By SUSAN JONES
Ranking colleges is, at best, an imperfect process, yet the number of groups conducting these rankings seems to increase every year.
“One of the goals articulated in the Plan for Pitt 2028 is to increase awareness of Pitt’s academic excellence and impact,” according to a statement from the University. “We rely on a wide variety of tools to ensure that we tell our story well so as to bring the reputation, perception, and national rankings of the University in line with the reality of our world-class teaching, research and service.”
To close out 2024, the University Times has collected up several of the rankings announced this fall. If you want to see more, go to the website of the Data Analytics Team in the Office of the Provost.
U.S. News & World Report
Despite facing criticism over the past few years, the U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges ranking is still one of the most watched in higher education.
The rankings, which were released in September, placed Pitt at 70th among 436 national universities (down three from last year) and 32nd among 225 public schools (the same as last year). The list of top public schools was led by UCLA, Berkeley, Michigan, Virginia and University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill.
Pitt’s undergraduate nursing program continued to rise in the rankings — from 15th in the 2023 list, to 10th in 2024, and 4th in 2025 (out of 686 schools).
“This ranking reflects the stature of our nursing program and its long legacy of excellence,” said Anantha Shekhar, Pitt’s senior vice chancellor for the health sciences. “It is a testament to the caliber, talent and commitment of our faculty and staff.”
Emory, Duke and Penn topped the list and Pitt tied for fourth with Ohio State, University of Iowa, UNC–Chapel Hill and the University of Washington.
Other rankings in the top 50, all for undergraduate programs:
-
Industrial/manufacturing engineering: 17
-
Biomedical engineering: 28
-
Undergraduate research/creativity: 32
-
Psychology programs: 34
-
Business programs: 40
-
Economics: 43
-
Best colleges for veterans: 40
Best Colleges for Future Leaders
Time magazine and Statistica’s 2025 Best Colleges for Future Leaders list ranks Pitt No. 39 overall, up 12 spots from last year.
The rankings were determined by analyzing the resumés of 4,000 (twice as many as last year) of the country’s most influential leaders — CEOs, politicians, sports figures and nonprofit directors among them — noting which schools they attended and then weighting those results according to school size. The list expanded this year from 100 to 125 schools as analysts focused on a wider array of positions held, sectors represented and pathways to success taken by the leaders.
The top schools were Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Penn and MIT, but the list also includes flagship public universities, liberal arts colleges and historically Black colleges and universities. Pitt ranked just ahead of Johns Hopkins University and 10 ahead of Penn State.
Best Honors Colleges
Pitt’s David C. Frederick Honors College was ranked No. 11 this year on College Transitions’ 50 Best Honors Colleges list. It’s Pitt’s first time on the list. The rankings list was determined by a number of factors, including admissions selectivity, benefits for students and academic rigor. College Transitions noted that Frederick Honors College students have access to dedicated advisors, honors courses and undergraduate research opportunities.
AI research ranking
In the latest rankings of artificial intelligence (AI) research institutions published by Nature Index, Pitt ranked 52nd out of 200. The list included both global academic and industry institutions. Harvard, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Stanford and MIT topped the list. The rankings were based on research article share in AI from 2019 to 2023.
Times Higher Education
Pitt rose slightly in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025, from 145th to 141st, out of more than 2,000 institutions from 115 countries and territories.
Forbes America's Top Colleges
Forbes magazine’s list of 500 top American colleges uses factors like alumni pay, student debt, graduation rates and the number of grads who appear on Forbes American Leaders List, which includes Forbes 30 Under 30, Forbes 400, Richest Self-Made Women and Most Powerful Women lists. For all schools, Pitt ranked 143rd. For just public institutions, Pitt came in at 63rd.
Niche rankings
The Pittsburgh-based company ranks schools in several categories from the traditional to the nontraditional, like best party school (131 for Pitt) and best athletics (92). Here’s the categories where Pitt ranked in the top 50 nationally:
Physical therapy: 15
Criminal justice: 29
Public universities: 32
Big colleges: 35
Best professors: 43
Niche also provides state rankings, in which Pitt ranked 1st for public universities and big colleges.
Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.
Have a story idea or news to share? Share it with the University Times.