Pitt-Bradford was named among the best colleges in the mid-Atlantic

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has been named to The Princeton Review’s 2025 Best Colleges: Region by Region list. This is the 21st consecutive year the education services company has recognized the University.

“We are happy to be recognized for the 21st year, which is a testament to our dedicated faculty and staff who support and inspire our students, empowering them to succeed,” said Pitt-Bradford President Rick Esch. “We are particularly pleased with our high score in financial aid because we were founded to give students a chance to go to college who otherwise might not have had the opportunity. We continue that tradition today, and generous financial aid is one of the ways we do it.”

Pitt-Bradford received a score of 89 out of 100 in financial aid, which measures how much financial aid is awarded and how satisfied students are with that aid. The average first-year total need-based aid is $16,216. The campus also earned a score of 87 in sustainability.

The Best Regional Colleges named 631 colleges across seven regions that it considers academically outstanding. Ratings are determined by a survey of 168,000 undergraduate students, who answer 89 questions about their schools’ academics, administration and campus community.

According to student surveys, Pitt-Bradford has “the small town feel with the big city name” and “a friendly environment that encourages students to stay.”

One student reported that, “Professors recognize when students try and reward them appropriately. No good deed goes unnoticed.” Other students wrote that the teaching methods are “interactive” and that students feel that they are “a part of the learning rather just a fly on the wall.”

When addressing campus life, the students said Pitt-Bradford is a warm, friendly place where it’s easy to make friends and get to know each other.

“At Pitt-Bradford, you are a person with a name, a face, and people are going to know you; you’re not just a number,” one student said.

An institution for public good

Washington Monthly’s annual college ranking also recognized Pitt-Bradford for a ninth year as a substantial value college and one that contributes to the public good. The publication uses information from the federal College Scorecard to base its national college rankings on social mobility, research and community, and national service.

Pitt-Bradford was one of the top two public institutions in Pennsylvania on the magazine’s list of Best Bang for the Buck schools in the Northeast. The campus was also the third-ranked Pennsylvania public college in a nationwide ranking of colleges and universities that focus on students earning bachelor’s degrees. On that list, Pitt-Bradford ranked highly on earnings performance (No. 6), social mobility (No. 36) and “Pell performance” (No. 52), which measures successful outcomes for students who need financial assistance.