Pitt ranked among top universities

Pitt has been ranked as the 29th best public university in the United States, according to a study released Thursday by American City Business Journals. 

The ACBJ pulled raw data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the five-year version of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2013 American Community Survey to assess 484 four-year public colleges.

The study measured Pitt and the 483 other schools on 19 accounts including graduation rate, gender and racial diversity, unemployment rate of graduates and quality-affordability ratio. According the study’s methods, the highest marks went to schools with “highly selective admissions processes, strong retention and graduation rates, prestigious reputations, affordable tuitions and housing costs, diverse faculties and student bodies, and economically robust communities.”

On a scale of one to five stars, Pitt received five stars for selectivity, advancement and prestige, four stars for diversity, three stars for community and two stars for cost. The University is the most expensive public school in the country, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Education. However, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance also ranked Pitt the best value in Pennsylvania for the 10th time in a row in December. 

Pitt was the second-highest-rated school in Pennsylvania. To compare, Penn State ranked above Pitt at 26th, and Temple University ranked well below Pitt at 111th. 

University spokeswoman Cara Masset said Pitt is “pleased to be recognized again as a top public university in the United States.”