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Pitt Expands Access to Students With Financial Need by Joining American Talent Initiative

The University of Pittsburgh has joined the American Talent Initiative (ATI), an alliance of 120 four-year institutions united in a goal of enrolling, supporting and graduating 50,000 additional talented, lower-income students by 2025.

“The question of whether or not the University of Pittsburgh should join the American Talent Initiative ended in an enthusiastic yes,” said Chancellor Patrick Gallagher. “It shares our commitment to graduating — and not just enrolling — exceptional students. And it aligns seamlessly with our ever-evolving suite of access and affordability efforts, which aim to connect more deserving students and families with a world-class Pitt education.” 

This is the University’s eighth initiative since 2014 focused on enhancing access to Pitt. Members of ATI convene regularly to share best practices and data and also will contribute to research that aims to enhance support for students from lower-income backgrounds.

Pitt is one of only 320 institutions in the United States to meet ATI’s eligibility criteria, which require institutions to graduate at least 70% of their students in six years. This constitutes less than 8% of the approximately 4,200 higher education institutions in the country.

Earlier this year, the University launched its seventh initiative — Pitt Success — which matches federal Pell Grant support dollar-for-dollar and is the only program of its kind in the nation.

“In joining the American Talent Initiative, I am very excited that we will be able to collaborate closely with institutions that share our deep commitment to educational access and equity,” said Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Ann E. Cudd. “We are eager to contribute to discussions with our peers in ATI so that, working together, we can address this critically important challenge in lasting ways.”