Vanderbilt University

“Invest in Your Future — Where intellectual rigor meets Music City energy.”

Vanderbilt University, founded in 1873 and named after Cornelius Vanderbilt, is a leading private research university situated 1.5 miles southwest of downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Consistently ranked among the top 20 national universities — #17 in US News 2026 — Vanderbilt has transformed over the past decade from a regional prestige institution into one of the most selective universities in the United States, with an overall acceptance rate of approximately 5.3% for the Class of 2029. The university enrolls around 7,366 undergraduates and 6,304 graduate and professional students across 11 schools and colleges, combining the intellectual intensity of a major research university with the close-knit community of a liberal arts college. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8:1 and an average class size of 13, Vanderbilt students enjoy extraordinary access to faculty mentorship and a collaborative, rather than cutthroat, academic culture. Academically, Vanderbilt offers four undergraduate schools — the College of Arts and Science, the Blair School of Music, Peabody College of Education and Human Development, and the School of Engineering — alongside a forthcoming College of Connected Computing set to admit its inaugural class in fall 2027. The university's hallmark academic program, Immersion Vanderbilt, requires every undergraduate to complete a substantive project in one of four pathways: civic and professional engagement, creative expression, international experience, or research. This commitment to experiential learning is reflected in equally impressive statistics: 62% of undergraduates conduct faculty research, 47% study abroad, and 44% complete double majors. Annual research expenditures exceed $1 billion, and Vanderbilt Medical Center is one of the top academic medical centers in the nation. Nashville provides a dynamic urban backdrop that sets Vanderbilt apart from peers in quieter college-town settings. Known as both Music City and the Athens of the South, Nashville is home to a thriving music and entertainment industry, a rapidly expanding technology sector, a rich arts and culinary scene, and multiple professional sports teams. The campus features 178 buildings, 31 residence halls, and access to all the resources of a major Southern city. Vanderbilt's location in one of America's fastest-growing metropolitan areas means unparalleled internship, research, and employment opportunities, particularly in healthcare, technology, entertainment, and finance. International students make up 11.2% of the undergraduate population, representing 111 countries.