Vanderbilt University Acceptance Rate 2025, Cost and What It's Like

Vanderbilt University: What It's Like and Who Thrives There

By the Lens team · Updated October 20, 2026

Vanderbilt University is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, with about 7,200 undergraduates. It admitted 5.4% of applicants for fall 2025. It is the only private university in the SEC.

Vanderbilt at a glance

Location	Nashville, Tennessee (city)
Undergraduates	7,208
Acceptance rate	5.4% for fall 2025 (48,196 applicants); 5.9% for fall 2024
SAT middle 50%	1500–1570 (median 1540)
Student-to-faculty ratio	8 to 1
First-years from out of state	87%
International students	14%
Tuition & fees (before aid)	$67,498 a year ($33,749 a semester)
Total cost of attendance	$89,590 a year
Students who return for year two	96%
Research activity	R1 (very high research)

Sources: Common Data Set 2025–26 (fall 2025 acceptance rate); IPEDS (fall 2024 admissions, enrollment, retention); College Scorecard (published prices before aid, about 2023–24); Carnegie Classifications (2025). Semester figures are half the yearly price. You may pay less if receiving grants or scholarships; students who received aid paid $20,917 a year on average.

What makes Vanderbilt different

The SEC's only private university. Small classes, with 8 students for every faculty member.
Nashville. The campus is close to downtown, in a city known for music, health care and business.
A first-year community. First-year students live together on the Ingram Commons.

What Vanderbilt students study

The most common bachelor's degrees (class of 2024): social sciences (304), economics (229), interdisciplinary studies (190) and computer science (169). Source: IPEDS Completions, first majors only.

You may thrive at Vanderbilt if…

You want a smaller, highly selective university with big-time athletics.
You're interested in economics, computing, education or the social sciences.
You'd enjoy a city with music, culture and internships nearby.

Worth asking about

How does Opportunity Vanderbilt meet financial need without loans?
What is life like on the Ingram Commons in the first year?

How Vanderbilt compares with the other SEC schools

Vanderbilt is the SEC's only private university and its most selective. See how the 16 SEC schools differ.

FAQ

What is Vanderbilt's acceptance rate? 5.4% for fall 2025: 2,593 of 48,196 first-year applicants were admitted, according to its Common Data Set 2025–26. Source For fall 2024 it was 5.9%.

What is Vanderbilt known for? Its selectivity, its Nashville setting and its financial aid without loans.

How much does Vanderbilt cost? Published tuition and fees are $67,498 a year, before any aid; the total cost of attendance is $89,590.

How much is Vanderbilt tuition per semester? About $33,749 a semester, half the published $67,498 a year, before aid.

Is Vanderbilt an R1 university? Yes. In the 2025 Carnegie Classifications, Vanderbilt University is an R1 university, the group with the highest research spending and doctoral degrees. What R1 means →

How many students go to Vanderbilt? About 7,200 undergraduates (fall 2024).

Wondering if a smaller university fits you?

Lens's College Ideas suggest which kinds of colleges may suit you. Start with Lens →