@AllenTx15, As carachel2 has said, we look at both SAT and ACT scores. Good luck!
Best,
A Pitt Admissions Staffer
My DD received 10K plus Chancellor’s invite with SAT scores only (did not take ACT or new SAT). She scored 2220 on old SATs. She also submitted scores from 3 SAT subject tests that she took. She is top 5% of an extremely competitive public magnet school (school does not rank). She loved Pitt when we visited and is summittting essays for Chancellor’s as I type. Hope that is a relief to all those other non-ACT applicants!.
Correcting my typo: “submitting” not “summitting”
If I remember correctly if you look at the test scores link via the portal they concord submitted test scores into new SAT scores.
So, my DD’s BFF has also been accepted to Pitt. We are beginning to worry about her merit scholarship chances. We haven’t seen anyone report a merit scholarship with a 33 yet and she has not received anything in the mail. We’re holding out breath every Friday waiting to see if she gets a scholarship letter.
She is an A student, has a 33 ACT, class rank is13/405, has a 4.3 weighted GPA, has taken lots of AP classes and many, many duel enrollment courses. If Pitt super-scored ACT she’d have a 34. She has limited funds and her parents told her to stop taking the ACT after she got the 33. She also hasn’t taken many AP tests, partly because of funds.
This young lady has accomplished so much while maintaining her grades by participating in sports (softball and ultimate Frisbee for many seasons), holding down two part time jobs for most of high school, hours and hours of volunteering with many extra-curricular commitments as well as leadership roles in school. I worry that Pitts’ focus purely on academics for merit does not give them the option to see what she has accomplished and she may not get much merit. And I know her short answers did not go into great detail about all she has done.
The other issue is her combined family income is very low. I know they will get financial aid, but have no idea how much of that will have to be loans. I haven’t quite asked her what the EFC will be, but they are talking about taking out loans if they have to. They are committed to sending her to Pitt because she wants to do the Psychology program there. They also want her to get away from home and have a real growth opportunity while in college. Having the back up of a friend on campus would be a plus, too, honestly. I know loans will be a hardship for them.
So I guess I’m just venting, wondering if there is a way to get information to the scholarship committee. She followed the rules and advise of not sending a resume or letters of recommendation, hoping her 33 would get her some merit. Is it too late to send in a resume?
If she gets a letter offering $10,000 (which would be a lot except that she is an OOS student) is there a way to appeal by sharing more details? If she takes the ACT again in February, scores will be back later than March 1 so I don’t think that is an option.
I know most will say she should remain in-state. Among other things, our flagship school is TOO big and the others do not have an impressive Psych program or the opportunity for research. She wanted so badly to go to Pitt she sent in the completed application WITH SRAR the DAY AFTER the applications opened!
Suggestions for reaching out to the scholarship committee anyone? We would encourage her to take action if we think it might help. @hailtopitt1787 ?
Thanks!
The most effective way for her to share this kind of information with the Scholarship Committee is through her responses to the Short Answer Questions. Did she fill those out with her application? If not, she should fill them out before December 15 in order to be considered for scholarships and should contact our office to let us know she would like them to be added to her scholarship review: https://oafa.pitt.edu/financialaid/academic-scholarships/
If she has filled out the Short Answer Questions already, she has given the Committee everything they have asked for. If there has been a substantial change in her academics since she applied, she is welcome to share that information for the benefit of the Committee.
Finally, she is always welcome to contact our office with questions about the scholarship process or her application: oafa@pitt.edu or 412-624-7488. One of our Admissions Counselors could talk to her in more detail about her specific situation.
I will say that the scholarship deadline is not until December 15 and the Committee sends out award notifications all the way up to March 1. It is not uncommon for the Committee to review students multiple times before making a decision, so the fact she has not heard yet does not necessarily mean she will not get an offer.
Best of luck to her!
A Pitt Admissions Staffer
As I posted above, my DD received the 10K (with Chancellor’s invite), but I forgot to mention that we are in-state. It looks like most OOS posters received 15K, 20K or full tuition. I believe the 20K OOS is equivalent to the 10K in-state. Either way, it is nice to get something from such a highly respected state school. Hail2Pitt!
My son received a letter requesting him to send in mid year grades before being considered admittance into the Swanson School of Engineering. Does this mean if he is admitted, he would not qualify for any scholarship money? He has turned in everything else, including the short answer essays. We are OOS, so merit scholarship money would be necessary.
Hello! While I can’t speak to the exact chances for your son since I do not have access to his profile, these guidelines may be of use:
Criteria for scholarship consideration include SAT/ACT results, overall grade point average, class rank (if applicable), and strength of curriculum. Activities outside of the classroom such as leadership positions, athletics, community service, etc. are reviewed but given secondary consideration.
In recent years, scholarship eligible students possessed ALL of the following:
-minimum SAT score of 1490 or 33 ACT composite
-overall ‘A’ average
-top 5% class rank (if applicable) while participating in challenging high school curriculum consisting of AP/IB/Honors courses
-record of excellence in various academic and nonacademic activities outside of the classroom
You can find more information here: https://oafa.pitt.edu/financialaid/academic-scholarships/
You are welcome to contact our office if you have questions about your son’s specific application: 412-624-7488 or oafa@pitt.edu.
Best,
A Pitt Admissions Staffer
Does the amount of scholarship money you were initially offered have any impact on likelihood of getting the chancellors scholarship? I am OOS and only got 15k, but I was nominated for the chancellors scholarship. I will only be able to attend if I at the very least get full tuition, but a full ride would be better. But now I’m wondering if that’s a stretch considering I didn’t get much money to begin with relative to other OOS students (which confuses me, because I have 104.9 GPA, am first in my class, have a 1540 SAT, and a very strong curriculum, so I don’t know where I could have improved my app)
@shooting4stars - Highest people got so far is $20K (other than full scholarships). Lot of kids with similar status (including my S, but he didn’t get Chancellors invitation) also got $15K only. It appears this year they have less money.
@shooting4stars, The amount of your scholarship and competitiveness of the Chancellor’s Scholar process can be influenced by your major or professional school. For example, scholarships are much more competitive for engineering applicants due to the fact that the overall pool of applicants is more competitive.
Best,
A Pitt Admissions Staffer
@shooting4stars They wouldn’t have invited you to apply if they didn’t think you were a strong candidate. With that said - it’s an extremely competitive field in which they only give out a few.
Of the 600 or so (?) who are invited to apply for the Chancellor’s Scholarship, do we know how many are typically invited for interviews?
As one of 600 you have about a .016666 to a .2 chance of getting the scholarship. That’s intimidating. It’s an honor to be invited to apply, but you have to be really committed to take the time to do additional essays in the weeks leading up to finals during senior year.
#:-S
From the website about 10 per year get the scholarship. (Ranging from 7 -14 over the past 4 years).
So if invited, you have about a 2% chance. Way better than .2%
Of course of the entire applicant pool, you have about a 10/29159 or 0.0343% chance.
But who’s counting?
2% is better than some of the other competitive scholarships out there.
I believe @Dave_N’s number is the number of students that accepted and attended. I would assume they offer more but don’t have 100% yield. So maybe the chance is even higher if you apply 
Received a Helen Faison Scholarship (Full tuition, room/board, $500 for books, $2000 for research or study abroad)
Stats: 34 ACT, 15 AP Classes, National AP Scholar, rank: 6/307, wgpa: 4.49, uwgpa: 3.9, OOS, African American
Congratulations on your award ChilliLL. I truly couldn’t be happier for you. I hope you enjoy your stay at this prestigious university.
@ChilliLL --WOW. Congrats!!! You would be absolutely crazy to turn that down.