The University of Pittsburgh is a state-related research university in Pennsylvania. It is best known for medicine, health sciences, engineering and philosophy, with the UPMC health system and Carnegie Mellon as neighbours. Choose it for a research-heavy degree in a city that has reinvented itself around healthcare, robotics and AI.
Pittsburgh, United States
Official website: pitt.edu
#275
Top 20 (U.S. News)
Top 10 in the US for NIH funding
Top 5 graduate programme in the US
$30,000 – $43,000
International students, non-resident undergraduate and master's rates
$15,000 – $20,000
Rent, food and local transport
Approximate figures for 2026-27, please verify. Fees change every year and vary by course, so check the latest amount on pitt.edu before you apply.
MS Computer Science
Masters DegreeDuration
18 Months
Intake
Aug, Jan
Exam Score
IELTS: 7.0, TOEFL: 90
MS Information Science
Masters DegreeDuration
18 Months
Intake
Aug, Jan
Exam Score
IELTS: 7.0, TOEFL: 90
MS Electrical and Computer Engineering
Masters DegreeDuration
18 Months
Intake
Aug, Jan
Exam Score
IELTS: 7.0, TOEFL: 90
Master of Public Health
Masters DegreeDuration
24 Months
Intake
Aug
Exam Score
IELTS: 7.0, TOEFL: 90
MBA (Katz Graduate School of Business)
Masters DegreeDuration
12 Months
Intake
Aug
Exam Score
IELTS: 7.0, TOEFL: 100
BS Computer Science
Bachelors DegreeDuration
48 Months
Intake
Aug
Exam Score
IELTS: 6.5, TOEFL: 80
UPMC — one of the largest US health systems, a training and research partner on campus.
Cathedral of Learning — a 42-storey Gothic tower, the tallest university building in the US.
Top 10 for NIH research funding — the polio vaccine was developed here.
Oakland — shares a neighbourhood with Carnegie Mellon and Pittsburgh's robotics and AI cluster.
Graduates join UPMC, Google's Pittsburgh office, Amazon, PNC, Aurora and the city's robotics startups.
STEM master's graduates can work in the US for up to three years on OPT.
Public health and health science alumni enter UPMC, the Allegheny County Health Department and pharma.
Katz MBA graduates report median base salaries around USD 100,000.
Undergrad
Rolling
Postgrad
Varies by programme
Undergrad
No UG intake
Postgrad
Varies by programme
The campus fills the Oakland neighbourhood around the Cathedral of Learning, with UPMC hospitals, Carnegie Mellon and the Carnegie museums all within walking distance.
Pittsburgh is an affordable city of rivers, bridges and hills, with a growing tech scene led by robotics and self-driving companies. Winters are grey and snowy.
Form I-20 issued by the University of Pittsburgh
Proof of funds for one academic year
SEVIS I-901 fee payment receipt
Completed DS-160 online application
US embassy or consulate interview
Passport valid six months beyond stay
Undergraduate admission is rolling, with a 1 November 2026 Early Action deadline for fall 2027 that also sets the priority for scholarships; applications stay open while places last. Graduate deadlines are set by each school, with most computing and engineering master's closing between January and March.
Undergraduates start in the fall (late August). Many computing, information science and engineering master's programmes also admit for spring (January), while public health and the Katz MBA are fall only. Check your programme's admissions page to confirm.
You need an F-1 student visa. The Office of International Services issues your Form I-20 after you accept the offer and submit proof of funding. Then pay the SEVIS fee, complete the DS-160 and book an interview at a US embassy or consulate.
Computer science, information science, electrical and computer engineering, public health and the Katz MBA attract the most international applicants. Graduate admission needs a bachelor's degree with a GPA of at least 3.0, TOEFL 90-100 or IELTS 7.0, and the GRE or GMAT for some programmes. Undergraduate admission is holistic, with an acceptance rate around 50%.
Pittsburgh offers limited merit scholarships to international undergraduates, considered automatically if you apply by the Early Action deadline; need-based aid is not available. Graduate students can apply for teaching and research assistantships and school-level scholarships, which are common in engineering, computing and public health.
