University of Pittsburgh Class of 2023 Discussion Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pittsburgh
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A few familiar names here from last year have posted already. Glad to see the process is over and everyone is doing well. I just want to emphasize what some of them already mentioned based on my own experience. If you are OUT OF STATE and you are LOOKING FOR MERIT, you better have somewhere along the lines of a 4.0 plus GPA as well as something north of 34 on the ACT , otherwise do not count on PITT to offer any merit at all. If you are looking into the DIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP, the same will apply. Having said that, many of you will have decent stats for admissions and chances are you might be admitted (3.8 GPA and above 29 plus ACT etc), but again do not count to get any merit at all. Admission came early for me, but then months went by before realizing that merit will not be extended. Some of the information they put out last year on their website was not completely clear. They seem to have listen to those (yours truly) who brought it up because the website was revised for the better… All and all extremely thrilled my end results and where I ended up with. At the end, it all works out. I just want to bring this up in order for those of you looking to apply to the University of Pittsburgh as an OOS not to took into any merit without the numbers.

Not sure what the final results or yield is for the class of 2018, but I am assuming that many of those applicants with those stats had amazing merit offers from other schools as well . Another piece of advice is get familiar with these boards and past results from at least the last few years. Tons of knowledgeable people here. I know everyone is different and many of you bring your own spin into the application process, but the overall results don;t lie. Good luck to all of you.

22

@DJCURRYBEATS19, You will hear back by mid to late September at the earliest. The log in information will take you to the applicant portal where you can check the status of your application. We will use that as a tool to indicate whether or not any items are missing - but you will not see an admissions decision there. Your admissions decision will come to you via email/mail. Good luck!

-A Pitt Admissions Staffer

23

@WaitingPitt and @DJCURRYBEATS19 , Here are some of the incoming Freshman 2018 stats. Just so you know, my son had 1230 SAT (superscored)Obviously no merit even those I am an alumni. He originally applied to Business School but OAFA said most likely he wouldn’t get into CBA and said since his app wasn’t reviewed he could switch to undecided, which he did via email . Based on his Math Assessment and 4’s on both AP Micro and Macro he is an excellent candidate to transfer programs. He applied in Aug and got his acceptance in Nov (Partly bc of Pitt requesting 2nd SAT scores) so if you only took 1 SAT, register now for a 2nd because they will ask for it. Acceptances started rolling out in Sept. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t hear right away. Ask questions or call OAFA if you need to. They are nothing short of Amazing and helpful to those waiting to hear back. Best of Luck

H2P

Application facts (Fall Term 2018):
Number of freshman applications received 29,850
Number of students offered admission 17,691
Number of students who matriculated 4,218
Middle 50 percent SAT score 1280-1420
Middle 50 percent SAT Math 630-730
Middle 50 percent SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 630-700
Middle 50 percent ACT composite 28-3

24

Thanks @Hopetobeapittmom - if Pitt asks my daughter to take the SATs again, she’s going to go ballistic. She just took three SAT Subject Tests and is DONE with testing.

25

Hi all,

My D applied through Coalition and sent the SRAR on August 21. She received her Pitt portal credentials yesterday, and it says they are missing her transcripts. This is just a mistake, correct? Since she submitted the SRAR? @hailtopitt1787

To manage expectations, she shouldn’t expect a decision for at least a month or so, correct?

26

@NovaMom93, It is just likely that we have not quite finished processing her application and the portal has not been updated to reflect what we have (this is a manual task for us at this time, so there is a bit of a delay between when you submit something and we process it).

And as for waiting, I would say late September/early October is a good guess for the decision wait time. We work hard to give everyone a thorough but quick review, but with the volume of applications we receive in August and September, it can take us a little longer to return a decision at this point in the cycle.

Best of luck!
A Pitt Admissions Staffer

27

Hi all – As a parent of an out of state applicant to Pitt last admissions cycle, I wanted to encourage OOS kids who do not have an ACT “north of 34” in terms of merit at Pitt. Although OOS merit for high-stat kids cannot be assumed at Pitt, and anecdotally chances for merit seem to fall off precipitously below a 32 ACT, in my view merit for 32+ ACT OOS applicants is more realistic at Pitt than at many state or state-related institutions of its caliber (which I consider to be high).

Our D had a 33 ACT and a 3.9+ GPA -–> strong numbers, but not an ACT north of 34. She was offered $10,000 in merit aid at Pitt. We are a doughnut hole family, and we were looking have some options that would drive our COA below our EFC. $10,000 in merit at Pitt was an attractive proposition, especially considering their COA vis-à-via private schools and vis-à-vis publics with COAs as or more expensive than Pitt for OOS families.

Our general sense from the anecdotal evidence gathered on CC last cycle was that a 34 ACT and higher generally moves the needle to more like $15,000K per year for those awarded merit as an OOS applicant and also increases the chance the OOS applicant will be considered for Pitt’s higher merit tiers (which require interviews). You can trace the Pitt merit award experiences of a number of families from last admissions cycle at this (32 screen!) thread:

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/university-pittsburgh/2030027-upitt-merit-scholarship-results-2022-p1.html

So, a given ACT score won’t guarantee merit at Pitt. Geographic diversity, URM, and other holistic measures also likely factor in. But relative to the universe of merit opportunities for OOS applicants at public/state-related universities, Pitt is worthy of serious consideration. And relative to the COA proposition for full pay or doughnut hole OOS families at public or private institutions, a merit award at Pitt can offer a lot of bang for the buck. As several have noted above, Pitt is also willing to consider upward revisions to merit awards based on post-merit COAs an OOS applicant may have achieved at other peer institutions – not all institutions are willing to make those sorts of adjustments to their merit awards. Finally, if you are a high stats kid interested in Pitt, its rolling admissions and then rolling merit award notification systems are really nice features → you may not realize how nice until you find yourself waiting until spring for the same info from other institutions.

This all assumes Pitt otherwise meets an applicant’s needs, interests, and college preferences. If so, you may just find that Pitt is on your short list of institutions for which merit aid is a reasonable possibility for OOS applicants with 32+ ACT stat profiles.

Anyway, fwiw. Thanks all.

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@JMS111 Thank you very much for sharing this post. The whole process is so much to navigate. This is very insightful as my D is also an OOS applicant. She has a 32 on the ACT with a 4.4 GPA and was considering retaking the ACT again but can’t take it until Dec 2018, feels a bit late honestly. A question I do have is how quickly after your D’s acceptance did the merit award follow? I have heard it can be quite awhile and we are trying to determine if she should plan to retake again in Dec. Thanks!

29

Thanks WaitingPitt. In terms of how quickly merit news comes after acceptance, here is my recollection:

  • The Pitt merit committee sits once a week starting sometime in September (maybe even late September)
  • Applications are reviewed for merit on a rolling basis and are considered (at least roughly) in the order in which the applications were submitted
  • The time it takes to receive a merit decision following acceptance can vary based upon a number of factors. Those factors include how many applications the merit committee has in queue (probably alot at first, then maybe it tapers a bit, and then maybe picks up again around the 11/1 and 1/15 deadlines that apply to other schools – not because those deadlines apply to Pitt, but because some applicants probably apply to Pitt at the same time as they are submitting their apps but all that is just a guess!). It also varies by the Pitt academic calendar and holidays in terms of when the merit committee meets. Shockingly, things like Thanksgiving get in the way. :) 
  • My D applied 11/1, app complete in Pitt’s portal 11/14, admitted 11/29, merit award received in third week of January. My gentle encouragements to my D to apply earlier to Pitt were to no avail (a fate met by my gentle encouragements throughout the app process :) ). Last year’s thread included a number of examples where applicant was admitted mid-October and learned of merit by mid-November, so I think in many instances turnaround can be quicker for earlier applicants.
  • But if the applicant is not an outright awardee or no award, but rather on the bubble, I think the merit committee may keep the app in the pool for longer to evaluate it closer to the end of the cycle when more is known about the entire applicant pool. Awards continue being extended into as late as March.

Sorry, not sure unfortunately how all this translates for the December ACT decision. Perhaps your kiddo can wait to as close to the December ACT registration deadline as possible to see if any word yet from Pitt.

If you do get a merit decision before December, I guess a related question is whether Pitt will reconsider a merit decision (either the amount or flipping a no to a yes) if the applicant retakes the ACT and scores higher after Pitt has evaluated the app based upon a 32C. The Pitt admissions office is incredibly responsive. Perhaps call them or shoot them a PM on CC and ask. If they know the answer, my experience with them is that they will give you a straight answer.

Hope that helps, and hope others more knowledgeable might jump in and correct or supplement the above!

30

@JMS111 Your experience is not the norm… 32 ACT is not a given for any Merit at Pitt. Yes, it is there, but there plenty of people out there who had 33 and 34 last year who had to wait three to five months before any merit if any was offered… Based hundreds of post from the past few years, there were not that many OOS applicants who received it. Obviously, this should not discourage potential OOS applicants from applying because after all many schools should be target in order to see how it all plays out. In addition some Pitt majors are extremely competitive and these will require even higher numbers. There are plenty of similar schools that perfect GPAs and great ACT/SAT scores will get you much better merit.

31

@JMS111 the point I was trying to make is that you probably need a 34 on the ACT exam in order for an OOS applicant to feel that they have a real shot at some merit which seem to range from $10000 to $15000. the University of Pittsburgh should NOT be consider a shoo in for these awards. Admission might not be an issue with lower scores, but merit awards will be. There are plenty of kids/parents looking for merit because they do not qualify for need based aid, and an ACT score around 32 in NOT a given. Possible? Sure. However based past results, it is very difficult to attain and potential candidates should not be applying thinking they will be getting it. Everyone should have a range of schools including financial safeties.

32

@JMS111 speaks the truth. Every year there are kids who apply to Pitt with great stats…say ACT 30-32 and a high GPA and they persist in believing that somehow their kid will get merit. “But my kid got merit at X school and X school” and then they proceed to act angry and miffed at Pitt for not giving merit.

Pitt is pretty clear about the minimum threshold for merit. There are perhaps a FEW outliers who post that they got merit but for the most part Pitt sticks very close to their merit threshold. And it’s competitive merit, not automatic.

Don’t put your fingers in your ears or cover your eyes. Help your student be realistic and objective.

33

Hmm, thanks for the refinements. Not sure how I left the impression 32 is a given for merit at Pitt (“So, a given ACT score won’t guarantee merit at Pitt.” and “32+ ACT OOS applicants is more realistic at Pitt than at many state or state-related institutions of its caliber”). Glad collegeisago you agree it is there for some of those 32+ kids.

I am sure plenty of people waited three to five months. Plenty did not. Not sure what the “norm” is, even culled from the very small universe of CC posts. Pitt does rolling merit review, and sometimes makes decisions relatively quickly and sometimes reserves decision for months (as late as March).

I think for now I’ll stand by “32+ ACT OOS applicants is more realistic at Pitt than at many state or state-related institutions of its caliber.” I recognize a caliber measure is subjective.

Other great schools, public and private, will give more merit for the same stats than Pitt. How many are state/state-related, give awards to OOS students, and similar to Pitt – there I think the list shortens a great deal. And among publics and privates similar to Pitt, how then does the COA compare after merit awards (even larger ones than Pitt gives) are applied, especially at private institutions. Agreed, most importantly, families should build target lists of admissions/financial safeties/matches/reaches that suit a kid’s interests and needs in a university. Pitt may find its way on to some of those lists, as it did for our doughnut hole family looking to include some OOS publics/state-related that give merit aid for OOS 32+ ACT kids.

I’ll also demur on needing a 34 ACT for a “real shot” at some merit at Pitt. It’s that sentiment I think is too discouraging. If I am too hot on Pitt merit, I think that is too cold. Collegeisago probably has it just about right as to OOS 32+ applicants: “Obviously, this should not discourage potential OOS applicants from applying because after all many schools should be target in order to see how it all plays out.”

Again, “a given ACT score won’t guarantee merit at Pitt.”

Thanks for the discussion. Quite soon, the results and speculation from those battling through this admissions cycle will take over — and a “Pitt Merit Class of 2023” thread will materialize to provide up-to-date insights.

Best of luck to everyone.

34

Hi carachel2 – Thanks much, and I posted the additional thoughts above before seeing your post. Thanks again.

35

I am currently applying for the school of nursing what do my chances look like?
SAT:1180 (520 ERBW, Math 660)
GPA: 3.6
I did take the SAT once before and got an 1130 on it but I improved in both sections the second time around. I am taking the ACT this weekend. I have a lot of extracurriculars. I have taken a lot of college prep and ap courses throughout high school. I know it’s gonna be tough to get in but this is my number one choice by far.

36

@Hopetobeapittmom I was reading your comment . Was your son’s final sat score a 1230’after it was superscored and he took it again ? I’m just curious . My son’s highest score is a 1220 ( not superscored, both both reading and math were highest on this test ) . He did take again last month , but he does not believe his scores improved so there should be no reason to send them in. Did your son get in with a 1230’? My son has a 1220 , a weighted 4.1 gpa and 3.6 unweighted , hard rigor of classes . Applied to arts and sciences . Wondering about his chances . Thanks

37

My student submitted his app through coalition a few days ago. It says he should be receiving an email with info about sending SRAR info, but hasn’t received it yet. Does that usually take a while to receive? Anyone have any info?

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@divol19, I would say, if you don’t get it by early next week feel free to give our office a call and check on it: 412-624-7488.

Best,
A Pitt Admissions Staffer

39

Hey everyone - my D received a “Pitt ID - Keep this handy” email yesterady. I’m hoping this means that her app is being reviewed and decisions will come soon. Neurotic, I know! Anyone else receive this email?

40

does anyone know when to expect a decision if an application is already fully completed?