Pitt-Bradford Trustees set Tuition Rates

BRADFORD, Pa. — The University of Pittsburgh’s Board of Trustees has approved a 4 percent tuition increase for the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford and its other three regional campuses for the 2011-12 academic year.

Effective at the beginning of the fall 2011 semester, the list price for tuition at Pitt-Bradford will be $11,736 per year for Pennsylvania residents and $21,928 per year for out-of-state students. Tuition in the nursing program will be $15,034 for in-state residents and $27,964 per year for out-of-state residents.

Very few students, however, end up paying the list price. About 92 percent of Pitt-Bradford students receive some form of financial aid, and nearly 50 percent of new freshmen receive a merit scholarship ranging from $1,000 per year for in-state commuter students to $11,500 per year for out-of-state students living on campus.

“Even before the announcement of these relatively modest tuition increases, we had instituted a number of financial aid initiatives to help students and their families cover the cost of their education,” said Dr. Livingston Alexander, president of Pitt-Bradford.

“As we begin the next academic year, we will ensure that our students are well informed about all financial aid for which they might be eligible.”

During the last academic year, the average amount of financial aid each enrolled student received was about $16,490 for in-state students and about $19,250 for out-of-state students.

In addition to the merit scholarships, private donor scholarships help students complete their studies.

“Thanks to our kind and generous friends and supporters, students can receive as much as $1,200 each year to help cover college expenses,” Alexander said.

Since 2007, Pitt-Bradford has increased its total number of endowed scholarships from 122 to 164. The Agnes L. and Lewis Lyle Thomas $1 million Scholarship Challenge, which has stimulated more than $1 million in matching scholarship funds, is the major reason for the growth in scholarships.

The tuition increases were part of a $1.94 billion operating budget for the University of Pittsburgh for the fiscal year that formally began on July 1.

The increase will help to offset a 22 percent reduction in the Commonwealth’s appropriation to Pitt.

Chancellor Mark Nordenberg said: “In constructing this budget, our most fundamental goals were to maintain high levels of access for accomplished students of modest means through tuition rates that are as competitive as circumstances permit and through further investments in financial aid.”

Students can still apply for the 2011-12 academic year by contacting the Pitt-Bradford Office of Admissions at 1-800-872-1787 or admissions@upb.pitt.edu.