Aerial shot of Oakland at the University of Pittsburgh.

Current Students

All Within Your Reach

As a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine student, you have not only chosen world-class programs but also the diverse tapestry of the region you now call home. You are part of a community rooted in deep personal connections, linked by distinct neighborhoods, vivid cultural traditions, championship sports, and nightlife hotspots that are easily accessible on a grad student budget. Pittsburgh is a thriving urban center with small-city benefits in a big-city atmosphere — where you are perfectly positioned to explore everything it has to offer!

Pitt Gets You There

A valid Pitt ID gets you free or discounted admission to many of Pittsburgh's cultural and sporting events. Your Pitt ID can even get you there fare-free via a Port Authority bus.

Visit the All About Pittsburgh page for information about city life, cultural events, sports, and recreation!

Student Organizations

The Biomedical Graduate Student Association (BGSA)

The Biomedical Graduate Student Association (BGSA) is the student government that represents the interests of all graduate students affiliated with the School of Medicine.  Activities organized by the BGSA promote the career and social interests of students in all programs.  Every fall the BGSA organizes a symposium to highlight student research capped by a nationally-recognized plenary lecture.   The BGSA provides the Associate Dean and Graduate Program Directors with insight and feedback from the student perspective by participating in the School's Graduate Council.

The Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG)

The Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG) is the student government organization that represents the interests of all graduate and professional students at the University of Pittsburgh. The governing body—the GPSG Assembly—is made up of four executive officers in addition to representatives from each school's student governments. As the governing body for graduate and professional students, GPSG takes an active role in ensuring that the concerns of all graduate students are heard.  Leaders of the GPSG participate in University governance by sitting on the Provost's University Council on Graduate Studies.

Allegheny Science Policy and Governance Group (ASPG)

The Allegheny Science Policy and Governance Group (ASPG), previously known as Pitt Science Policy Group (PSPG), was formed in 2016 by a group of STEM graduate students at the University of Pittsburgh looking for opportunities to become politically engaged and learn more about science policy as a potential career track. The mission of the PSPG is to provide an opportunity for Pitt students and faculty to engage in open, data-based discourse and educational activities with a focus on the intersection of scientific research and policy formation. This includes both Science for Policy and Policy for Science.

Access a list of all University of Pittsburgh organizations here.

Travel Awards

Program Goals

The Office of Graduate Studies offers funding for School of Medicine PhD students to attend scientific meetings each year. Each award is for a maximum of $500.

The goal of this program is to encourage School of Medicine PhD students to present their data and begin to develop contacts with scientists beyond the University of Pittsburgh. To this end, we require that applicants for travel fellowships be making a presentation at the meeting. This should be documented in the form of an abstract or other such submission in which the applicant is the first author. The opportunities to meet and interact with senior scientists are much greater at smaller meetings rather than at large gatherings. Gordon Conferences, that are a week in duration and typically have up to 200 attendees, represent the prototype of meetings that we would prefer to support; there are many others that fall into this general category.

The opportunity to meet potential post-doctoral advisors or employers emphasizes the value of meeting attendance to more senior students. Accordingly, in the selection process preference will be given to students who have completed their comprehensive exams and are closer to graduation. Other factors that will be considered include the support for the meeting indicated by the student's mentor, as well as participation in on-campus student activities such as the BGSA.

Application Process

You can apply for a travel award here: APPLY HERE. The application asks for the following pieces of information:

  • Your name, program, advisors name, the date you passed your Comprehensive Exam, and your expected date of graduation.
  • The name, location and date of the meeting you wish to attend.
  • A letter from your advisor that briefly describes the nature of the meeting and the anticipated attendance, the benefits to you of attending, and the expected total cost of the meeting. The advisor should also indicate whether other travel fellowships are available for the meeting. This will not preclude support by this mechanism, but is necessary to ensure that support does not overlap.
  • A copy of the abstract of the presentation that you will make at the meeting.

Applications for travel fellowships will be considered as they are received. Applications will be reviewed and approved by the Associate Dean. All materials must be submitted at least three months before the meeting. Each award will be for a maximum of $500. We will provide no more than one travel fellowship per student in a twelve-month-period, and one fellowship per laboratory for any given meeting. Travel to the conference must occur no more than one month in cases where a student may have defended before the conference.

Additional Travel Awards

Travel awards are also available through :