Quad

Head-to-head

Ohio State
U. Pittsburgh

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Ohio State has 2.2× as many undergrads as U. Pittsburgh

    Undergrads
  2. 2

    Ohio State costs about $7.1K less per year on average than U. Pittsburgh ($30,715 vs. $37,774, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  3. 3

    Ohio State's yield is 9 pts higher than U. Pittsburgh's

    Yield rate
  4. 4

    Ohio State has 6 pts more Pell recipients than U. Pittsburgh (20% vs. 14%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  5. 5

    U. Pittsburgh grads earn $5.7K more ten years out than Ohio State's ($66,125 vs. $60,409)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  6. 6

    Ohio State has 5 pts more first-gen students than U. Pittsburgh (26% vs. 21%)

    First-generation students

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

U. Pittsburgh admits 58%, Ohio State 61%; Ohio State's yield is higher, at 22%.

Acceptance rate
Ohio State61%
U. Pittsburgh58%
Quad's selectivity
  • Ohio StateVery selective
  • U. PittsburghVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
Ohio State
1310–1480
U. Pittsburgh
1280–1450
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Ohio StateGPA, school record, rank, and prep program required
  • U. PittsburghRigor and GPA very importantweighted GPAs

Who's on each campus

Ohio State has 2.2× as many undergrads as U. Pittsburgh and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Ohio State45.6K
U. Pittsburgh20.4K
Pell Grant share
Ohio State20%
U. Pittsburgh14%

Majors and faculty

Finance leads at Ohio State, and Research and Experimental Psychology at U. Pittsburgh; U. Pittsburgh has 13 students per faculty member to Ohio State's 16.

Students per faculty member
Ohio State16 to 1
U. Pittsburgh13 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Ohio StateFinance, General8%
  • U. PittsburghResearch and Experimental Psychology, Other10%

What each costs

Ohio State costs about $7.1K less a year than U. Pittsburgh on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Ohio State$30.7K
U. Pittsburgh$37.8K
Aid generosity
Ohio State23%
U. Pittsburgh19%

What each pays off

U. Pittsburgh's former students earn more, a median $66.1K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Ohio State$60.4K
U. Pittsburgh$66.1K
Graduation rate
Ohio State82%
U. Pittsburgh82%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Ohio StateGrowing+98%
  • U. PittsburghGrowing+99%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why