Congratulations on Your MSML Admittance!

Nature of the Program

The Master of Science in Machine Learning offers students with a bachelor's degree the opportunity to improve their training with in-depth study in machine learning. Incoming students should have good analytical skills and a strong aptitude for mathematics, statistics and programming. The program consists primarily of coursework, with the opportunity for research. Today's demand for expertise in machine learning far exceeds the supply, and this imbalance will become more severe over the coming decade.

The MSML program is described in detail on our curriculum webpage. The 2026–27 handbook will not be available until August, but the 2025–26 Graduate Student Handbook (PDF) provides details about the current program policies. (Please note that the "Applied Study" program discussed in the handbook has been retired.) The Machine Learning Department is described in more detail on our About page.

As a brief overview of the requirements, all students must complete six core courses, three electives, and a summer practicum, which is either research or an internship related to machine learning. The electives can be either courses from our electives list or machine learning research.

Since MSML courses are so rigorous, MSML students are limited to taking three courses in their first semester. Students may be allowed to overload with advisor approval in later semesters. As a general rule, however, most students find the MSML coursework to be so challenging that they ultimately decide not to overload, so we encourage students to assume they will only be able to fit three courses into each semester.

Students in the three-semester program may be able to be complete the program part-time with advisor approval. Most courses are offered during the day and all courses require students be physically present on campus, so taking courses part-time while working is very challenging, but it is possible with a flexible employer. International students should be aware that student visas require full-time enrollment and that student visas are only valid for the length of the program (in this case, 16 months), so all students in the three-semester program with student visas must graduate within three semesters.

Students should be aware that the four-semester Master of Science in Machine Learning - Advanced Study program is only open to students who specifically applied for and were admitted for that program. Each student's admission letter contains a paragraph describing their admittance to that program if they were admitted to it.

Tuition and Other Costs

Full-time tuition for the 2026–2027 academic year has been set at $62,200 (U.S. dollars). New students should factor in an approximately 5% increase per year in any budget computation.

In addition to tuition, students are required to pay activity, technology, and transportation fees (providing unlimited ridership on the Pittsburgh public transportation system). Students must also obtain health insurance or show proof of similar insurance from another source. Students must also supply their own laptop computer.

Your first tuition payment of $2,500 is due when you accept our offer. It is paid via the application portal after submitting your decision, and is nonrefundable. If submitting your first tuition payment in this way will pose a hardship, contact Dorothy Holland-Minkley to discuss your situation.

Financial Aid

The Machine Learning Department does not provide direct financial assistance. Students are responsible for paying tuition/fees, health insurance and living expenses during their time in the program.

After completing the first semester, it is possible for students to obtain positions as teaching assistants (TAs). A teaching assistantship is paid at an hourly rate and would cover only a small fraction of the cost of attending. Non-native English speakers must pass an additional language test to qualify to TA. TA appointments are generally made on a semester-by-semester basis and are not guaranteed in advance.

Most students who do research do it solely for elective credit. In a limited number of cases, a research assistantship may be provided by projects that are funded by government agencies, private industries and consortia. Research assistants (RAs) are expected to conduct appropriate research under the direction and guidance of their research adviser. RA positions can potentially be funded as either an hourly wage for time worked, or as 25%, 50%, or 75% coverage of the MSML program tuition and ML Ph.D. stipend for the semester. Since paid RAships are rare and students do not begin meeting faculty to form potential research partnerships until after arriving on campus in the fall, students should plan their finances with the assumption that paid RAships will not be available.

Students may be interested in the information about external resources through the Fellowships and Scholarships Office, with international students being particularly interested in its Non-U.S. Citizens and International Students Resources. The School of Computer Science also has a list of external fellowships. CMU's Graduate Student Financial Aid webpage provides information about FAFSA. Finally, the CMU Rales Fellows Program is still accepting applications for full tuition and stipend coverage for first-generation and under resourced domestic students.

Internships and Post-Graduation Employment

Approximately one-quarter of MSML students tend to be interested in pursuing a Ph.D. after graduation, while three-quarters aim for industry. About one-quarter of MSML students choose to complete their mandatory summer practicum as research with our faculty, while three-quarters choose to complete it as an industry internship.

CMU’s Career & Professional Development Center (CPDC) has compiled first-destination statistics of our alumni. (A small caveat: If someone earns a master’s in December and works in industry or as a research assistant for half a year before entering a Ph.D. program in August, they’re listed as “employed” instead of “continuing their education,” since that is their “first destination.”) They publish similar statistics for summer internships, for students doing an internship instead of research.

Admission Into CMU Doctoral Programs

Acceptance into the Master of Science in Machine Learning program does not guarantee admission into any doctoral program at Carnegie Mellon. In particular, students who complete the M.S. program are welcome to apply to the Machine Learning Ph.D. program, but will not receive preferential treatment.

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is a great place to live, and the Pittsburgh Visitor's Guide highlights a sampling of the city's events and attractions. CMU itself is well-situated near apartments, restaurants, and several museums and botanical gardens (free to access with your CMU student ID card thanks to the Arts Pass Program).

CMU's Graduate Student Association has compiled some helpful information about housing, with their Graduate Student Housing Handbook containing statistics about the kind of places where CMU grad students live. Few MSML students own cars, since City of Pittsburgh buses are free to ride with a CMU ID, and there are many students (and staff and faculty) who bike or walk to campus.

Decision Deadline and Mutual Commitment

We appreciate you notifying us of your decision as soon as you have confidently made it. Understand that your decision to come to CMU is a firm commitment on your part that matches our firm commitment to you, and means that we will not be offering that spot in our program to another qualified applicant on our waitlist, so please treat that decision carefully.

The decision deadline listed in your offer letter is the latest date to submit your decision. We appreciate your response as soon as you have made your firm and final decision. An early response saying that you decline our offer will allow us to more promptly offer admission to an applicant on our waitlist, while a response saying that you are accepting our offer will allow us to notify waitlisted applicants more quickly that our incoming class is full.

Transcript Submission

All incoming students must provide official transcripts confirming their graduation no later than July 1, 2026. These official transcripts should either be sent directly by your undergraduate institution or should have verifiable security features. Official electronic transcripts can be sent to Dorothy Holland-Minkley. If you want to send a hard copy of the transcript, contact Dorothy for the mailing address. If your transcript will not be ready by then, inform Dorothy of the approximate date it will be ready.

Visas for Foreign Students

The length of program for students in the three-semester MSML program is 16 months.

F-1 student visas do not allow for part-time enrollment, and they do not allow students to extend their studies beyond the standard length of their program.

Based on current laws, students are expected to be able to use Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for a summer internship or research in the U.S. between their second and third semesters. They're also expected to be able to use Optional Practical Training (OPT) for post-graduation work in the U.S., if desired. Information can be found on the Office of International Education (OIE) webpage.

International students must obtain the required documents to allow for study and entry into the U.S. Once a student has accepted our offer, the application portal will update to show an enrollment form requesting the information necessary to create their new student account. After this account has been created, the student will be sent a link to a form for providing the information required to process their I-20, a necessary immigration document. The I-20 is needed for the student to obtain an F-1 visa and gain entry into the U.S. The student's I-20 will be processed by the Office of International Education (OIE) at Carnegie Mellon.

We recommend that students return these forms as soon as possible. OIE's goal is to issue I-20 forms within six weeks of receiving complete information, and they process requests in the order in which they are received. As soon as the student receives the I-20, they should make their visa application.

If you experience a delay for any reason, we will try to work with you, and our incoming students have historically been very successful in obtaining visas. However, the Machine Learning Department reserves the right to withdraw our offer of admission from any student who fails to obtain the appropriate visa in time to attend the university orientation.

English Language Proficiency

Students are expected to be fluent in English before attending the program. One option available for non-native English speakers to improve their advanced academic fluency and their understanding of U.S. academic culture during their time in the program is to engage in the personalized consultations, workshops and online videos offered by Carnegie Mellon’s Student Academic Success Center.

These resources are optional, but students who aren't familiar with fast-paced coursework in American classrooms may find them useful. They are also particularly helpful for students are aiming for a Ph.D. and  looking to deepen their understanding of the ethical, social and cultural norms of academic scholarship in the U.S. and strengthening their English proficiency in preparation for presenting and publishing their future research.

Questions?

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Machine Learning Master's Programs Manager Dorothy Holland-Minkley (pronouns She/Her or They/Them; calling them by their first name is standard in CMU's collaborative culture).

Dorothy has managed the MSML for a decade and is here to help. All questions are welcome!