Vanderbilt University

First-year admission

Vanderbilt uses holistic review and does not employ cutoffs for standardized testing or grade point averages. Most successful applicants have taken a very rigorous course load at the highest levels of the available curriculum. Applicants choose one of three application systems: the Coalition Application (powered by Scoir), the Common Application or QuestBridge. Required materials: the application with personal essay and short answer, a $50 nonrefundable application fee (or fee waiver), official high school transcript, a counselor letter of recommendation and two academic teacher letters. Applicants to Blair School of Music also submit the Blair application with an artistic recommendation, music resume, repertoire list and prescreening video.

Testing policy

Test-optional for students entering in fall 2027 or 2028; SAT or ACT scores will be required for fall 2029 entry. Vanderbilt superscores both the SAT and ACT. SAT code 1871, ACT code 4036.

Decision plans and deadlines (2026-27 cycle)

• Early Decision I (binding): application due November 1, 2026; decisions mid-December; deposit due December 31, 2026.
• Early Decision II (binding): application due January 1, 2027; decisions mid-February 2027; deposit due March 1, 2027.
• Regular Decision (non-binding): application due January 1, 2027; decisions late March 2027; deposit due May 1, 2027.

Transfer admission

About 450 transfer students join each fall. Priority deadline February 15, 2027, with rolling review. Required: Common Application or Coalition transfer application, $50 fee, high school and all college transcripts, two academic teacher letters (at least one preferably from a college instructor) and the transfer acknowledgement form. Students seeking a second bachelor's degree are not eligible for the College of Arts and Science, College of Connected Computing, Peabody College or School of Engineering.

International applicants

International applicants complete the international section of the application and submit an official high school transcript with all classes and grades to date (leaving exams alone do not complete the application). Documents not in English must be officially translated. English proficiency may be shown by TOEFL iBT, TOEFL Essentials, IELTS, Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency, LanguageCert or Duolingo English Test. Recommended minimums: IELTS 7.0, TOEFL Essentials 10.5, Cambridge 185, LanguageCert 75, Duolingo 130. Applicants whose first language or language of instruction is English, or who score above 26 on the ACT English section or above 630 on the SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section, are exempt. Those requesting need-based aid submit the CSS Profile or the ISFAA. Students attending high school internationally may schedule an InitialView video interview.

Graduate and professional admission

Graduate and professional programmes are admitted through the Graduate School and the professional schools (Divinity, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Owen, Peabody, Engineering and others), each with its own application and requirements.

• Nashville, Tennessee (flagship): 340.7-acre arboretum campus housing the undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, residential colleges, the Martha Rivers Ingram Commons for first-year students, the David Williams II Student Recreation and Wellness Center and a Student Health Center.
• New York City (Chelsea, Manhattan): undergraduate study-away opportunities and the Master of Science in Business and Technology.
• Planned: a graduate campus in West Palm Beach, Florida; a full-time campus in San Francisco (engineering, entrepreneurship and design); and the Institute for Quantum Innovation in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Campus services include the Center for Student Wellbeing, Counseling and Psychiatric Services, and Campus Dining.