My D22 just committed today - Chemical Engineering and Honors College. She did not see a separate way to officially accept Honors College - does she need to do anything else? Thanks!
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No, just commit and that is all. Congrats
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Thank you for being here to answer these questions!
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Pitt doesnāt have enough housing for all students and last year it was worse because they over enrolled the freshman class. They did have freshman in a leased hotel (execution of this plan could have been better on Pittās part). They have since purchased the hotel and I believe it is to be made into graduate housing.
You are guaranteed housing for 3 years. Many students do choose to move off campus because they donāt like the housing options. If you are looking for beautiful dorms with tons of amenities, you wonāt find that at Pitt. Some options are better than others. I hope last year was an anomaly and they get their enrollment numbers in line with their housing availability. In my opinion, they donāt have enough apartment options for students who wish to stay on campus. Alternatively, there are lots of apartments (both high quality and some that leave A LOT to be desired) nearby. My daughter was able to get a 3 person apartment on campus because she had a low lottery number. When we ran the numbers, this was still a cheaper option than moving off. I think more students actually want to move off campus because they donāt have to have a meal plan. Pretty sure Pitt doesnāt rank in the top 10 in the best college food category.
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Iām curious what the annual numbers look like on-campus vs. off-campus, recognizing that there is a wide range of quality in the housing. Based on Pittās published data, it looks as if almost half of the sophomores live off-campus and something like 80% of juniors. So as the parents of a rising freshman, it probably makes sense for us to budget for off-campus living now, since itās bound to happen sooner or later. I canāt imagine even a crummy, shared apartment (plus utilities) in Oakland is anywhere close to the ~$7,000 a year Pitt charges for the dorms.
Housing options really vary. The cheapest numbers Iāve heard are about $650/month per person plus utilities for a shared apartment or house. More expensive options run over $1000/ month. Utilities include electric, cable, and water and sewer. Iād figure another $100 or so a month for that. More in the winter when they are paying for heat. Remember that off campus leases are for 12 months, not just the school year. Most kids save money on food since cooking for yourself is a lot cheaper than the meal plans.
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D18 is a senior. She lives off campus in a āniceā apt. for South Oakland, meaning itās not special but itās not a total crap hole. However, each of the 4 girls has their own bedroom and there are 2 full bathrooms. Laundry facilities are in the basement. Each girl pays $612.50 a month for a 12 month lease. She also pitches in for Wifi, electricity, and water. The rent includes gas. One of the roommates has a car, and they drive to the Trader Joeās about 10-15 min away in East Liberty bordering Shadyside and she spends about $35-50 per week on groceries.
If they did not each want their own bedroom, the rent would have been a little less and they would have had a lot more options.
I think staying in on campus housing for 4 years is a deal. The upper class apt style housing is as nice as anywhere because itās newer (Bouquet Gardens). Also, the Honors LLC, for example, has a great location directly across the street from the Carnegie Art Museum, for an apt. that is Pitt housing for upper class Honors LLC students. Pitt has been buying and refurbishing apts that are university owned for upper class and graduate housing.
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Did your Daughters apartment come furnished?
That sounds like a good deal for city living. In your experience, do most students who sign 12-month leases actually stay in Pittsburgh during the summer? And does the upperclass Honors LLC housing require a meal plan, or do the apartments have kitchens? Our daughter just submitted for the Honors LLC for this fall.
Iād love for her to stay in Pitt housing as long as possible, just because it seems like less of a headache and the finances are more predictable for mom and dad. But I also recognize that the freshman āfriend groupsā that get formed often drive collective housing decisions. Iām also not the one eating the food 
@leigh22 , no. The girls all brought different pieces of furniture/necessities. 1 roommate is from Philly area, 1 from New Jersey, 2 are from Pittsburgh.
@colonelmike64 , depends on their plans. Some stay and some go home to work. Last summer, D18 and all roommates subletted their apt. This year, same, but as far as I know, my D has not found a subletter yet. Iām with you. Stay in university housing and make your life (and parents lives) easier. You are right on with the friend groups.
I have no idea about the on campus housing and meal plans for older students. Meal plans are offered and they are not as comprehensive for the older kids, but I donāt know if they are mandatory. I would think that some of the upper class housing that are apts would be like regular apts. That info can definitely be found on the web.
And look what I found! Honors LLC for upperclass students:
Forbes-Craig Apartments | Panther Central | University of Pittsburgh
No meal plan required, but is about $8,000 for the year. D18 pays $7,350 for 12 months, but believe me, this location is tops for this university apt.
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If you click the link, you can see a 360 view of Forbes-Craig apts. You can also click Take the Tour, and select from many residence halls, including Sutherland.
D18 lived in Nordenberg and then Irvis as a sophomore on upper campus. Both super nice, very similar. And Panther Hall next to Irvis Hall are the same. Very, very nice dorms.
My S19 is a rising senior and will live on campus for all 4 years. Next year he will be in on-campus apartments (Bouquet Gardens) with his own room, 2 bathrooms and a full kitchen with his current 3 roommates. He has had zero problems securing on-campus housing for all 4 years.
The last thing my son needs to worry about is cooking or commuting to campus. He will take a partial meal plan and eat out when needed. He complains about the food but appreciates the convenience. His roomies are all from out-of-state so having an already furnished apartment is great.
If your kids are good cooks then off-campus might be an option for them. My S19 would never survive on the Ramen type of cooking either as heās a tall, skinny kiddo already.
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I think if you plan to stay in Pittsburgh over the summer itās probably more economical to have off campus housing. The apartment my daughter and her friends have on campus is in Ruskin hall. It has a kitchen and is furnished (beds/desks/table and maybe a couch). They will hopefully have the option to keep it the following year as well. It prices out about the same as many of the nicer apartments, you just donāt donāt have to pay a 12 month lease and you are on campus. It also works better with her financial aid package. To be honest, I donāt think my daughter felt comfortable enough or experienced enough to look for an apartment for next fall last October/November. You really need to start looking in the fall for the following year. Last fall she was still figuring out college and living in Pittsburgh and generally finding her way. Every kid is different. Iāve also read some horror stories about landlords too. For me as a parent, itās a relief to know housing is taken care of by the University.
One note about honors llc housing after freshman year. There were a couple groups of students that got burnt because on of the students they wanted to live with in the honors apartments/suites was not in the honors llc. Apparently that is not allowed and they were split up.
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We were confused by Pitt Pay because we paid the acceptance fee, but never were prompted to pay a housing deposit. I called Panther Central and apparently the housing deposit is waived for those students with certain scholarships. Just thought I would share in case anyone else is confused, too.
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Hi - Can anyone speak to the likelihood of getting housing in Sutherlandās LLC for freshman honors college? DC is basically only interested in moving forward with Pitt if he has this assurance. From what I can tell there is no guarantee and DC does not want to be in the regular dorms. For him a major reason for accepting honors at Pitt is to be with other honors kids. Itās actually very annoying that Pitt cant offer the commitment upfront.
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I understand the frustration but all LLCās at Pitt are an application process. There are essays to write etc. My sonās LLC had a huge waitlist so I imagine there are no guarantees. Itās hard to explain to incoming students really tied to the āhonorsā title, but a lot of honors students do not live in the Honors LLC and I can assure you a lot of high stat kids choose not to join the HC.
My S19 is in the Honors College and has never lived in the Honors LLC but he lives with 3 wicked smart roommates and has other wicked smart floor mates in another LLC. If he has an honors housing guarantee at another school maybe he should take that if itās very important to him.
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Itās amazing to me how many Honors students choose not to live in the honors dorm - my S22 has three friends who are not interested for various reasons.
Does anyone know the dates for move in in August? My D is trying to figure out her summer work schedule.
Pitt friendsā¦ here is the official academic calendar for 2022-2023.
Make your plans accordingly
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Thanks a lot!
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