Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University Overview

Vanderbilt University is a private, nonprofit school in the city of Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt was founded in 1873 and the school now enrolls around 13,796 students a year, including 7,111 undergrads. Vanderbilt offers on-campus housing for students. Most students live in off campus housing.

📆 Mark your calendar! The deadline to apply regular decision to Vanderbilt for Fall 2023 is January 1. Regular decision applicants for Fall 2023 should receive admissions decisions by April 1.

Student Involvement at Vanderbilt

Are you interested in music or performing? At Vanderbilt you can join a campus band, sing in a chorus, or perform with one of the school's theater groups.

Are you interested in journalism and communications? Vanderbilt students can write for the campus newspaper, host a radio show or be a producer for the student-run television channel.

Interested in Greek life? Vanderbilt has fraternities and sororities.

Planning to play sports? Vanderbilt has many options for athletes. See them all and learn more about life at Vanderbilt on the Student Life page.

Is Vanderbilt a Good School?

Different people have different ideas about what makes a "good" school. Admissions criteria, acceptance rate and average GPA are good indicators of how selective an institution is.

Let's take a look at these areas to get a clearer sense of what Vanderbilt offers and if it might be a good choice for you.

Vanderbilt Acceptance Rate 2022

It is extremely difficult to get into Vanderbilt. In 2022, Vanderbilt accepted just 7% of all applicants. In 2022, just 3,368 out of the 47,152 students who applied were accepted.

Retention and Graduation Rates at Vanderbilt

Retention refers to the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. It gauges how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.

About 96% of students who start at Vanderbilt return the next year. 93% of Vanderbilt undergrads graduate within six years. Compare this to the average six-year graduation rate for colleges and universities in the U.S., which is around 61% for public schools and 67% for private.

Job Outlook Vanderbilt Graduates

Job placement stats are a good resource for understanding the value of a degree from Vanderbilt by providing a look on how job placement has gone for other grads.

Check with Vanderbilt directly, for information on any information on starting salaries for recent grads.

Vanderbilt's Endowment

An endowment is the total value of a school's investments, donations, and assets. Endowment is not necessarily an indicator of the quality of a school, but it can give you a sense of how much money a college can afford to invest in expanding programs, improving facilities, and support students.

Vanderbilt's endowment was valued at $6.9 billion in 2022, compared to a national average of $905 million. For each full-time student, Vanderbilt spends about $55,951 a year.

Tuition and Financial Aid at Vanderbilt

Tuition is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students' financial need.

Vanderbilt meets 100% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $63,133 a year.

Graduates in the class of 2022 had an average of $25,183 in student loans per borrower. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.

The 2023-2024 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2022

Some financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA early. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! No one should ever pay to fill out the FREE Application for Federal Student Aid, (FAFSA), so don't give your money (or info!) to any website that claim you do.

Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at Vanderbilt.

Based on this information, does Vanderbilt seem like a good fit? Remember, the best school for one person may be a terrible fit for another! So ask yourself: Is Vanderbilt a good school for you?

If Vanderbilt University seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.

Still Searching for Colleges?

Choose one of the options below to learn more about Vanderbilt:

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Then use the college admissions predictor to take a data science look at your chances of getting into some of the most popular colleges and universities in the U.S.

Where is Vanderbilt University Located?

Vanderbilt is located in the city of Nashville, Tennessee, in the suburbs of Nashville.

If you would like to see Vanderbilt for yourself, plan a visit. The best way to reach campus is to take Interstate 65 to Nashville, or book a flight to the nearest airport, Nashville International.

You can also take a virtual campus tour to get a sense of what Vanderbilt and Nashville are like without leaving home.

Considering Going to School in Tennessee?

See a full list of colleges in Tennessee and save your favorites to your college list.