Nashville, TN · private · 7,208 undergraduates
Vanderbilt University acceptance rate, SAT range and net price
Vanderbilt admitted 5.38% of applicants for fall 2025, and households earning $200,000 or less receive at least full tuition.
Net price per year at Vanderbilt
$12,153
Reach · admit rate 5.38%
| Admit rate, Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029) | 5.38% (1 in 19) |
| Middle 50% of enrolled students (SAT) | 1,510 to 1,560 |
| Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.) | 1% |
| This site’s label | Reach |
| Sticker price 2026-27 | $99,994 |
| Paid by families with $75,001-$110,000 (2023-24) | $12,153 |
| Share of the sticker price | 12% |
Net price: average paid after grants by students on federal aid in that income band (2023-24), not a quote. The label is a fixed rule of this site (admit rate under 15% is a reach for everyone), not a prediction. Your exact price: Vanderbilt net price calculator. How this is calculated.
Admissions: Vanderbilt University Common Data Set 2025-2026 (Excel), C1 items C.116, C.117, C.118 · net price: College Scorecard, 2023-24 · figures checked · Built by Radif Partners · Method and data
- Admit rate, newest cycle
- 5.38%
- SAT middle 50%
- 1,510 to 1,560
- Sticker price 2026-27
- $99,994
- Net price, income $48k to $75k
- $4,498
Vanderbilt University admitted 2,593 of 48,196 first-year applicants for the class that entered in fall 2025, an acceptance rate of 5.38%, and 1,635 enrolled, according to its Common Data Set 2025-2026. Early Decision applicants were admitted at roughly two and a half times that rate. Vanderbilt stays test-optional for the classes entering in fall 2027 and 2028, then will require the SAT or ACT from fall 2029; more enrolled students sent the ACT (28%, middle 50% 34 to 35) than the SAT (24%, 1,510 to 1,560). The 2026-27 cost of attendance is $99,994. Under Opportunity Vanderbilt, households earning $200,000 or less with typical assets receive at least full tuition, and need is met without loans; in 2023-24, aided families between $48,001 and $75,000 paid an average of $4,498.
Testing returns in 2029
Vanderbilt is one of the few universities that has announced a date for the end of its test-optional policy without applying it yet. Students applying for fall 2027 or fall 2028 may still apply without scores; students entering in fall 2029 and later must send the SAT or ACT. Vanderbilt is also unusual for its ACT share: more of the fall 2025 class submitted the ACT than the SAT, reflecting its pull in the South and Midwest. A composite of 35 or more sits at the top of the range; below 34, the score probably does not help.
Vanderbilt: where your ACT score lands
Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.)
75%
| Middle 50% | 34 to 35 |
| Your score is | above the 75th percentile |
Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029) (CDS 2025-2026, C9 (395 SAT submitters, 453 ACT submitters)). Normal curve fitted to the two published percentiles.
Two Early Decision rounds, very different odds
Vanderbilt admitted 874 of 6,202 Early Decision applicants for fall 2025, about one in seven, against about one in nineteen overall; the regular round was therefore harder than the headline rate. It offers Early Decision I on November 1 and Early Decision II on January 1, with the regular deadline on the same January date. Tennessee applicants form a small share of the pool and of the admits, so residency gives no visible edge at a private university like this one. The waiting list moved too: 207 students were admitted from it.
Opportunity Vanderbilt and the merit scholarships
Vanderbilt meets 100% of demonstrated need without loans and is need-blind for U.S. applicants. Households earning $200,000 or less, with parent net worth under the threshold Vanderbilt sets, receive at least full tuition, and families with the lowest incomes receive awards that cover nearly the whole budget. The federal averages for 2023-24 were $3,414 under $30,000 and $1,876 between $30,001 and $48,000. Separately, Vanderbilt awards more than two hundred full-tuition merit scholarships a year, with their own December 1 application deadline, which explains part of the $45,145 average above $110,000.
Vanderbilt: net price for your family income
Average net price, 2023-24
$4,498
| Income band | $48,001-$75,000 |
| Share of the 2023-24 cost | 5% |
Federal figure for first-year students on federal aid.
The budget in Nashville
The 2026-27 budget, $99,994, includes tuition of $69,822, fees and $23,690 for housing and food. Families weighing Vanderbilt also look at Duke, Rice, Emory and WashU; the comparison tool puts their net prices side by side at your income.
From Vanderbilt University’s own documents
- Testing is optional for fall 2027 and fall 2028 entry, but Vanderbilt has announced that ACT or SAT scores will be required for students entering in fall 2029 and later. source
- Households earning $200,000 or less (typical assets) get at least full tuition; for fall 2025 first-years with parent income under $50,000 the median award was $99,976. source
- Early Decision admitted 874 of 6,202 applicants for fall 2025 (about 14%), against 2,593 of 48,196 overall (about 5.4%). source
- Vanderbilt awards over 225 merit scholarships each year covering full tuition plus a summer stipend, with a December 1 deadline for merit applications. source
- More fall 2025 entrants submitted the ACT (28%, 453 students) than the SAT (24%, 395 students), out of 1,635 enrolled. source
- Tennessee residents were 2,885 of the fall 2025 applicants and 301 of the admits; 207 students were admitted from the waiting list. source
Net price at Vanderbilt University by family income
| Family income | Average net price 2023-24 | Share of the 2023-24 cost |
|---|---|---|
| $0-$30,000 | $3,414 | 4% |
| $30,001-$48,000 | $1,876 | 2% |
| $48,001-$75,000 | $4,498 | 5% |
| $75,001-$110,000 | $12,153 | 14% |
| $110,001 and up | $45,145 | 50% |
| All aided students | $15,846 | 18% |
Cost of attendance at Vanderbilt University, 2026-27
| Item | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $69,822 | |
| Fees | $3,384 | |
| Housing and food | $23,690 | |
| Books and supplies | $1,100 | |
| Personal | $1,998 | |
| Total | $99,994 |
Vanderbilt University admissions by cycle
| Entering class | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029) | 48,196 | 2,593 | 1,635 | 5.38% |
| Fall 2024 (federal IPEDS figure) | n/a | n/a | n/a | 5.86% |
SAT and ACT scores at Vanderbilt University
| Score | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total (Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), CDS 2025-2026, C9 (395 SAT submitters, 453 ACT submitters)) | 1,510 | 1,530 | 1,560 |
| ACT composite (Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029) (CDS 2025-2026, C9 (395 SAT submitters, 453 ACT submitters))) | 34 | 35 | 35 |
| SAT sections, fall 2024 (Scorecard) | 730 + 770 | n/a | 770 + 800 |
Outcomes at Vanderbilt University
| Measure | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Graduated within 6 years | 94% | fall 2018 entering cohort |
| Returned for a second year | 96% | fall 2023 entering cohort |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $91,565 | measured 2020-2021, 10 years after entry, 2022 dollars |
| Median federal debt of graduates | $14,000 | students who finished in 2019-20 and 2020-21 |
| Undergraduates | 7,208 | fall 2024 |
| Students with a Pell Grant | 20% | 2023-24 |