Website: Pitt-Bradford offers more aid than any other PA public college

Pitt-Bradford offers its students more financial aid dollars than any other public college in Pennsylvania, according to the website The Student Loan Report.

The Student Loan Report is a website that seeks to be a one-stop source for college financial aid news.  Recently, it ranked Pitt-Bradford among the top public schools in the nation for financial aid for both upper-class students and freshmen.

The website ranked Pitt-Bradford 22nd nationally for public colleges that offer upper-class students the most aid. The aid comes from a combination of the university, the federal government, private organizations and state loans.

At Pitt-Bradford, the average award for juniors was $9,767, while the average for seniors was $9,499. The average for all upper-class students was $9,633, the most of any Pennsylvania public school.

The Student Loan Report also ranked Pitt-Bradford 47th nationally for top public schools for freshman financial aid. The average award to freshmen is $11,048, also the most for any Pennsylvania public college or university.

While Pitt-Bradford offers more financial aid dollars than any of its Pennsylvania counterparts, the site also ranked Pennsylvania as the second-highest state for student debt, an average of $24,622 per graduate.

One of the reasons for Pitt-Bradford leading in this area is because of the high number of students in need who attend. Of all the 42 public institutions in Pennsylvania, Pitt-Bradford ranks 12th for the percentage of freshmen who are eligible to receive federal Pell Grants. According to U.S. News and World Report, students whose annual family income is less than $50,000 qualify, but most of that money goes to students with a total family income below $20,000.

At Pitt-Bradford, 92.1 percent of all students who applied for financial aid were determined to have financial need. The university works to fill that need each year not only through federal and state grants, but also through the generosity of private donors who give to The Bradford Educational Foundation.

In 2016-17, Pitt-Bradford was able to give out private scholarships to 421 students worth more than $593,000.