Earn up to $8,250 a year in merit scholarships
Your app doubles as your application for merit scholarships. Want to see how much you could earn? All you need is your GPA. You can also add in test scores for a chance to increase your award.
Are you a transfer student? We've got merit awards just for you. Find out more.
Estimate your merit award
Enter your information below to see what your results are:
You could attend CMU tuition-free
If you're a Michigan student whose family has an adjusted gross income and family assets of $65,000 or less, you may be eligible to attend CMU tuition-free with the CMU Tuition Advantage program! We'll cover the cost of 30 credit hours (15 credits in the fall and 15 credits in the spring) through a combination of federal, state and institutional aid. The best part? No separate application necessary. Once you're admitted, submit your FAFSA and we'll tell you if you qualify!
CMU Degree. Career Guarantee.
When you apply to CMU, you're choosing a degree packed with hands-on experience and career support. At CMU, you'll build the skills you need to secure a job offer or acceptance to grad school after graduation. It's why we offer The Central Career Guarantee.*
How to apply
Ready to get started? Applying can take as little as 15 minutes once you've gathered all your materials.
To apply, all you need is your GPA and your high school transcript. Test scores are optional, but they do have the potential to increase your merit award.
Step 1: Submit your application form
Tell us a little about yourself, like where you attend high school and what you're interested in studying.
Step 2: Send in your transcripts
For now, you can earn admission and a merit scholarship with either your official or unofficial transcript.
Keep us updated with new transcripts at the end of each semester. It may mean an upgrade in your scholarship!
Prior to enrollment, you must submit your final, official high school transcript. Talk to your high school counselor to have it sent directly to our office.
Step 3: Submit your ACT/SAT score (optional)
You don’t have to submit a test score in order to be admitted and earn a merit award.* However, you may be able to earn a higher merit award if you do submit one.
There’s no real downside to including them, because it will only increase your merit award. We’ll never lower it.
If you do choose to submit a test score, you can mark CMU as a recipient on your exam or have your official score sent to us at apply@cmich.edu by requesting it through the ACT/SAT websites (SAT code: 1106; ACT code: 1972). Aim to have your test scores in by July 1.
*Please note, if you are homeschooled or attend a school that does not provide grades, then an ACT or SAT score is required.
Earn a degree and experience
CMU is ranked among only 16% of colleges and universities across the nation as an “Opportunity University” by Carnegie, indicating CMU provides both higher access to education and higher earnings for alumni. 2
Other universities want you to wait until you’re an upperclassman to get in the lab or in the field. Not us. You'll get experience from the start with:
227 on-campus labs
44 art and performance spaces
1,000+ internship opportunities across the globe
Life in Mount Pleasant
Get to know where you'll call home for the next four years. Campus is just a few minutes walk from downtown, where you'll find cafés, shops and parks to explore.
Grab a bite to eat downtown, bring your pickleball paddles to play with your friends, or go see a headline performance. You can take yoga classes, visit the farmers market and do some shopping. The best part? It’s all just minutes from campus.
1Internal report, 2025
2Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education, 2025
