Washington Monthly lists Pitt-Bradford among 30 best baccalaureate institutions

For the third year in a row, Washington Monthly has recognized the Pitt-Bradford in its annual College Guide and Rankings designed to rate schools on their “contribution to the public good.”

Pitt-Bradford ranked 29th in the nation among baccalaureate colleges. Washington Monthly - a Washington, D.C.-based publication looks at how colleges help the public interest through promoting social mobility, research and service. Pitt-Bradford was the only public Pennsylvania university ranked in the top 30 of baccalaureate institutions.

Washington Monthly Editor Kevin Carey writes in his introduction of the rankings, “Instead of rewarding colleges for the number of applications they reject, we give them credit for enrolling unusually large numbers of low-income and first-generation students. Instead of assuming that the most expensive schools are also the best, we recognize universities that produce research, train the next generation of scientists and PhDs, and instill their graduates with an ethos of public service.

“Our rankings are meant to be more than just a guide for potential students. An educated, enlightened society is a better society, for everyone. We all have a stake in how well our colleges succeed.”

Of the factors examined, Pitt-Bradford ranked highest in earnings performance rank at ninth, ROTC training at 15th, and research expenditures at 23rd.

Washington Monthly said that the earnings performance rank compares former students' median earnings to their predicted earnings. Those earnings were looked at 10 years after the students' initial enrollment and included those of students who did not graduate.

The editors explained that they also adjust for the mix of degrees awarded and regional living costs.

The ROTC ranking is based on the participation rate of the entire student body.

For research expenditures, editors looked at the total amount of each college or university's research spending.

In addition to ranking 150 baccalaureate institutions, the report ranked 316 national universities and 228 liberal arts colleges. The magazine examined 1,488 colleges in creating the rankings, which appear in the magazine's September-October issue and online at washingtonmonthly.com.

Earlier this month, The Princeton Review named Pitt-Bradford to its list of the Best Colleges in the Northeast for the 13th year in a row and as a College of Distinction for a fourth consecutive year.

Additionally, Colleges of Distinction recognized Pitt-Bradford as a Public College of Distinction and awarded the university Field of Study distinctions in business, education and nursing.