Vanderbilt University, founded in 1873, is currently ranked #18 in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report’s list of best schools (tied with Dartmouth). Almost 80% of students live on its 340+ acre campus in Nashville, Tennessee — which is also designated as an arboretum.
Vanderbilt has increased in popularity in recent years. The Common Data Set shows an approximate 25% increase in yield over the last 10 years. It’s also frequently listed as both a “Southern Ivy” and a “New Ivy.”
VANDERBILT: RECORD-LOW ACCEPTANCE RATE
While initially declining to report Early Decision statistics, we now know that Vanderbilt received 5,835 ED applicants to the Class of 2028, the most in its history. Its combined ED acceptance rate was 15.2%.
However, Vanderbilt admitted a record-low 3.7% of students in the Regular Decision admissions round, for an overall acceptance rate of just 5.1%.
While the exact waitlist acceptance rate isn’t known for the Class of 2028, we do know that 81 fewer students were admitted from the waitlist to the Class of 2027 compared to the Class of 2026. Approximately 8-10% of the Class of 2028 will come from the waitlist, as in previous years, according to college officials. Vanderbilt has not released a waitlist acceptance rate since the Class of 2018, when it was 4.63%.
Around half of RD applicants — and the overall applicant pool — submitted standardized test scores this cycle. This rate has remained consistent over the last couple years. For those admitted RD, 13.4% live outside the U.S. and 18% are first-generation college students.
Vanderbilt has made the news recently for its rising costs amid ongoing debates about the value of a college education, all the while expanding Opportunity Vanderbilt, its nationally-recognized no-loan financial aid program.
TTA Takeaway: Vanderbilt has three rounds of admissions: Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and Regular Decision. Applications for Early Decision I are due November 1st, and applications for Early Decision II and Regular Decision are due on January 1st. Early Decision rounds are binding, meaning all additional applications to either Early Action schools or Regular Decision schools must be withdrawn if a student is admitted to Vanderbilt. Interested students would be wise to apply to Vanderbilt in one of the school’s two binding rounds, both of which offer increased odds of admission.
At Top Tier Admissions, we are committed to making the college admissions process more transparent. Easy access to clear data helps families understand trends in college admissions to make more informed decisions. We’re collecting acceptance rate data at selective schools and providing insight and analysis of our own. For historical data, see our collection of Ivy League and Top College Acceptance Rates and Admissions Statistics, including the Class of 2028 Ivy League admissions data and admissions stats for a range of additional selective schools.
Want To Read More About Vanderbilt?
- New Ivies Acceptance Rates
- Vanderbilt’s Supplemental Essay Prompts (2023)
- Get Into Vanderbilt University
- Vanderbilt University: Early Acceptance Rate
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