Undergraduate Admissions

Prospective first-year students 

The School of Public Health is a four-year undergraduate school. Applicants interested in beginning their studies at Pitt Public Health as a first-year student must apply through the University of Pittsburgh's Office of Admissions and Financial Aid. Please refer to their website for application instructions and deadlines. 

Internal transfer students

Current University of Pittsburgh students, including students from regional campuses, may apply to transfer into the BSPH program. To be eligible to transfer, students on the Pittsburgh campus must have completed a minimum of 12 credits at Pitt and have a minimum GPA of 3.0 at the time of application. Students enrolled at a regional campus must have completed a minimum of 30 credits at Pitt and have a minimum GPA of 3.0 at the time of application. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee admission, but makes a student eligible to apply.

It is also highly recommended, but not required, that Pittsburgh campus students take Fundamentals of Public Health (PUBHLT 0100) and/or one or two other foundational public health courses, such as Public Health Biology (PUBHLT 0110) or Health Equity (PUBHLT 0120) prior to applying.

Note: Bachelor of Science in Public Health majors are not eligible for the School of Public Health’s Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Program; however, BSPH students may be able to start enrolling in graduate level courses during their senior year if the credits are not needed for the undergraduate degree. Students who are interested in pursuing a master’s degree at Pitt Public Health should discuss this plan with their public health advisors.

To apply to transfer into the School of Public Health from another Pitt school or regional campus:

  1. Submit a program change form from your current school. If you are a student in Dietrich or the College of General Studies, complete the Dietrich Academic Program Change Form. Students from other Pitt schools should contact their school’s student affairs or student records office for the appropriate form.
  2. Submit a personal statement using the School of Public Health Internal Transfer Application Form. Your personal statement should be about your interest in public health. It can include why you are choosing this path, what you hope to gain from the program, where you see yourself in the field when you graduate, and/or experiences that led to your decision to apply to transfer. A strong personal statement is recommended for admission consideration.
  3. Our admissions office will add your current Pitt transcript to your application.

Internal transfer deadlines

Fall: February 15
Spring: October 1

All applications will be reviewed after the deadlines listed above.

Note: All credits and previously approved exemptions to academic requirements will be re-evaluated by the School of Public Health. In some instances, this may mean that not all transfer credits or previously approved exemptions or waivers will be accepted or applied toward a student’s public health major. All credits will be subject to the transfer credit policies listed in the academic catalog.

External transfer students

Students at other institutions who wish to apply for admission to the School of Public Health as a transfer student should submit a Transfer Application and supporting materials to the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid (OAFA).

To be considered for admission, external transfer degree applicants must have completed at least 24 transferable college credits. A GPA of 3.0 or higher is preferred. Applicants who have earned 48 or more credits will be expected to have satisfactorily completed one college-level English composition course and a college-level algebra class (or higher-level math) with a ‘C’ grade or better. Students who have not completed these requirements will be reviewed on an individual basis.

After acceptance, the student’s previous coursework will be evaluated to see how it equates to the School of Public Health’s general education requirements. To gain a sense of how many of your credits may be transferrable to Pitt, please consult the Pitt Transfer Tool.

Double Degrees

Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) students may not simultaneously pursue a second undergraduate degree in another undergraduate school of the University.