Here's how to gauge which Western Pa. college offers best value

Financially speaking, one of the best deals for college students in Western Pennsylvania is also the most expensive.

Carnegie Mellon University has the highest in-state tuition and average annual cost of attending, but its students tend to graduate with an average amount of debt and the highest potential earnings, according to U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Data.

The catch is CMU also is the hardest school to get into, turning away three in four applicants, according to the data.

Increasing the amount of financial aid available to students is among the university's top priorities, CMU spokesman Ken Walters said.

“Carnegie Mellon is committed to making a CMU education accessible for all qualified students from all economic backgrounds,” he said. “We annually review and revise our financial aid practices to achieve a diverse and excellent class of students.”

CMU last month took $120 million from its $750 million settlement in a patent dispute over computer chips and dedicated that money to undergraduate and graduate scholarships, Walters said.

One of the scorecard's key measures is whether a graduate ends up earning more than someone who entered the workforce immediately out of high school. The median wage for high school graduates between ages 25 and 34 is $25,000.

About 88 percent of CMU students earn more than that 10 years after they enroll, according to the Department of Education data.

By comparison, about 61 per‑cent of the students at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh and its online division out-earn high school graduates, but they also end up with the highest median debt after graduation: $37,512 versus $25,250 at CMU.

Education Management Corp., parent company of the Art Institute, didn't respond to an interview request.

About 92 percent of students at West Penn Hospital School of Nursing end up making more than $25,000 a year, which puts it at the top of that category. The school also compares well in the other categories with low tuition and low debt.

But it's the second-hardest school to get into in the region, turning away three out of every five applicants, according to the data.

The statistic is misleading, said Amy Stoker, the school's director.

“We're actively trying to increase our enrollment,” she said.

The low admission rate is partly explained by the 22-month nursing program's “red tape,” she said. Applicants have to undergo criminal background checks, drug tests and checks of their immunization records, she said.

“Your typical college or university doesn't have to go through that,” she said.

The idea isn't to exclude students but to keep them from paying for an education if they'll be barred from becoming registered nurses, Stoker said.

In the 2015-16 school year, 152 people applied to the school, but only 102 completed the application process, she said. The school offered admission to 68 of those people, and 48 enrolled, she said.

The chance of getting into the University of Pittsburgh's Oakland campus is slightly better than 50-50, but once you're in, you are probably there to stay. About 93 percent of its freshmen return for their sophomore year. That is considerably higher than the national average of 68 percent.

Pitt does everything it can to help freshmen adjust, said Juan Manfredi, vice provost for undergraduate studies.

“The first six weeks are critical,” he said. “We work very hard for that first six weeks to make sure they fit in and are engaged in the community.”

Several metrics in the scorecard have to be taken with a grain of salt, Manfredi said. For example, the scorecard shows the amount Pitt spends on instructional expenses is nearly equal to the amount it takes in tuition.

Most other schools' tuition revenue per student is higher than their instructional expense per student. But what gets counted as instructional expense varies among schools, so it's not clear whether Pitt puts more tuition into instructional expenses than other colleges and universities, Manfredi said.

The median debt for a Pitt graduate is about $1,500 higher than for a CMU graduate but still is close to the debt from other colleges.

“In one year, they can make up the difference,” Manfredi said. “That's why we think we're a good value.”

For cost-conscious students, community colleges offer some of the lowest tuition and a way to save money on their first two years before they transfer to a four-year college to complete their degrees, said Elizabeth Johnston, spokeswoman for the Community College of Allegheny County.

CCAC has the second-largest number of undergraduates in the region. It has about 16,000 undergrad students compared with Pitt, which has about 18,500 undergrad students at its Oakland campus and about 25,000 overall.

If CCAC students go on to a public college, they will have saved about $24,000. If they go on to a private college, the savings are closer to $57,000, she said.

The tuition is subsidized to help keep down the amount of debt students incur while pursuing an education, she said.

“CCAC was founded,” Johns‑ton said, “on the principle of making college affordable and accessible for all members of our community.”

Brian Bowling is a Tribune-Review staff writer.