Pittsburgh is the second-most-attractive "college town" among 15 cities of its size, according to a new survey done by Massachusetts-based Collegia Inc., an organization specializing in connecting communities and colleges.

The Pittsburgh region, with a population of 2,358,695, was ranked in a group of 15 "Tier II" metropolitan areas with populations between 1 million and 2.6 million with at least one nationally ranked college institution.

"Pittsburgh ranks high as a safe city with a good salary-to-rent ratio, giving students more bang for their buck," a brochure outlining the study said.

A news release said Pittsburgh was among several regions that deserved more consideration by students than it now gets.

"Cities scoring better than anticipated suggest that there are some less-well-known treasures in places like Minneapolis- St. Paul, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Providence, Bloomington and State College," the study said. "These cities all had strengths in their livability metrics and scored consistently well across student and lifestyle indices."

Tier II included such regions as Austin, Texas; Seattle; Nashville, Tenn.; New Orleans; Providence, R.I.; Milwaukee; Columbus, Ohio; Denver; Baltimore; Charlotte, N.C.; Cleveland; Miami; Salt Lake City; and Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C., which ranked number one in the tier.

The rankings were compiled by Collegia after looking at indices that covered factors including unemployment, safety, accessibility, performing arts venues, museums and historic sites, night life, spectator sports, nationally ranked institutions per capita, student concentration, innovation, percent of population 25 and older with bachelor's degrees or higher, student diversity and other factors.

The information is designed to be used by students in deciding where to go to school, as well as by civic leaders, community organizations and colleges and universities.