Pitt-Bradford named a 'Best in the Northeast' college by The Princeton Review

BRADFORD, PA – For the 11^th consecutive year, the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford is one of the best colleges in the Northeast according to The Princeton Review, which cited Pitt-Bradford's reasonable cost, friendly atmosphere and growing reputation.

The nationally known education services company recommends the school as one of 226 institutions in 11 Northeastern states and the District of Columbia on its “Best in the Northeast” list for 2015. The list is part of the company’s website feature, “2015 Best Colleges: Region by Region” that was posted on PrincetonReview.com this week.

In its profile on Pitt-Bradford, The Princeton Review commends the college for its “familial atmosphere,” which students called “friendly, welcoming and accepting of all types.”

“My school is all about bringing everyone together and making them feel like family,” said one criminal justice major.

One student described the typical Pitt-Bradford student as one who “lives on campus, is friendly, usually is involved in a sport or intramurals, and can get along with everyone.” Another student confirmed, “All students here need to do is say ‘hi’ to another student, and you can be instant friends.”

In its “Bottom line” on tuition and aid, The Princeton Review says, “The cost of attending Pitt-Bradford is much less than you might expect, and the university’s growing reputation means the degree is increasingly more valuable.”

Says Robert Franek, Princeton Review’s Senior VP / Publisher, “We developed our ‘Best Colleges: Region by Region’ lists to offer guidance for the growing number of students and parents now seeking colleges closer to home. We selected Pitt-Bradford -- and the other terrific institutions on our 'regional best' lists -- primarily for their excellent academic offerings."

The Princeton Review editors narrowed their choices based on institutional data the company collected directly from several hundred colleges in each region, staff visits to schools over the years, and the opinions college counselors and advisors whose recommendations the Company invites.

Franek added, “Our selections also take into account what students at the schools report to us about their experiences at them on our 80-question student survey for this project. We ask every question that a prospective applicant might want to ask on a campus visit. Only schools that permit us to independently survey their students are eligible to be considered for our regional ‘best’ lists.” 

“We’re delighted that Pitt-Bradford has been named to The Princeton’s Review’s list because of our excellent academic programs and valuable degree,” said Pat Frantz Cercone, university spokeswoman. “We’re also very pleased that our students are having positive experiences on our campus and recognize and appreciate the friendly and welcoming environment that our entire campus community provides.”

The Princeton Review does not rank the 648 colleges in its “2015 Best Colleges: Region by Region” list hierarchically or in various categories. The Princeton Review designated 159 colleges in the Midwest, 124 in the West, and 139 in the Southeast as best in their locales on the company’s “2015 Best Colleges: Region by Region” lists. Collectively, the 648 colleges named “regional bests” constitute about 25 percent of the nation’s 2,500 four-year colleges.