Definitely pretty disappointing. My out of state student got into three top 10 engineering programs, but not a cent from Pitt. Maybe it’s demonstrated interest because he didn’t visit although he had already visited campus with his sister’s tour a few years back and he made sure to let the admissions rep know that and also let them know if his continued interest. The plan was to visit when and if he was offered any merit money, but maybe not visiting backfired?
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What if all these super high flyers who haven’t been awarded merit yet are the chancellor nominees and after that interview they either get the chancellor’s scholarship or other merit awarded at that point?
Anecdotally, engineering seems to be the most generous (highest awards)
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It gets said every year, but probably needs to be reiterated: Merit at many schools, including and perhaps especially Pitt, is an enrollment management tool intended to move the needle on an applicant’s decision on where to attend college.
Pitt’s enrollment management algorithm may view an OOS students with high stats as unlikely to enroll, and feel that extending them merit would have a low probability for making a difference. They could instead use that “coupon” to entice an in state student, with potentially lower stats, to choose Pitt over, say, Penn State.
I have two kids who both applied to Pitt: My older daughter was a super high flyer, and my younger one had nice grades/accomplishments but was not as outstanding as an applicant. The younger one received a merit offer and attended. The older one received nothing and, to be very honest, was highly unlikely to have attended regardless of how big of a merit award she had gotten. Like you all, I was annoyed and a little offended, but I can also see why they didn’t offer her anything. Their algorithm may have predicted that she would be choosing a higher ranked school regardless of merit.
Also, Pitt is a state-related public university, and doesn’t have an obligation to accommodate OOS students by ensuring their tuition more closely matches in state students. I’m also not insensitive to this situation as my older daughter ultimately chose the University of Michigan as an OOS student. The difference between in-state and OOS tuition is much wider there, and Michigan also offers little in the way of merit to OOS students. Taxes on Pennsylvania (and Michigan) families are what make the tuition lower for in state students, and OOS families can’t have the expectation that tuition will be similar.
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We visited and did a ton of online virtual info sessions. I don’t think it’s a demonstrated interest thing unfortunately.
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My son, a much less high achieving student, was admitted last year to PITT w/ merit. It doesn’t make any sense. I know I sound sour grapes-like… but, it’s more the lack of response from the admissions rep and admissions overall after multiple emails. Also, the incorrect information that my student has been receiving. It’s disappointing.
It’s so odd that merit awards were posted for a few weeks in October on the forums and then crickets for months… when the boilerplate letter said the merit committee meets weekly. Well, seems odd nobody posted much of anything about merit.
This. 100% It came down to Pitt vs. Penn State for my daughter (in state) this year and she is a good, well rounded applicant with solid GPA, leadership and extracurriculars but not a super high stat kid and applied test optional. Pitt awarded her merit and that was just the extra nudge she needed to commit to Pitt over PSU. I do think Pitt may be more strategic with their merit award and process than people give them credit for.
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Your disappointment and frustration in the lack of response is totally valid.
With my own kids and others with whom I’ve worked (informally), we’ve had pretty good luck in getting quick and personal responses, but I’m also not shocked that you’ve had a different experience. Pitt is strong in some areas, but there are others that seem clunky, archaic, or – as in your case – broken.
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I think most merit aid is already given out by now… so not hopeful if you are OOS.
Has anyone heard of anyone getting the Chancellor’s Scholarship invite yet?
I read on another site that invites come out this Monday. Don’t know if that’s correct though.
Good luck!
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I called the financial aid office and she told me some invites had already been sent out.
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Thank you! That was really the last piece we were waiting for, so this is helpful. I wonder why I haven’t seen anyone post anywhere that they received an invite? Thank you again!
Yeah I was wondering the same thing. And same for us —this was the last piece before we needed to make a decision. We were obv hoping for an invite but doesn’t seem likely at this point.
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Someone on reddit posted they emailed admissions and was told that chancellor invites are going out on 3/10.
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I wonder if Pitt realizes how many good candidates they lose by slow-walking the chancellor’s scholarship invites. My C25 had Pitt fairly high on the list at the outset, but now that other places have offered really good merit money—some as long as three months ago—Pitt has slipped far enough down on the radar that the fact that a chancellor’s invite involves travel to campus on short notice during a stressful time of the academic year means that even if C25 gets an invite today, it’ll probably be met with a “Thanks, yeah, but no thanks.”
I think in part, this is why we received our honors acceptance early (their “pilot” early release.) They must know the late notification means OOS students have lost interest.
All I can think is they want to wait until after Ivy day to release results so the melt of those who choose Ivy over chancellors occurs prior to release? Idk, I’m grasping
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Would these invites be the first communication about Chancellors? or this is a follow-up for people already notified? Just curious if we should even be expecting an email, if folks were already notified of something. Thx
My own child hasn’t received any communication about Chancellors and I don’t know if they will. I also have no idea if others already have interviewed. I’m going off their website which has contradictory timelines posted in two different places, but sounded like interviews typically occur throughout March. March 10 would be awful late to notify OOS students they’ll need to get to camps for an interview especially if they’re coming from AK
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We were told that Pitt will be releasing them all this week.
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