Pretty much have given up on Pitt already, but before I send my notification to let them know that I will not be attending, I wanted t know if anyone has even received this reclusive scholarship. Reading through lots of post, I have yet to find anyone who has received this scholarship. Back in September, I was very excited and hopeful to that by now, Pitt would be one of my top choices. But other than a few emails here and there from the department, I feel like the are putting information out there in order to get kids to apply only to offer nothing…
Here is the information they have on their website
Criteria for scholarship consideration include grade point average, consistency of grades, strength of high school curriculum, SAT/ACT scores, class rank (if applicable). Quality of short answer responses submitted as part of the admissions application and extracurricular activities are also considered.
Scholarships
Admitted freshmen from underrepresented groups are reviewed for academically competitive scholarships. The Cathedral of Learning Achievement Scholarship ranges from $5,000 to $10,000 to $15,000. The Cathedral of Learning Prestige Scholarship is a full tuition scholarship.
In addition, Pitt also awards full scholarships that cover tuition, mandatory fees, and room/board. They also include a one-time $500 book award and a $2,000 scholarship to be used for undergraduate research or study abroad
Lots of people have replied they received this scholarship. I can recall up to six I believe. I would have to go back through the threads to pull them out.
What were your test scores and GPA? Diversity scholarship thresholds seem to be pretty much in line with the published criteria for regular merit at Pitt. They $$ is better because there is a specific fund set aside for the diversity scholarships.
@carachel2 There is nothing specific about what the requirements are on the website/ .It looks more like a holistic process. If that is the case, they should say so. Someone here thought it was pretty disappointing how they are not very transparent and had they been, they probably would have not applied. I would have to agree 100 percent
Yes I’ve seen other people post about that. On the one hand I can understand the frustration. Maybe they should publish the test and GPA threshold of the previous years winners?
I think one should just naturally assume the requirements are the same as for regular merit. Why would you assume they are any lower? The funding is different, the requirements are pretty much the same. I’ve never seen less than a 32-33 get a diversity scholarship from Pitt if I recall correctly.
My D received one of the diversity full rides last year and Pitt was one of her top choices, though she ended up committing elsewhere. The prior poster is correct. The stats for receiving the diversity scholarships seem to be the same as for the regular merit scholarships. I agree that it isn’t spelled out on the diversity scholarship page. We did not, however, assume the requirements were different and asked our regional rep. The rep told us that the requirements were the same. So it seems that the only difference is the segregated funds and therefore lesser competition, since competition is restricted to the diverse candidate pool. Except for a couple of very small amounts, I have not seen anything different on CC. All of the diversity full rides and full tuition scholarships seem to have gone to students with stats above those published as the minimum for the regular merit scholarships, my D included.
I’m sorry you are disappointed. As I tell my D regularly, never assume. Always verify.
We loved Pitt, but if it’s not affordable for your family, you should move on. I hope you have other good affordable options. Good luck!
OP, it does say “academically competitive.” A 27-31 ACT puts one in the average/middle ACT range for Pitt. They are not going to reward that most likely.
What were your stats? I would definitely feel a bit disgruntled if you had an ACT 33+, top GPA and didn’t receive one!
Without a doubt, the University of Pittsburgh should be 100 percent transparent with what is required out of an applicant. Nothing out of this statement mentions specifics .They even offer different levels to the merit. What constitutes a $5000 , $10,0000, etc? Lots of missing information here.
“Criteria for scholarship consideration include grade point average, consistency of grades, strength of high school curriculum, SAT/ACT scores, class rank (if applicable). Quality of short answer responses submitted as part of the admissions application and extracurricular activities are also considered.”
The above statement can mean anything. I have over a 4.0 gpa and a very competitive ACT score. The majority of schools have different thresholds for different scholarships. No reason to assume Pitt was any different. Had known that Pitt would only consider scores above 33 to qualify for this scholarship, I would have not taken the time or resources to apply.
At this time, it probably does not make a difference as I try to wrap up my options. But hopefully it will help others to know what is needed to qualify for these scholarships. I just can’t imagine that I am the only one.
My S was offered the full ride engineering diversity scholarship back on October 30th. The letter stated that the scholarship is “reserved for two incoming freshman engineering students.” My older son was offered the Dietrich School diversity full ride a couple of years ago, again in October–I think there were four of those offered if I recall correctly.
I’m just offering this information to clarify that the scholarships are extremely limited.
@planner03 Congratulations to you and your sons. That is fantastic! I was accepted back in October and I did not even get a voucher for a free book. LOL! Oh well…
@setter4life I’m really sorry to hear that. I don’t have any knowledge beyond my own experience, but I just wanted to respond to let you know that they do seem to make the offers early and they are not plentiful. It’s possible that a little something might still be offered–its only three more weeks now, good luck!
@Setter4life I do agree that Pitt needs to add in a comment like “past year’s winners had competitive stats with average ACT 33+.” I think it would be helpful and help clarify chances.
If you feel your ACT is competitive you should reach out to an admissions officer.
@Setter4life I could not agree with you more. We had the same frustration for many months. We found the information to be quite misleading in many fronts which is quite surprising considering this is a very reputable institution. Hopefully you have some very good options, but yes agree, at least for us, we would have not applied. I think my daughter was trying to decline the acceptance on the portal but not sure if they even had that option At this point, not sure if it even matters. Frustrating for sure
Normally I’m just a lurker but just thought I should share my own experience.
I received a Cathedral of Learning Achievement Scholarship of $15,000.
SAT: N/A
ACT:28
GPA (weighted): 4.2 (I think)
GPA nonweighted wasn’t reported on my transcript
My scores are obviously lower than the scores that Pitt published as their scholarship threshold. I was truly shocked at how much I was offered because I thought I was ineligible for any merit money. It was a pleasant surprise considering Pitt was my top choice.
The bigger scholarships like full tuition and full ride seem to follow what was published but there seems to be some flexibility for the smaller ones.
Hope this was helpful!
*I’m also OOS
@2022nursing Congratulation to you! I have not seen anything lower than close to perfect scores in order to get any kind of scholarships from Pitt… Perhaps, I must not fit their diversity qualifications or standards to have been considered for this award. Then, I am not sure why the Diversity office and the different departments keep reaching out to me. Thank you for providing this information and good luck to you
I don’t believe the diversity scholarship or any merit description on Pitt’s website says anything about it being in any way “guaranteed”. The wording is not misleading because I have heard over the years, students awarded that would not have fit the UHC merit guidelines laid out in detail. Example above of 28ACT is case in pt. The scholarships are holistic and up to them to decide. When you don’t receive merit - you say Pitt is disreputable? The university depts continue to reach out to you? They do that for all accepted students, giving them more information and hoping you accept the offer of admissions. It is not disingenuous.
@amandakayak The University of Pittsburgh should do a much better in describing the scholarship requirements when it comes to this specific scholarship even if it is a very holistic process. . As @carachel2 mentioned above, a simple statement is all that is needed in order to have that information out there for those interested in applying. I do not disagree with the original poster in many of the points being made. For example is this one scholarship or 50? I did not think it was guaranteed but a little more information would be welcome.
I also find it very interesting that a first time poster would post those numbers when many Pitt “experts” have never even seen anyone get that kind of scholarship with a 28 ACT. So again more information would be welcome
Pitt admissions (@hailtopitt1787) does follow this forum, so the point of adding more info has been made even if just to add how many scholarships and if it is “holistic”. I have seen over the years (at least since I have been following in 2011), merit scholarships listed by students and their parents for stats that didn’t meet UHC detailed guidelines. And pls remember these “Pitt experts” are just parents of Pitt kids and we are just relying on what our experience has been and what we have seen.
@amandakayak —exactly. We are just pitching in and trying to help. No one says we are “experts.” I’ve only personally seen the stats stray from the published threshold by a few points. That 28 ACT was a huge surprise to me also. But hey every year is a new year right?
Lesson to be learned, don’t assume. If something is unclear, ask questions.
Also, for everyone who is disappointed about the lack of clarity for the diversity scholarships, you should also know that regular merit scholarships at Pitt have a a similar lack of clarity. This is how competitive merit scholarships work. It’s a harsh reality but they are not guaranteed.
The general stat thresholds are published on the Pitt merit page but the exact amounts are not guaranteed and they vary significantly.
For instance, some with a 34 ACT got $20,000 per year. Some with the same exact GPA and test scores got $10,000. No explanation is given and honestly, none is owed. They were never listed as guaranteed merit like others schools have chosen to do.
Many many other schools offer merit scholarships in the same way. It’s the competitive merit world, not the guaranteed merit world. They are vastly different.
I understand the frustration truly. My D had this experience at a few of her schools last year. Her stats put her in range for what they said may qualify for their competitive merit but she got none of it at that school (cough cough Texas A&M!) . Zero. What is the secret sauce for merit at those schools? We will never know for sure, but a 34 ACT and #10 in your class certainly is not lol!!
Hang in there. Ask for clarification whenever possible. For those reading for next year, read and learn.