Vanderbilt University

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From the College

In 1873, on the heels of the Civil War, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt gave a million dollars to the university that now bears his name, with the hope that it would “contribute to strengthening the ties which should exist between all sections of our common country.” Today, Vanderbilt enrolls America’s most talented students and challenges them daily to expand their intellectual horizons and to free their imaginations. Vanderbilt’s comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to education allows students to pursue a wide array of academic and cocurricular interests outside of their main focus of study.

Vanderbilt is a medium-sized university that includes four undergraduate schools and six graduate and professional schools. Each year, 1,550 first-year students join the University, bringing the total undergraduate population to approximately 6,600 students. The total enrollment at Vanderbilt is 12,093.

Known for the Southern splendor of its 330-acre, national arboretum campus, Vanderbilt provides a variety of housing options for its undergraduates, who live on campus all four years. First-year students live in The Commons, a collection of new and newly renovated residence halls, or houses, clustered along one side of campus. Each house includes a faculty apartment; a new dining center with study space, a post office, and an exercise facility sit in The Commons Center. One of Vanderbilt’s unique housing options is the McTyeire International House, which is designed for students who are interested in a range of foreign languages, such as Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. Other on-campus options include traditional dormitories, apartments, and suites.

The Sarratt Student Center houses a cinema, pub, art gallery, craft and darkroom facilities, an FM radio station, and plenty of meeting space. Facilities at the Student Recreation Center include gymnasiums, an indoor swimming pool, squash and racquetball courts, a rock climbing wall, an indoor suspended track, and a weight room. Other recreational facilities include indoor and outdoor tennis courts, baseball and softball diamonds, and a sand volleyball court.

Vanderbilt University is located in Nashville, the capital of Tennessee. Known as Music City, USA, Nashville is a vibrant city of more than 1 million residents. The greater Nashville area is home to two major-league professional sports teams, eighty-one parks, and more than 30,000 acres of lakes. Three interstate highways intersect the city, and its international airport is served by seventeen airlines.

The B.A., B.S., B.E., or B.M. degree is offered in African American and Diaspora studies; American studies; Ancient Mediterranean studies; anthropology; art; biological sciences; biomedical engineering; chemical engineering; chemistry; child development; child studies; civil engineering; classical languages; classics; cognitive studies; communication of science and technology; communication studies; comparative literature; computer engineering; computer science; early childhood education; earth and environmental sciences; East Asian studies; ecology, evolution, and organismal biology; economics; economics and history; electrical engineering; elementary education; engineering science; English; English and history; European studies; film studies; French; French and European studies; German; German studies; history; history of art; human and organizational development; Jewish studies; Latin American and Iberian studies; mathematics; mechanical engineering; medicine, health, and society; molecular and cellular biology; musical arts; musical arts/teacher education track; music composition and theory; music performance; neuroscience; philosophy; physics and astronomy; political science; psychology; public policy studies; religious studies; Russian; Russian and European studies; Russian studies; secondary education; sociology; Spanish; Spanish and European studies; Spanish and Portuguese; Spanish, Portuguese, and European studies; special education; theater; women’s and gender studies; and individually designed majors.

Students apply directly to one of the four schools that offer undergraduate programs: the College of Arts and Science, the School of Engineering, Peabody College (education and human development), or the Blair School of Music. In all four schools, honors programs and opportunities for independent study and internships are available. Vanderbilt University operates on a two-semester calendar, and classes begin in late August. First-semester examinations take place prior to the winter holidays, and the second semester ends in early May. A variety of courses are offered during Maymester and two summer sessions.

The College of Arts and Science provides many opportunities to experience a wide range of academic disciplines and subjects. Within the requirements of the AXLE (Achieving eXcellence in Liberal Education) curriculum, students refine their skills in writing, mathematics, foreign language, the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, history, and culture.

The Blair School of Music offers the Bachelor of Music degree in composition and theory, musical arts, musical arts/teacher education, and performance. Instruction is available in every instrument of the orchestra as well as piano, organ, euphonium, multiple woodwinds, saxophone, classical guitar, and voice. Unlike many schools of music, Blair has no graduate students. The curriculum combines intensive musical training with liberal arts studies. Approximately one third of a student’s work is outside of music. The Blair School also offers a music minor and a wide variety of courses, private instruction, and performing organizations for nonmajors.

For more than 125 years, the School of Engineering has educated engineers for practice in industry, government, consulting, teaching, and research careers. In addition to technical courses, each student’s program includes a rich complement of course work in the humanities and social sciences, resulting in a balanced foundation for future achievement and the assumption of leadership roles in their chosen fields. All programs leading to a Bachelor of Engineering degree are ABET-accredited, and students can earn the Bachelor of Science degree while majoring in Computer Science or Engineering Science.

Peabody College offers degree programs leading to teacher certification and to careers in other areas of education, child development, cognitive studies, and human and organizational development. The degree reflects a strong liberal arts foundation combined with a solid program of preprofessional courses and a multitude of internship and practicum opportunities. All undergraduates must complete requirements in communication, the humanities, mathematics, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. Students have an abundance of field experiences throughout their four years.

Study-abroad programs allow students to immerse themselves in languages and cultures around the world. More than sixty programs are offered in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Scotland, Senegal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, and Sweden. Vanderbilt students receive direct credit for their courses, and the cost of tuition is usually the same as for study on campus in Nashville. In addition, any scholarships, grants, or loans a student has been awarded apply to Vanderbilt study-abroad programs. Students may also participate in programs sponsored by other universities by working with their adviser.

Students and faculty members take advantage of Vanderbilt’s extensive library resources, obtaining easy access to books, periodicals, documents, microforms, and reference materials. The Jean and Alexander Heard Library is supported by nine major resource centers, which include special collections, University Archives, and more than 3.2 million volumes.

The costs for 2008–09 were: tuition, $36,100; room and board, $12,000; books and supplies, $1208; and the student activities and recreation fee, $905. All costs are subject to change. They are slightly higher for students in the School of Engineering.

Approximately 60 percent of the University’s undergraduate students receive some type of financial aid. Need-based aid is awarded according to the evaluation of the FAFSA and the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE. New for the entering class in 2009, Vanderbilt will not include need-based loans in financial aid packages. Need-based loans will be replaced with a combination of grant, scholarship, and work-study assistance from various sources including Vanderbilt, federal, state, and private entities. Under certain conditions and based upon individual family circumstances, loans from federal and other sources may be made available to students upon their request. Information on these and other programs can be obtained from the Office of Student Financial Aid, 2309 West End Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee 37203-1725. In addition, approximately 5 percent of freshmen applicants are awarded an honor scholarship based on academic merit.

Vanderbilt has 3,124 full-time faculty members and a part-time faculty of 402. All undergraduate faculty members, many of whom hold awards for distinguished scholarship, are required to teach undergraduates. A low student-faculty ratio of 9:1 provides for an intimate academic experience between students and professors who are recognized nationally and worldwide for their research. The average class size is 19.

The Vanderbilt Student Government provides students with an opportunity to participate actively in maintaining the high quality of life on campus. It works with many of the more than 300 student organizations to bring nationally prominent speakers to campus and provide an interesting and diverse array of programming throughout the year. A vital part of life at Vanderbilt is the honor system, which is governed entirely by students through representatives on the Honor Council. Each year, a senior is selected as a Young Alumni Trustee of the University’s Board of Trust.

Vanderbilt seeks students with high standards of scholarship and character. Admission is based on a thorough and holistic review of academic and personal credentials.

Students must submit a minimum of 15 academic units at the secondary level, although most admitted students present 20 or more academic units. Applicants to the College of Arts and Science must present a minimum of 2 years of a foreign language; applicants to the School of Engineering are strongly encouraged to take both calculus and physics in high school. The Admissions Committee evaluates each student’s secondary school academic record, extracurricular involvement, counselor and teacher recommendations, and personal essay. Students must also submit scores (including the writing subscore) from either the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT. Applicants to the Blair School of Music must also audition on their primary instrument. A personal audition is preferred, but applicants may audition by videotape with permission from the Blair School of Music.

Campus visits are recommended, though student interest is not used as a measure of admissibility. In addition to daily information sessions and campus tours, the Admissions Office offers a number of different half-day and full-day visit programs for prospective students. All programs require reservations, so students are encouraged to call or visit www.vanderbil.edu/admissions in advance of their visit for information about group information sessions, campus tours, and opportunities to attend classes.

Students whose first choice is Vanderbilt may apply under one of Vanderbilt’s early decision plans. Applications and all supporting materials must be postmarked by November 1 for early decision I and by January 3 for early decision II; notification is made by December 15 for early decision I and by February 15 for early decision II. The deadline for applying under the regular decision plan is January 3. Students are informed of the admission decision by April 1. Personal auditions are scheduled in December, January, and February for students applying to the Blair School of Music. Students seeking transfer admission should submit an application and all supporting materials by March 1; Vanderbilt only offers fall semester entry for transfer students.