University of Pittsburgh Class of 2026 Official Discussion Thread

Guaranteed Admission to Pharmacy and we do not offer AP, but had 15 College Courses.
3.95 GPA. High involvement with EC’s and Varsity Sports.

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thanks much!

As I’m looking at the cost to attend on the school’s website, one of the fees listed is an International Fee of $1,000. Does anyone know if everyone pays that (and if so, what it’s for) or if it is just for international students? TIA

Never mind, I found my answer, it is for international students only…

I’m pretty shocked too, we got the panther pride thingy too!! I really thought we wouldn’t get any financial help. though we do have several in college, i guess that’s why and OOS. that’s good. making Pitt more attractive! do we get that every year? as long as our finances stay more or less the same?

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When Pitt sends the “official” offer to my D22 we will go over it and then make a call to ask about those specific need-based awards, and how they could change year to year. I think it’s fantastic that Pitt does this, and it’s something they brought up during our tour last summer. Pitt is our D’s top pick, so hoping it all works out.

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I do know that having more than one in college at a time changes financial aid.

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I hope that’s true. My second will be a freshman in the fall. We have gotten 4 acceptances with good merit but no FA yet.

Also wondering if Merit just showed in portal or if your student got an email. My daughter is her class valedictorian, QPA just shy of 6.0, national and local recognition/leadership…. I don’t know what more they could be looking for in a top candidate. She applied very early October and was accepted 3 weeks later. We are also in Maryland.

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Merit is a form of marketing and enrollment management. They have calculations to figure out in which situations it will be effective, and in which situations it wouldn’t move the dial.

I have two kids. One T20-school achievement in all areas. She received no merit offer from Pitt, possibly because they didn’t believe that she would attend (they were correct). My other child is a great student with a compelling application, but not at the highest level of the older one. She did receive merit from Pitt, probably because some algorithm showed that giving merit would move the dial and make her more likely to enroll.

It seems crazy but “merit” isn’t always given for objective merit.

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You are spot on! Schools also use their Honors programs for the exact same reason. Many top 1% er’s do not get into Pitt’s or other’s Honors Colleges. Pitt, in fact recruits into the Honors College over a broad range of majors. STEM majors are not the obvious ones heavily recruited. Think lower enrollment majors… Get the picture?

My S19 can tell you many students in Pitt’s Honors College do not continue to take honors courses after their first one… which means they will not end up graduating with the honors distinction or honors degree.

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I actually think this can be a good thing and why emphasizes how important the essay can be.

Hi! Does anyone know when the Honors College decisions are released?

I know you weren’t responding to me, but I didn’t mean it was a bad thing and I don’t think the other poster did, either. I was trying to clear up the misconception that applicants are somehow ranked from top to bottom and merit is doled out accordingly. It’s a far more complex and strategic tool for the university.

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Thank you. I honestly have no idea how it is decided and I am sure that it varies greatly from school to school.

My 2021 grad (National merit $2500 scholar, perfect GPA with 13 APs, etc) received $2000/year merit from Pittsburgh (school of Computing) not nearly enough to entice her to go. She is at UPenn now.

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Yep, probably because they didn’t think they could entice her no matter the amount!

Do you have a 2022 also?

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No I have a 2024, who has a much higher chance of going to Pitt, merit or not.

I don’t really know how it’s calculated, either. There is very little transparency, that’s for sure. And I don’t mean that I know that your student won’t get aid — I have no idea and there is still time — but I wanted to clear up the misconception by a lot of people that the strongest applicants necessarily get the most merit.

Oh, good. As much as I find the college application process an interesting puzzle and challenge, the idea of doing it in back-to-back years (or worse, with twins!) seems like a nightmare!

I hope that the 2024 cycle swings back to having somewhat more predictability than the last couple of years!

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