Vanderbilt University
About
Vanderbilt University is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school with its initial $1 million endowment in the hopes that his gift, and the greater work of the university, would help to heal the sectional wounds inflicted by the American Civil War. Vanderbilt is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and has been the conference's only private school since 1966.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 8.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 180 Title IV programs, 44 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 136 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing44 · 24.4%
- No Data136 · 75.6%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Programmatic accreditations · 23
Action history · 27
- Dec 2025Grant Substantive Change: OtherSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Jul 2025Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Clinical Psychology (CLPSY) - PhD Doctoral programs
- Jun 2025Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools · Theology (THEOL) - Freestanding schools, as well as programs affiliated with larger institutions, offering graduate professional education for ministry and graduate study of theology
- Aug 2024Grant Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Aug 2024Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS)
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 1,801 students received $11.3M in Pell grants, alongside $124.4M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 1,394 borrowers who entered repayment, 8 (0.5%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Vanderbilt
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 11
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus109
- Public property2
Includes 21 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
- Race1
- Religion1
- Gender identity1
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- Chaffin Place-A1 fireCookingDamage $10,000-$24,999
- Lewis House1 fireCookingDamage $0-$99
- Mayfield Place E1 fireCookingDamage $1,000-$9,999
- Rothschild College1 fireCookingDamage $10,000-$24,999
Data quality: 14 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Vanderbilt vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Vanderbilt selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectVanderbilt University | 94% | — | 13,575 | $19,040 | R1 Research |
Boston University | 89% | 11.1% | 37,737 | $26,996 | R1 Research |
Brandeis University | 86% | 40.5% | 5,205 | $33,885 | R1 Research |
Brown University | 96% | 5.4% | 11,956 | $26,572 | R1 Research |
California Institute of Technology | 94% | 2.6% | 2,430 | $18,902 | R1 Research |
Carnegie Mellon University | 94% | 11.7% | 15,888 | $31,671 | R1 Research |
Case Western Reserve University | 87% | 36.5% | 12,475 | $38,909 | R1 Research |
Columbia University in the City of New York | 96% | 4.0% | 35,173 | $20,148 | R1 Research |
Cornell University | 95% | 8.8% | 26,793 | $32,337 | R1 Research |
Dartmouth College | 96% | 5.4% | 6,938 | $28,619 | R1 Research |
Duke University | 97% | 5.7% | 17,499 | $34,454 | R1 Research |
Emory University | 91% | 10.6% | 15,175 | $23,911 | R1 Research |
Harvard University | 98% | 3.6% | 30,259 | $16,816 | R1 Research |
Johns Hopkins University | 94% | 6.4% | 30,210 | $18,161 | R1 Research |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 96% | 4.5% | 11,886 | $19,813 | R1 Research |
New York University | 88% | 9.2% | 56,832 | $35,035 | R1 Research |
Northwestern University | 95% | 7.7% | 23,856 | $27,143 | R1 Research |
Princeton University | 98% | 4.6% | 9,137 | $10,555 | R1 Research |
Rice University | 95% | 8.0% | 8,961 | $12,640 | R1 Research |
Stanford University | 92% | 3.6% | 18,625 | $12,136 | R1 Research |
Tufts University | 94% | 11.5% | 13,599 | $35,435 | R1 Research |
Tulane University of Louisiana | 86% | 14.0% | 13,310 | $43,939 | R1 Research |
University of Chicago | 96% | 4.5% | 18,566 | $18,967 | R1 Research |
University of Pennsylvania | 97% | 5.4% | 29,109 | $31,229 | R1 Research |
University of Rochester | 85% | 40.1% | 11,946 | $30,248 | R1 Research |
University of Southern California | 92% | 9.8% | 46,566 | $31,927 | R1 Research |
Washington University in St Louis | 94% | 12.1% | 16,357 | $22,117 | R1 Research |
Yale University | 96% | 3.9% | 15,564 | $27,818 | R1 Research |
| Peer group median | 94% | 7.7% | 15,726 | $27,070 |
Vanderbilt Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The University Institutional Repository (VUIR) is a digital repository providing open access to scholarly research at Vanderbilt University.
Visit IR office page- Olivia Kew-FickusExecutive Director, Vanderbilt Institutional Research Group (VIRG)
- Richard J. IannelliSenior Director, Institutional Research and Academic Partnering
- Jennifer K. DoersamAssistant Director, Institutional Research
- Jesse TowInstitutional Research Analyst
- Sathvika TalakantiInstitutional Research Analyst
Research funding
External research funding from NSF, NIH, HERD, and federal spending sources.
Common Data Set (2)
The institution's official annual Common Data Set publications — the most detailed reference for enrollment, admissions, and outcomes.
Reports & documents (4)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- Data definitionTracking History in Your Data: Slowly Changing Dimensions in Plain EnglishThis page from Vanderbilt University explains the concept of Slowly Changing Dimensions (SCDs) in data warehousing, highlighting how they manage data changes over time. It delineates the differences between SCD Type 1 and Type 2, illustrating scenarios where each type is applicable. It also discusses trade-offs of using SCD Type 2, proposes alternatives like census snapshots for historical data capture, and offers guidance on choosing the appropriate SCD type based on specific data tracking needs.vanderbilt.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- FactbookStudent Factbook2026The Vanderbilt University Student Factbook is part of a comprehensive suite of public data resources offered by the university. Accessible from the Data Homepage, it aggregates various informational sections including data governance, educational program admissions, research, and campus life. The factbook supports the university's commitment to equal opportunity and accessibility, providing insights into its administrative, academic, research, and student life dimensions.vanderbilt.edu
- GlossaryCommon Data Sets GlossaryThe glossary provides insight into the Common Data Sets used by Vanderbilt University, which standardizes data on admissions, enrollment, financial aid, and more for internal comparison and external reporting. It details terms related to the academic calendar, types of degrees offered, institutional control classification, and diversity efforts.vanderbilt.edu
Notable alumni of Vanderbilt (16)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Will W. AlexanderAcademia
- Robert BruininksAcademia
- Ellen GranbergAcademia
- Sheldon HackneyAcademia
- Charles N. MillicanAcademia
- The Rev. Edward MalloyAcademia
- Candice McQueenAcademia
- John J. TigertAcademia
- Anthea ButlerAcademia
- Jeff BalserAcademia
- Cleanth BrooksAcademia
- Herbert GurskyAcademia
Frequently asked questions about Vanderbilt University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Vanderbilt.
What is the graduation rate at Vanderbilt University?
How many students attend Vanderbilt University?
What is the average net price at Vanderbilt University?
What is the yield rate at Vanderbilt University?
Where is Vanderbilt University located?
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