7 Pittsburgh-Area Schools Among Nation's Best: Study

PITTSBURGH, PA — Seven Western Pennsylvania universities were among 30 in the state named among the 500 "Best Colleges In The U.S." for 2025, in a newly-released ranking by The Wall Street Journal and College Pulse.

The study ranks colleges by how well they set graduates up for financial success — and also takes students' overall satisfaction and personal recommendations into account. "The colleges in this ranking have found many ways to set their students up to succeed," study authors said.

Their study includes a number of well-known schools and some lesser-known campuses, ranking both public and private colleges as well as technical schools and liberal arts institutions. Each school was given a score out of 100, with student outcomes making 70 percent of the score.

The learning environment on campus (20 percent) and the diversity of the student body (10 percent) are also included — with the study taking inclusion of students with lower family earnings and with disabilities into account for the diversity portion.

Within the ranking, colleges are also listed based on student experience, best salaries for recent graduates, social mobility, and best value.

Here are the Pittsburgh-area colleges on the list, including their overall rank and their score out of 100:

• 56. Carnegie Mellon University, 79.7
• 123. Washington & Jefferson College, 74.8
• 144. Duquesne University, 72.1
• 217. St. Francis University, 65.7
• 379. University of Pittsburgh, 50.6
• 417. Indiana University of Pennsylvania (main campus), 45.2
• 462. Chatham University, 39.2

You can see the entire list and ranking methodology here.