****PITT CLASS OF 2021 DECISIONS THREAD****

Thank you so much. Also, how much of a difference is there between costs at the two campuses? Would it be possible to transfer later?

@mnmzmom, Yes, transferring is an option. The actual procedures and requirements vary depending on the academic program. You can get more information about applying to Pitt and our regional campuses here: https://oafa.pitt.edu/apply/admissions-process/regional-campuses/

And here: https://oafa.pitt.edu/q-and-a/

Best,
A Pitt Admissions Staffer

@hailtopitt1787 is there any facebook group or any other social network group for admitted students? sorry if it’s already mentioned but I couldn’t find it.

@tle2034, Yes there is! It’s on Facebook: Facebook.

@hailtopitt1787 And i have received my admission letter long time ago but i have never received any letter that states the exact cost of attendance. Im international student by the way. Do you know i can indicate the exact amount that i have to pay ?

@tle2034 --you should’ve have received an email with information on how to log onto your PS mobile/Pitt account. The information is in your portal.

@tle2034 the exact amount is not known yet. Pitt doesn’t decide on exactly what tuition will be until the summer. Also the cost of housing will depend on what dorm you are assigned to which also won’t happen until the summer. You can look at last year’s numbers and assume they will go up a couple percent and that will be close.

@tle2034, You can get some information about tuition and costs here: https://oafa.pitt.edu/financialaid/costs/

Please feel free to contact our International Admissions team with any questions about Cost of Attendance: intladm@pitt.edu.

Best,
A Pitt Admissions Staffer

@hailtopitt1787 thanks for your information. And if I received the acceptance letter stating that I “have been accepted for admission to the University of Pittsburgh”, does this mean I get accepted to the Oakland Campus since the letter doesn’t mention any specific campus. Sorry if this sounds extra but I just want to make sure i got into the main campus before i pay my deposit.

@tle2034, It will specify a regional campus if you have been admitted to a regional campus. If you have been admitted to the Pittsburgh campus, then it will specify the name of the school to which you’ve been admitted: School of Nursing, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, Swanson School of Engineering, or College of Business Administration. Hope that helps, and congrats!

Best,
A Pitt Admissions Staffer

Regarding recent Pitt visit –

While I completed the survey I must have missed the opportunity to expand on the concerns I had regarding the visit. So I am sending more info to this email address hoping it gets to the right place.

My daughter has been admitted to Pitt and we came to an information session on Tuesday, 4/18/2017. While it was informative….it was also a bit of a data dump with no interaction what so ever in the room. A bit mind numbing. The admissions counselor was very well spoken but after about 45 minutes her voice became white noise as it was just a continuous stream of information.

But – here is my real concern. I wanted to speak to someone in Financial Aid/Admissions. My daughter was a late applicant and we did not realize she would not be eligible for consideration for institutional scholarships. I approached the Financial Aid counter to see if I could spend a few minutes on questions and conversation about what might be available for her in the future.

The person at the counter said …”Do you want to talk out here or, talk in back?”. What a strange question. I had no idea what he meant. Why on earth would I want to talk in the open area about our financial concerns? After some back and forth where he was clearly frustrated with me for challenging his question…I just said it does not matter. He proceeded to look up my daughters info….printed out her financial aid letter …circled the amount we would owe and said, “Well, here is what you owe.” I explained I knew what he was showing me and that my question was around trying to understand more about scholarships in the future and trying to confirm she was indeed not eligible for anything else at this time. He then replied…I am just Financial Aid…I handle FAFSA…you need to talk to admissions about anything else. He then just looked at me. No offering to get us someone….no attempt to show interest. I thanked him and left. He made it seem as if we were not important….and that admissions was somewhere else on campus. The sign over the door says Financial Aid/Admissions.

We stepped into the hallway feeling so disheartened. We had made a very long drive and his approach was surprising. After some time sitting out in the hallway….we both agreed to go home. No sense in pursuing conversation when the door seemed slammed.

I understand when there are no more options…there are then no more options. But delivery is everything. I also am sure Pitt is fabulous. It sure did not feel that way. Hard lessons being learned by my young daughter. She is a stellar scholar and would be a great member of Pitts student body. Come on Pitt….you can treat parents and accepted students or potential future students a bit better. Help your reps understand their approach speaks volumes for your organization.

@Kmm, Hello! I am sorry to hear that you had this experience. I would like to connect you with a senior member of our team to assist you and discuss what happened. If you are interested in having a conversation, please Direct Message me your contact information.

Best,
A Pitt Admissions and Financial Aid Staffer

Kmm (it won’t let me tag you for some reason?) and any other parent reading this. This sounds like an isolated situation and I assure you it was not typical of our experience at all. I think it would be difficult for any financial aid office to accept a walk in situation like this. Making an appointment ahead of time or at least giving the FA office a heads up that you would like to meet with them will result in a better experience. We’ve had numerous visits to Pitt and never had an experience like the one described in the previous post with the FA office or admissions.

Merit scholarships at most schools are awarded to earlier applicants. That is not new to Pitt nor is it unique to Pitt. There were many, many stellar scholars applying to Pitt early this year. It’s an “early bird gets the worm” situation and it is the same at most schools. Pitt is actually more generous that most with deadlines for merit.

For anyone considering Pitt for next year, applying early and making an appointment for specific financial aid discussions will likely result in a better experience.

Also to add: Here is the Pitt merit thread here where you can see the stats of the other applicants who applied starting in July

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/university-pittsburgh/1934539-class-of-2021-merit-scholarships-p1.html

and then on the Pitt website the deadlines are listed
https://oafa.pitt.edu/financialaid/academic-scholarships/

We have dealt with financial aid 4 times. Once via email to ask how to report outside scholarships, once via email to inquire about a billing question, once in person dropping off some scholarship checks, and once over the phone asking about work study. All interactions were courteous and professional and issues were quickly taken care of.

I wouldn’t be so sure that it’s an isolated incident. We had a similar situation. The FA rep would not even look up our account. Told us we could either pay the tuition in full by the due date, pay in installments, or get a loan if we didn’t have the money. When asked why there was no aid available to us when we applied in a timely manner and qualify for aid according to the FAFSA, we were told that the “FAFSA doesn’t mean anything.”

@Pittoey --FAFSA just tells you what you are possibly eligible for. It doesn’t mean you will get anything. Some schools guarantee to meet your need. Most schools do not. Pitt does not.

Are you saying your student met the threshold for merit as noted on the website? Or are you talking about financial need based aid?
https://oafa.pitt.edu/financialaid/academic-scholarships/

The experience was surprising because the FA rep would not even look up our information in order to have a conversation. The nonsense on the FA website about “working with families to make Pitt a reality” was not the reality of our appt with the FA rep.

I called to arrange an appt …was told I did not need one. Please know…i disagree with your comment that they would not be prepared to accept a walk in…I was told they would be happy to talk with us stop by anytiime. That is what we did. I am sure Pitt is a great school. This was just very shocking. I hope you are right about an isolated incident.

Personally, I had an amazing experience with Pitt financial aid and merit scholarships when I went for an admitted student day. I made an appointment, had only a five minute wait, and was able to have all my questions answered and fears calmed. Pitt was definitely one of the most generous schools I applied to.