The University of Pittsburgh, commonly called Pitt, was first opened in 1787 under the name the Pittsburgh Academy. Pitt has 10 schools within the university and offers over 100 undergraduate programs. Pitt has a student-to-faculty ratio of 16 to 1, with over 60 percent of its classes having less than 30 students. The University of Pittsburgh is a public university and undergraduates that are Pennsylvania residents can expect a 2011 tuition rate of $14,076 to $17,720 per year. Non-residents of Pennsylvania can expect an undergraduate tuition rate of $23,732 to $30,162 per year.
Carnegie Mellon University is known as a global research university, The university opened in 1900 as the Carnegie Technical Schools and changed to the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1912. In 1967, a merger with Mellon Institute created Carnegie Mellon University. As of 2011, this university has 6,020 undergraduate and 5,510 graduate students and boasts a 10:1 student to faculty rating. Carnegie Mellon University is a private and the 2011 undergraduate tuition is listed at $41,500 per year.
Chatham University was founded in 1869 as an all-women's college, known as Pennsylvania Female College. It is currently a coed university, but still offers a college just for women, known as Chatham College for Women. As of 2009, this university has a total enrollment of 2,219: 1,076 undergraduate students and 1,143 graduate students. Chatham holds an 11:1 student to faculty ratio, and offers students 40 undergraduate majors. The 2011 undergraduate tuition is $14,044 per semester for full-time students and $681 per credit hour for part-time students.
Duquesne University was first opened on Oct. 1, 1878, under the name Pittsburgh Catholic College. Duquesne is known as the world's only Spiritan university and offers 100 undergraduate degree programs throughout 10 schools. As of 2011, the enrollment is listed at 10,363 students: 5,858 undergraduate, 3,804 graduate and 701 law students. Duquesne University also boasts a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Duquesne University is a private school and an undergraduate can expect the 2011 tuition to range from $25,336 to $38,064 per year, depending on area of study.