In the news
· Announced
Vanderbilt raises its free-tuition line from $150,000 to $200,000, for this fall's applicantsOpportunity Vanderbilt now covers tuition up to $200,000 in family income, and Vanderbilt says it applies to students applying this fall.
Getting in
For Fall 2025, 48,196 first-year students applied to Vanderbilt, 2,593 were admitted and 1,635 enrolled: an acceptance rate of 5.4%.
Source: Vanderbilt Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C1. Read Oct 1, 2026.
By residency, first-year applicants, Fall 2025
| Applicants | Applied | Admitted | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-state | 2,885 | 301 | 10.4% |
| Out-of-state | 36,130 | 1,926 | 5.3% |
| International | 9,181 | 366 | 4% |
Source: Vanderbilt Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C1, residency table. Read Oct 1, 2026.
By school or major. Vanderbilt's Common Data Set reports one first-year acceptance rate for the whole university, with no rate by school or major.
Source: Vanderbilt Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Early decision. The Common Data Set gives one early decision count for fall 2025, not split into Early Decision I and II. Vanderbilt has no early action plan.
Early decision, Fall 2025
| Plan | Applied | Admitted | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Decision I and II | 6,202 | 874 | 14.1% |
Source: Vanderbilt Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), sections C21 and C22. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Programs with extra requirements
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
You apply to one of Vanderbilt's five undergraduate schools. Some ask for more:
- Blair School of Music. Complete the Blair School of Music Application in your MyAppVU portal after you submit the Common App, Coalition or QuestBridge application, with one artistic recommendation, and a prescreening video for your instrument, voice, composition or jazz. The Blair application is due November 1 for Early Decision I, with a December 1 priority deadline for Early Decision II and Regular Decision.
Source: Vanderbilt Undergraduate Admissions, Application Process: First-year (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
- Blair School of Music (auditions). Prescreening requirements are the same for every major within an instrument or voice (jazz has its own); the audition follows if you are approved.
Source: Blair School of Music, Prescreening & Auditions (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
- Peabody College. Applicants choosing Elementary Education, Secondary Education or Special Education answer an extra short question about why they want to be an educator.
Source: Vanderbilt Undergraduate Admissions, Application Process: First-year (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
- School of Engineering. Vanderbilt highly recommends that engineering applicants have taken calculus, calculus-based physics and chemistry.
Source: Vanderbilt Undergraduate Admissions, Application Process: First-year (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Source: Vanderbilt Undergraduate Admissions, Application Process: First-year (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Majors
70 majors across 5 schools. Every bachelor's degree major on Vanderbilt's official Find Your Major list, grouped by the school that offers it. Minors and graduate programs are left out.
Blair School of Music6
- Jazz Studies
- Music Composition
- Music Education (Blair-to-Peabody)
- Music Integrated Studies
- Music Performance
- Musical Arts
Source: Vanderbilt Undergraduate Admissions, Find Your Major (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
College of Arts and Science46
- African American and Diaspora Studies
- Anthropology
- Architecture and the Built Environment
- Art
- Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies
- Asian Studies
- Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
- Biological Sciences
- Chemistry
- Cinema and Media Arts
- Classical and Mediterranean Studies
- Climate and Environmental Studies
- Communication of Science and Technology
- Communication Studies
- Culture, Advocacy, and Leadership
- Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Economics
- Economics and History
- English
- European Studies
- French
- Gender and Sexuality Studies
- German Studies
- History
- History of Art
- Integrative Biology
- Jewish Studies
- Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies
- Law, History, and Society
- Mathematics
- Medicine, Health, and Society
- Molecular and Cellular Biology
- National Security
- Neuroscience
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Public Policy Studies
- Religious Studies
- Romance Languages, Cultures, and Diasporas
- Russian Studies
- Sociology
- Spanish
- Spanish and Portuguese
- Theatre
Source: Vanderbilt Undergraduate Admissions, Find Your Major (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
College of Connected Computing3
- AI Design and Practice
- Computer Science
- Data Science
Source: Vanderbilt Undergraduate Admissions, Find Your Major (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Peabody College of Education and Human Development8
- Child Development
- Child Studies
- Cognitive Studies
- Elementary Education
- Human and Organizational Development
- Language Sciences
- Secondary Education
- Special Education (B.S.)
Source: Vanderbilt Undergraduate Admissions, Find Your Major (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
School of Engineering7
- Biomedical Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Engineering Science
- Environmental Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
Source: Vanderbilt Undergraduate Admissions, Find Your Major (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Deadlines for Fall 2027
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
| Plan | Apply by | Decision | Binding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Decision I | November 1, 2026 | Mid-December | Yes |
| Early Decision II | January 1, 2027 | Mid-February 2027 | Yes |
| Regular Decision | January 1, 2027 | Late March 2027 | No |
Matriculation deposits are due December 31, 2026 for Early Decision I, March 1, 2027 for Early Decision II and May 1, 2027 for Regular Decision. Merit scholarship applications are due December 1, 2026. You can change your decision plan in the MyAppVU portal up to two weeks after that plan's deadline.
Source: Vanderbilt Undergraduate Admissions, Apply: decision plans and dates and deadlines (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Early Decision I and II are binding. You, a parent or guardian and your school counselor sign the Early Decision Agreement, and if admitted you must withdraw all other applications right away.
Source: Vanderbilt Undergraduate Admissions, Apply: decision plans and dates and deadlines (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Testing
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
Vanderbilt is test-optional for fall 2027 and fall 2028 entry and will require the SAT or ACT for fall 2029 entry. On the application you choose to be read with or without scores, and you cannot change that choice after you submit; the choice itself neither helps nor hurts. Vanderbilt superscores both the SAT and the ACT, and you may enter your scores on the application yourself; students who enroll then send official score reports.
Source: Vanderbilt Undergraduate Admissions, Testing Policies (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
The Common Data Set also marks the SAT or ACT as not required for admission, but considered if submitted.
Source: Vanderbilt Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C8. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Applying next year?
For students applying in fall 2027, entering fall 2028
Not announced yet. When we checked Vanderbilt's admission pages on October 1, 2026, we found no announced changes for fall 2028 entry. The deadlines and rules above are for fall 2027 entry.
Source: Vanderbilt Undergraduate Admissions, Testing Policies (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Cost, and what families paid after aid
The published cost of a year at Vanderbilt, 2026-2027:
| Tuition | $69,822 |
|---|---|
| Required fees | $3,384 |
| Food and housing (on campus) | $23,690 |
| Books and supplies | $1,100 |
| Other expenses | $2,000 |
| Total | $99,996 |
For a first-year student living on campus. Vanderbilt lists transportation as varying, with no figure, so it is not in the total.
Source: Vanderbilt Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), sections G1 and G5. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Average net price per year, by family income, 2023-24:
| Family income | Paid after grants |
|---|---|
| $0 to $30,000 | $3,414 |
| $30,001 to $48,000 | $1,876 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $4,498 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $12,153 |
| Over $110,000 | $45,145 |
| All incomes | $15,846 |
What first-year, full-time students who received federal aid paid after grants and scholarships, by family income, in 2023-24, the latest year the Department of Education publishes. Your own price comes from Vanderbilt's aid offer.
Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Similar schools
Chosen for how close each is to Vanderbilt University on acceptance rate, public or private, location and majors offered.
Duke UniversityDurham, NC · Private5.2% admitted$29,612 average net price
Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD · Private6.1% admitted$18,809 average net price
Columbia UniversityNew York, NY · Private4.9% admitted$21,590 average net price
University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA · Private4.9% admitted$28,699 average net price
Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT · Private4.7% admitted$23,777 average net price
Admitted: each school's latest first-year acceptance rate, so the year can differ from school to school; each school's page names its year and source. Average net price: what federal aid recipients paid per year after grants, 2023-24, and the in-state figure for a public university.