Business

Ken Griffin's $3 billion to Carnegie Mellon is higher education's largest gift

Two billion dollars will build a 35-acre Carnegie Mellon campus in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood, with the first students targeted for 2028.

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Donut chart splitting Ken Griffin’s $3 billion gift: $2 billion for CMU Miami and $1 billion for the Pittsburgh campus
Data: Carnegie Mellon University; Chart: 1% Better

Carnegie Mellon said Citadel founder Ken Griffin is giving $3 billion, which the university calls the largest individual gift in the history of higher education.

By the numbers: One billion dollars goes to Pittsburgh, split evenly between flexible support for university priorities and $500 million for the School of Computer Science. The other $2 billion launches CMU Miami.

  • That school will be renamed the Kenneth C. Griffin School of Computer Science, and Griffin will join the university board of trustees.

Zoom in: CMU Miami will organize learning around societal challenges rather than academic majors, starting with human health, national security, energy resilience and advanced manufacturing.

Yes, but: The Miami plans remain subject to regulatory approvals. The 35-acre Wynwood campus aims to start enrolling students in 2028.

Why it matters: CMU already ranks first nationally in undergraduate computer science and third in graduate earnings by major in the 2027 US News rankings, and this gift doubles down on that strength.

Go deeper: Carnegie Mellon University

Also: CNBC

  • philanthropy
  • higher education
  • miami
  • carnegie mellon

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