Admissions

The STARS College Network, a coalition formed in April 2023 by Vanderbilt University and 15 other prominent colleges and universities, will double in size after a year of landmark growth in creating opportunity for students from America’s small towns and rural communities, adding 16 new member colleges and universities this year. Read More

The new scholarship program, Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars, aims to get more students from Nashville high schools into Vanderbilt classrooms. Read More

April is the one-year anniversary of Vanderbilt joining the STARS College Network, a collaboration of public and private universities collaborating to create educational pathways for students. Read More

In a new series on the Vanderbilt Instagram account, students can get to know some of the dedicated staff who play a crucial role in creating a welcoming and supportive environment for them. This installment features Ethan Dastugue, a senior admissions counselor in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Read More

Douglas L. Christiansen, vice provost for university enrollment affairs and dean of admissions and financial aid, has been recognized with the 2023 Coalition Champion award by the Coalition for College, a national nonprofit organization of more than 170 colleges and universities dedicated to expanding access to higher education. Read More

Rama Kumaran initially intended to study both science and flute when he came to Vanderbilt. He says he didn’t come expecting to know everything. “But I expected to do everything," he says. Read More

Joey Barnett, Ph.D., has been named co-chair of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Admissions Committee, effective July 1. Read More

Incoming Vanderbilt students still get the thrill of ripping open a thick packet telling them they’ve been admitted. Only now, in the era of all things digital, the vast majority of applicants first learn about the decision through their own personalized Vanderbilt Admissions website. Read More

Vanderbilt’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions is communicating with as many as 1 million students, ranging from ninth grade (some even younger) through 12th grade. Knowing how and when to target the largest possible set of high-potential applicants—using a full range of interactions—to build the best first-year class possible takes strategic planning and smart execution. Read More

Vanderbilt University’s admittance rate for incoming first-year students once again fell to a new low this year, continuing a trend toward higher application volumes and greater selectivity. Read More

No longer content to live in the shadow of any other institution, today Vanderbilt vies for the absolute best students anywhere in the world, attracting them with academic, cultural and financial-aid offerings that make even the most determined Ivy aspirants think twice. Read More

Being denied admission to Vanderbilt was more painful for us than our kid’s first trip to the emergency room. We agreed to write this in the hope that our family’s story might be helpful to some fellow alums. Read More

Clay Hensley, BA’94. senior director of international strategy and outreach for the College Board, is helping American universities like Vanderbilt navigate the growing demand from students abroad. Read More

To quote the great Bob Dylan, the times they are a-changing. When I graduated in 1996, Vanderbilt’s admittance rate sat a shade below 60 percent. For this year’s incoming class, it was 11.6 percent. Read More

During the past two years, the number of Commodore Recruitment Programs (CoRPs) volunteers has more than doubled from 1,512 to 3,371 alumni. Read More

Over the past eight years as Vanderbilt University School of Medicine’s associate dean for Admissions, John Zic, M.D., estimates he’s made about 2,000 phone calls to let prospective medical students know they’ve been admitted. Personally delivering the good news has been one of his favorite aspects of the time-consuming job. Read More

The Ingram Commons’ first class graduates First-year students and faculty heads of house gathered at The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons in August 2008 for their first-ever class photo. The taking of a class photo each year has become an Ingram Commons tradition. (John Russell/Vanderbilt) On a bright spring day… Read More

The Yellow Ribbon Program is helping veterans and their family members pursue education (Joe Howell/Vanderbilt) For Erin Gardiner, the decision to pursue a career in medicine was forged on the battlefield. As the executive officer for an Army surgical team stationed in Seoul, South Korea, Gardiner worked with an… Read More

In this week’s VUCast: Will 11 couples be torn apart? Who’s number one? And, remembering the families in Japan. [vucastblurb]  … Read More

Admission decisions for the class of 2015 were mailed out Wednesday to a group of about 3,825 prospective students who have the distinction of being the strongest academic class ever admitted to the university.  … Read More