<p>No doubt Pitt has the largest presence, it has it’s own brand, unlike CMU.</p>
<p>I think prestige is really in the eye of the beholder, and the prestige can very from program to program. If you are living in PA, a degree from Pitt is widely recognized and respected.</p>
<p>There are 100’s of smaller schools across the country that have great local reputations, but most of us have never heard of. Part of the “prestige” of Ivy and “Public Ivy” schools is their ability to have a national reputation of excellence. You can go anywhere in the country and everybody knows about Harvard, Yale, Princeton, ect. Ditto for some large state universities. Pitt isn’t really in that national brand category, but few are. </p>
<p>I really think that anyone from out of state who looks down on Pitt probably does it because of the city of Pittsburgh’s perceived reputation.</p>