September 4, 2002
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt is listed among the nation’s “most competitive” universities in Barron’s most recent Profiles of American Colleges.
The guide uses Barron’s Selector Rating system that assigns one of five ratings to all of the more than 1,650 U.S. colleges and universities profiled. The rating is based on admissions data and indicates the degree of difficulty an applicant may experience in seeking acceptance to a particular school. According to Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., publisher of the guidebook, the schools listed as most competitive accept “only the best and the brightest students.”
The 64 schools listed as most competitive generally require high school rank in the top 10 to 20 percent and grade averages of A to B+; median freshman test scores between 655 and 800 on the SAT I and 29 and above on the ACT. In addition, many of the colleges admit only a small percentage of those who apply—usually fewer than one third.
The guide notes, “Even superior students will encounter a great deal of competition for admission.”
Vanderbilt will be included in a special edition, Guide to the Most Competitive Colleges, which will be published in 2003.
Contact: Elizabeth Latt, 615-322-NEWS, elizabeth.p.latt@vanderbilt.edu