University of Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh was founded in 1787 as the Pittsburgh Academy and describes itself today as a state-related research university. Pitt is a member of the Association of American Universities, whose membership comprises 64 doctorate-granting research institutions in North America; the university’s historical account also points to medical and scientific achievements including the first polio vaccine and a heart-liver transplant [1].

Pitt’s official Institutional Research and Analytics office reports a Pittsburgh-campus headcount of 31,237 students in fall 2025, 11,005 degrees and certificates awarded in FY2025, and 14,888 employees in fall 2025. Its reported six-year graduation rate is 86% for the fall-2019 Pittsburgh-campus cohort. These figures are campus- and cohort-specific rather than a universal university-wide rate [2].

Demand also rose for the fall-2025 entering class. Pitt’s 2024–25 chancellor’s report says the Pittsburgh campus received nearly 65,000 first-year applications, while undergraduate enrollment increased from 20,418 to 21,406. Enrollment in master’s and professional programs, excluding PhD students, rose 6.4%, from 6,676 in fall 2024 to 7,103 in fall 2025 [3].