Mathematics at Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon's elite reputation doesn't show up in these estimated figures. First-year earnings around $48,800—based on typical mathematics bachelor's programs across Pennsylvania—land right at the state median, trailing far behind what graduates from Villanova, Swarthmore, and Drexel reportedly earn. For a school with an 11% admission rate and average SAT scores of 1545, this suggests either that mathematics graduates are pursuing paths where initial earnings don't reflect long-term value (graduate school, research positions), or that the small sample size preventing actual data publication means we're missing important program-specific outcomes.

The estimated debt of roughly $26,000 is manageable given the earnings floor, yielding a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.53. But here's the tension: families paying for Carnegie Mellon typically aren't aiming for median outcomes. The school's mathematics program likely serves students heading to PhD programs or quantitative finance roles where compensation accelerates sharply—trajectories that don't appear in first-year earnings data.

Without actual graduate outcomes from this specific program, you're essentially betting on Carnegie Mellon's brand and network rather than documented returns. If your student plans to work immediately after graduation, these estimates suggest the premium might not materialize right away. If graduate school or a competitive quantitative career is the goal, the calculation changes entirely—but you're making that investment without concrete evidence of where this particular program's graduates actually land.