After four years of taking classes at Pitt, Delphie Backs was ready to move onto the next phase of her life. But on June 6, an email from the University came — she hadn’t graduated after all.

U.S. News & World Report ranked Pitt’s School of Education as the 27th best in the nation last month, placing it in the top 10% of education programs in the country. This marks a significant increase from just a few years ago in 2021, when the program was ranked 39th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.