnegie Mellon is substantially harder to enter across most of its undergraduate programs, while the University of Maryland is selective but admits a broader range of well-qualified applicants. Carnegie Mellon’s applicant pool is especially intense in computer science, engineering, design, and the arts, and several of those schools have admissions standards that are exceptionally demanding. Maryland also has highly competitive programs, particularly computer science and engineering, but its overall undergraduate admission is less restrictive than Carnegie Mellon’s.

At both universities, major matters. Carnegie Mellon applicants are often reviewed in the context of a particular school or program, so the level of competition can differ sharply between, for example, the School of Computer Science and Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences. At Maryland, admission to the university and access to certain limited-enrollment majors can also be separate considerations; being admitted to UMD does not automatically mean a student can enter every major immediately.

For a high school senior building a college list, Carnegie Mellon should be treated as a high reach for most applicants, even those with excellent grades, rigorous coursework, and strong activities. The University of Maryland may range from target to reach depending on residency, academic record, intended major, and whether you are applying to a particularly competitive program.