Next up in our series highlighting early round acceptance rates at top colleges is Vanderbilt University, located just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt, which was founded in 1873 and ranks 18th in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report’s list of National Universities. At Vanderbilt, almost 80% of students live on its 340+ acre campus (which is also designated as an arboretum).
See Highlights From The Vanderbilt Hustler Article Below:
On December 14, 2023, Vanderbilt University sent out its EDI notifications, but, for the second year in a row, no admissions statistics were released about this cycle. Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Doug Christiansen said combined EDI and EDII statistics will be announced in mid-February.
For the Class of 2027, RD and overall acceptance rates were both the lowest in university history at 4.2% and 5.6%, respectively. 15.7% of early decision I and II applicants were admitted.
Vanderbilt only began handing out deferrals with the Class of 2026. Christiansen previously said a “solid portion” of the 400 deferred ED students in that class were admitted RD. The university recently announced it is extending its test-optional policy for applicants seeking entry to the university through Fall 2027.
“The policy helped with all forms of diversity — race, ethnicity, geographic diversity, socioeconomic diversity, first-generation [students] and diversity of interests in Vanderbilt’s course offerings,” Christiansen said.
In light of the ruling against affirmative action this summer by the US Supreme Court, Vanderbilt added a new supplemental essay question to its application, which has otherwise remained unchanged for at least 12 years. The prompt, which students can choose over the traditional prompt about their extracurricular activities, focuses on civil discourse and learning from different viewpoints.
“Vanderbilt seeks students who, in the face of contrasting viewpoints, contribute to the cooperative and enriching tapestry of the university community,” Christiansen said. “This nuanced understanding aligns with the university’s ethos of building a dynamic environment where diversity is celebrated not as a challenge but as an inherent strength.”
TTA Takeaway: Based on the data for the Classes of 2026 and 2027, we know that plenty of students are accepted to Vanderbilt after being deferred in the early round or waitlisted in the regular round. As the acceptance rates continue to drop at Vanderbilt, the Common Data Set shows an approximate 25% increase in yield over the last 10 years. As of February 8, Vanderbilt announced that it is expanding Opportunity Vanderbilt, its nationally recognized no-loan financial aid program, which is sure to lure even more applicants in future cycles.
At Top Tier Admissions, we are committed to making the college admissions process more transparent. Easy access to clear data helps families understand trends in college admissions to make more informed decisions. We’re collecting early acceptance rate data at selective schools and providing insight and analysis of our own. For historical data, see our collection of Ivy League and Top College Acceptance Rates and Admissions Statistics, including the Class of 2027 Ivy League admissions data and admissions stats for a range of additional selective schools.
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