Carnegie Mellon University Announces Historic $3 Billion Gift from Ken Griffin, Pioneering a New Model for Higher Education

Largest Individual Gift in Higher Education History Builds on CMU's Distinctive Academic and Research Strengths, Includes $1 Billion Investment in Pittsburgh Campus

$2 Billion Gift Will Launch CMU Miami, Organized Around Societal Challenges and Purpose-Built for Next Era of American Innovation

35-Acre Campus in Miami's Wynwood Neighborhood Aims to Start Enrolling Students in 2028

PITTSBURGH and MIAMI, Sept. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin today announced a historic $3 billion gift to further elevate CMU in Pittsburgh and launch Carnegie Mellon University Miami, a new campus designed to pioneer a model for higher education built for the next era of American innovation. CMU Miami will be a new campus organized around societal challenges, designed to prepare future leaders for a rapidly changing world while accelerating research and discovery in areas of critical importance to society.

WATCH the official launch video for CMU Miami.

Throughout its history, CMU has established a compelling advantage: deep expertise in advanced computing, robotics, and machine learning, grounded in foundational sciences, interdisciplinary innovation, and a strong humanistic core. Together, these strengths allow CMU to move ideas across disciplines and translate discovery into technologies and solutions that improve lives, strengthen industries and advance American competitiveness.

CMU's leadership in higher education is defined by a willingness to make strategic investments ahead of their time. CMU established the  world's first drama program, robotics institute, human-computer interaction institute and department of engineering and public policy, as well as the nation's first computer science college. That leadership translates into exceptional outcomes for students: Carnegie Mellon ranks No. 3 nationally in graduate earnings by academic major in the 2027 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings. The university also ranks No. 1 in undergraduate computer science and among the top five in 17 undergraduate specialty categories.

Griffin's $3 billion gift will consist of $1 billion to support CMU's Pittsburgh campus, split evenly between flexible support for the university's highest priorities and a $500 million investment in its top-ranked School of Computer Science, which will be renamed the Kenneth C. Griffin School of Computer Science. An additional $2 billion will support the launch of CMU Miami.

Together, these investments reflect Griffin's belief in Carnegie Mellon's ability to attract exceptional talent, advance transformative research and prepare graduates to solve consequential problems and lead with impact. Griffin will also join Carnegie Mellon's Board of Trustees, further solidifying his dedication to the university.

CMU Miami will invert the traditional higher education model by organizing learning and inquiry around societal challenges rather than academic majors. It will be entirely designed and built — from first blueprints to final beam — to drive revolutionary breakthroughs that address society's defining challenges.

At launch, CMU Miami will focus on grand challenge areas spanning human health and biological discovery; national security and strategic capabilities; energy and climate resilience; and advanced manufacturing and industrial transformation. The campus will also serve as a platform for curricular innovation, new approaches to teaching and hands-on learning.

Interdisciplinary teams of students, researchers, industry leaders and government partners will put CMU's competitive advantages to work in addressing these grand challenges. They will draw on the full breadth of CMU, with humanities, arts and design playing an essential role in bringing creativity, context and a deep understanding of the human experience. The goal is to prepare graduates to lead with confidence and make meaningful contributions earlier in their careers.

CMU Miami is designed to move beyond the traditional hub-and-spoke model of university expansion. Rather than simply extending individual programs or research activities into a new city, CMU Miami will develop into a comprehensive university campus where education and research are equally central to the mission, built to the same standards of academic excellence that define CMU.

"We are deeply grateful to Ken Griffin for his extraordinary vision, partnership and belief in what Carnegie Mellon can achieve," said CMU President Farnam Jahanian. "Throughout our history, CMU has anticipated moments of profound technological change and responded with new ways of thinking and solving problems. Artificial intelligence represents one of the defining intellectual developments of our time, and it demands that we rethink how we educate students, conduct research and partner with others. Together, we have an opportunity to extend the very qualities that have long distinguished Carnegie Mellon — our agility, creativity, interdisciplinary culture and relentless focus on impact — to build a new model for higher education that meets the urgency of this moment."

"Carnegie Mellon University has made profound contributions to America's preeminence in science, engineering, technology, and the arts and humanities," said Ken Griffin. "Since its founding, Carnegie Mellon has fostered remarkable talent, pioneered scientific breakthroughs, and expanded the frontiers of research — shaping global leaders and innovators.

"The opportunity to bring Carnegie Mellon to Miami places our city at the heart of humanistic and scientific advancement and amplifies the University's international reach and impact. It is a tremendous privilege to be part of this historic moment. CMU Miami represents a generational opportunity to build a new center of research and intellectual life—one that will attract exceptional students, scholars, and researchers from across the globe and rank among the world's most important academic institutions. Building upon the University's record of excellence in educating and inspiring the next generation, CMU Miami will cultivate the talent, knowledge, and expertise to launch new enterprises, contribute to Miami's economy and community, and advance the prosperity of our nation."

Once complete, the state-of-the-art campus will support more than 3,500 undergraduate, master's and PhD students, nearly 300 faculty and over 600 staff members. Construction is slated to begin in 2027. The current plan, pending regulatory approvals, sees the first students enrolling in 2028.

Located on more than 35 acres in Wynwood—in the heart of Miami—the campus will support a comprehensive student experience and an interdisciplinary environment designed for learning, research and collaboration. Plans include space for industry research labs and venture studios, creating opportunities for students, faculty, industry and community partners to work alongside one another. The campus itself will serve as a living laboratory for new ideas, while creating opportunities for collaboration across CMU's locations.

"Every great Carnegie Mellon story begins with partnership," Jahanian said. "Our relationship with Pittsburgh has shaped CMU for more than a century, and we believe the connections we build in Miami will enrich both cities. We look forward to listening, learning and working alongside our neighbors to create new opportunities for collaboration, innovation and shared prosperity."

Griffin's anchor gift of $3 billion to support CMU and build CMU Miami is the largest-ever gift by an individual in the history of higher education. It is also Griffin's largest-ever gift, reflecting the priorities of Griffin Catalyst, his civic engagement initiative, which finds and funds creative solutions to drive impact at scale and transform lives.

About Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University is a private, global research university founded in 1900 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Recognized among the world's leading institutions and ranked No. 14 among national universities in the 2027 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, CMU is distinguished by its academic excellence, entrepreneurial spirit and leadership at the intersection of technology, the arts, business and public policy. The university's interdisciplinary approach spans seven colleges and schools and drives innovation across fields including artificial intelligence, computer science, engineering, robotics, cybersecurity, the performing arts, business, humanities and social science and design.

A university without borders, Carnegie Mellon extends its impact far beyond Pittsburgh through a global network of programs, partnerships and research initiatives spanning Europe, Africa, Asia and beyond, including campuses in Qatar and Rwanda. Its community includes students, faculty and alumni from more than 100 countries, reflecting a deeply international perspective. Carnegie Mellon's faculty and alumni include dozens of Nobel Prize and Turing Award recipients, as well as members of prestigious academies and leaders across industry, government and the arts worldwide.

Guided by a mission to have a transformative impact on society through education, research, creativity and entrepreneurship, Carnegie Mellon continues to shape emerging fields and prepare the next generation of innovators and leaders to address complex global challenges.

About Ken Griffin and Griffin Catalyst

Ken Griffin is the founder and CEO of Citadel and the founder of Citadel Securities and Griffin Catalyst, the civic engagement initiative that encompasses his philanthropic and community impact efforts.

Ken founded Citadel in 1990, and today, it is recognized as one of the world's most successful hedge funds. The Citadel team has delivered extraordinary results for pension plans, university endowments, hospital systems, foundations, and research institutions that deliver meaningful impact for society, from curing cancer with immunotherapy to making scientific breakthroughs in particle physics.

In 2002, Ken and his partners established Citadel Securities, a leading global market maker. Today, it is one of the world's largest liquidity providers, serving more than 1,600 institutional clients and millions of American families, and has proven transformative in enhancing competition in capital markets worldwide.

Ken is also a passionate philanthropist. Now advanced through Griffin Catalyst, Ken's decades of philanthropy have expanded access to high-quality education for millions of Americans, transformed health care institutions and scientific research with historic gifts, and strengthened arts and cultural institutions around the world.

For more information on Griffin Catalyst, visit www.griffincatalyst.org.

SOURCE Carnegie Mellon University