CMU MSCF CMU MSCF class size

[latency]

Hi,
I am planning to apply to the mscf program at CMU for fall 2011.
I was looking at the number of students admitted to the full time program in 2009 and it was around 20 students less than 2008 and even less compared to 2007. Does anyone know if CMU has been reducing class sizes or is it a reflection of a lack of demand for the program?
Does anyone know how many were admitted for fall 2010?
Thanks

 

[Andy Nguyen]

CMU accepts around 15% of applicants each year. I don't have the final number for this year yet but according to my math, they accepted around 120-130 students (+/- 5 for error).
The number of students eventually joined the program is a variable. There are much more competition now, such as new program at MIT Sloan.
CMU has its peak application in 2008 with 20% decline in 2009 and picking up this year. With 15% acceptance rate year in and out, and the declining number of joining students, it's indicative of the changing time where CMU is no longer the only name in town and perhaps students are more skeptical about investing such a huge amount tuition in this uncertain economy.

 

[latency]

wow, 120 students is a lot and if all of them accept, it is going to be one of the largest MSF/MFE programs. I wonder if they can place all of them especially now that the economy doesnt look like it is going any place. Yep, spending >100K at CMU then becomes questionable especially with newer and cheaper programs.

CMU accepts around 15% of applicants each year. I don't have the final number for this year yet but according to my math, they accepted around 120-130 students (+/- 5 for error).
The number of students eventually joined the program is a variable. There are much more competition now, such as new program at MIT Sloan.
CMU has its peak application in 2008 with 20% decline in 2009 and picking up this year. With 15% acceptance rate year in and out, and the declining number of joining students, it's indicative of the changing time where CMU is no longer the only name in town and perhaps students are more skeptical about investing such a huge amount tuition in this uncertain economy.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Did you know?
There is a lot of guessing, calculation, and sometimes an algorithm used by universities to see how many admit letters to send out each year?
The yield is never 100% so sometimes the programs under/overestimates the acceptance rate for a given year. This results in big swings in enrolled number as you can see.
Over-enrollment is a big problem for many universities this year. See http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/college-admissions/many-colleges-overenrolled-for.html

For programs with a fixed number of seats like UCB, they will just keep applicants on hold as long as they fill the seat. That's why you see many people complain that they have been on hold for months.

Another strategy programs utilize is to use several "rounds" so it's easier for them to fill the seat because they know exactly how many empty seats they still have for any given round.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

CMU accepts around 15% of applicants each year. I don't have the final number for this year yet but according to my math, they accepted around 120-130 students (+/- 5 for error.

Correction: CMU admitted 150 students this year out of 800 applicants and about 97 joined their program.