Enrollment: 5656
Average SAT: 568
Average ACT: 24
Most Popular Majors: Accounting,Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN),Pharmacy (PharmD [USA], PharmD or BS/BPharm [Canada]),
Regular Application Deadline: 07/01
Student Faculty Ratio: 15.5:1

Undergraduate Receiving Need-Based Financial Aid: 63
Average Freshman Total Need-Based Gift Aid: $12,428.00

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Students Say - Academics
Located in a great town for both career networking and college fun, Pittsburgh's Duquesne University offers a prestigious private-school education to a "smart, ambitious, and very goal-oriented" student body that "prides itself on its 'Catholic' tradition." DU is perhaps best known for its health sciences programs. Students laud the "rigorous pharmacy curriculum;" the "wonderful" physical therapy program; and "great" nursing, occupational, and athletic training programs, all of which benefit from "great access to all the hospitals in the area." The music program at Duquesne is "amazing," and students say "the employment rate of students that have graduated from the music education program is phenomenal. I'm almost positive every senior that graduated was placed at a job already." Students in many of these areas pursue DUs accelerated bachelor's/graduate degree programs. Regardless of what they study, all DU students must complete a core curriculum that stresses broad general knowledge; students have mixed feelings about the core, warning that these classes are "harder than other courses" and are especially labor-intensive. Throughout the school, "Most classes are lecture-driven courses" with relatively large class sizes at the lower levels. The majority of professors are "excellent teachers and very knowledgeable of their respective fields," although, as anywhere, "There are a few awful ones." Nearly all "make themselves available to help you anytime you need," and if you are not good at a particular subject, they...have tutors available to help you."

Students Say - Campus Life
Student life at Duquesne "is lots of fun," although students say that has more to do with hometown Pittsburgh than with the DU campus. True, the campus offers numerous diversions, including "movies and crafts and sports and tons of organizations," in addition to weekend frat parties, which are quite popular with the Greek crowd and underclassmen. However, most students find city life more tempting, reporting that they "like to go downtown to shop, or to the South Side, or to the Waterfront." Oakland is really close by, with "lots of bars, restaurants," and "other colleges." One student explains, "There's always something going on in Pittsburgh, whether it's free concerts, cultural events, or art exhibits, many of which you are admitted into for free or reduced price with a Duquesne ID." The only downside is the weather: "if you're looking for fun, be prepared to bundle up in the winter and to travel by bus or taxi," one student warns. The "beautiful" DU campus features "lots of fountains and grassy areas and stuff." Location is another plus, as the campus is in the middle of Pittsburgh but still has a very private feel. "We have the opportunities of the city but we are secluded on the bluff."

Students Say - Student Body
Typical Duquesne undergrad are either "well put together" or they "care too much about the way they look"-it's all a matter of perspective. Since most here are the "dress for success" type, the former viewpoint is more popular than the latter, although the "wearing-sweats-and-being-comfortable crowd" make up "about a third" of the campus, so they're hardly a tiny minority. Because "many students at Duquesne went to high school together," the school tends to be quite clique-y. Undergrads also tend to self-segregate by major. As one music student writes, "the typical music major is completely different from the typical student. The majority of music majors have somewhat eclectic taste in fashion, clothing, hobbies...which reflects in our personalities. We also talk about stuff we're doing in class outside of school, which isn't very common among other majors." While most students here are Catholic, "there are also people of different religions," and the school "doesn't impose religion" on anyone.

Pennsylvania State University--University Park
University of Pittsburgh--Pittsburgh Campus

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