University of Pittsburgh

"Western University of Pennsylvania" redirects here. Not to be confused with Pennsylvania Western University.

University of Pittsburgh
Former names
Pittsburgh Academy (1787–1819)
Western University of Pennsylvania (1819–1908)
MottoVeritas et Virtus (Latin)
Motto in English
"Truth and Virtue"
TypeState-related research university
EstablishedFebruary 28, 1787; 237 years ago (1787-02-28)
AccreditationMSCHE
Academic affiliations
Endowment$5.68 billion (2021)[1]
Budget$2.4 billion (2020)[2]
ChancellorJoan Gabel
ProvostJoseph J. McCarthy
Academic staff
5,396[3][a]
Students29,533 (fall 2023)[b][3]
Undergraduates20,220 (fall 2023)
Postgraduates9,313 (fall 2023)
Location
Pittsburgh
,
Pennsylvania
,
United States

40°26′41″N 79°57′12″W / 40.4446°N 79.9533°W / 40.4446; -79.9533
CampusLarge city[4], 132 acres (53 ha)
Other campuses
NewspaperThe Pitt News
ColorsBlue and gold[5]
   
NicknamePanthers
Sporting affiliations
MascotRoc the Panther
Websitepitt.edu
DesignatedNovember 2, 1979[6]

The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the university's central administration and around 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The 132-acre Pittsburgh campus includes various historic buildings that are part of the Schenley Farms Historic District, most notably its 42-story Gothic revival centerpiece, the Cathedral of Learning. Pitt is a member of the Association of American Universities and is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".[7] It is the second-largest non-government employer in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.

Pitt traces its roots to the Pittsburgh Academy founded by Hugh Henry Brackenridge in 1787. While the city was still on the edge of the American frontier at the time, Pittsburgh's rapid growth meant that a proper university was soon needed, and Pitt's charter was altered in 1819 to confer university status on it as the Western University of Pennsylvania. After surviving two devastating fires and several relocations, the university moved to its current location in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood, and by act of the state legislature was renamed the University of Pittsburgh in 1908. Pitt was a private institution until 1966, when it became part of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education.

The campus is situated adjacent to the flagship medical facilities of its closely affiliated University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and its flagship hospital, UPMC Presbyterian, as well as the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Schenley Park, and Carnegie Mellon University. The university also operates four undergraduate branch campuses in Western Pennsylvania, located in Bradford, Greensburg, Johnstown, and Titusville. In athletics, Pitt competes in Division I of the NCAA as the Pittsburgh Panthers, primarily as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

  1. ^ As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  2. ^ Zwick, Kevin (July 10, 2019). "University of Pittsburgh Approves 2020 Operating and Capital Budgets". University of Pittsburgh News. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference factbook was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "IPEDS-University of Pittsburgh". Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  5. ^ "Color Palette". Pitt Athletics Brand Identity Manual (PDF). February 9, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  6. ^ "PHMC Historical Markers Search". Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on March 21, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference CC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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