Washington Monthly recognizes campus among best baccalaureate institutions

Washington Monthly magazine has ranked Pitt-Bradford 48th in the nation among baccalaureate colleges and among the top 100 in the Northeast as a “Best Bang for the Buck.”

This is the fourth year in a row that the magazine recognized Pitt-Bradford in its annual College Guide and Rankings designed to rate schools on their “contribution to the public good.”

Pitt-Bradford ranked 48th in the nation among baccalaureate colleges and was named among the top 100 schools in the Northeast as a “Best Bang for the Buck.” 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 one of only two Pennsylvania universities ranked in the top 50 of baccalaureate institutions.

“This recognition highlights our efforts to provide students with a transformative education that helps them develop into lifelong learners who lead purposeful lives and serve their communities,” said Dr. Catherine Koverola, Pitt-Bradford's president.

Washington Monthly Editor Kevin Carey wrote about his magazine's rankings, “Instead of rewarding schools that reject 95 percent of applicants, we give high marks to colleges that enroll lots of low-income students and help them graduate and earn a good living without too much debt. We factor in pure research spending and the number of undergraduates who go on to earn PhDs. And we give extra weight to colleges that send their graduates out into the world to serve the community at large.”

Washington Monthly evaluates colleges and universities on three equally weighted criteria: social mobility of its students, research, and public service.

Of the factors examined, Pitt-Bradford ranked highest in social mobility at 32nd. The rating formula included the college's eight-year graduation rate for all students, a predicted graduation rate based on the percentage of low-income students a university enrolled and other factors.

This isn't the first time Pitt-Bradford has been recognized for helping low-income students graduate. In 2016, Pitt-Bradford was one of 13 institutions recognized by the Obama administration for helping Pell-eligible students to graduate. 

A similar calculation determined the university's standing in the “Best Bang for the Buck” category.

In addition to ranking 216 baccalaureate institutions, the report ranked 395 national universities and 214 liberal arts colleges. The magazine examined 1,431 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 14th year in a row and as a College of Distinction for a fifth 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.