Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt
#159 / #56
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#16
Most Desirable School
Private university in Nashville, Tennessee, US

Vanderbilt University Featured Rankings

About Vanderbilt University

By James Barham, PhD

Vanderbilt University was founded in 1873 as the Central University of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (known as Central University, for short).

The largest benefactor of the new university was the railroad and shipping magnate, Cornelius Vanderbilt, who contributed $1 million—the equivalent of roughly $20 million in today’s dollars. Vanderbilt died in 1877, and later the same year Central University was renamed in honor its main benefactor.

In 1914, the Methodist Church severed its ties to Vanderbilt.

Today, the university is organized into ten colleges and schools. The student body numbers more than 13,000 individuals.

Vanderbilt is associated with nine Nobel laureates, to wit:

Chemistry–

  • Biochemist, Stanford Moore
  • Molecular biologist, Sidney Altman

Physiology or Medicine–

  • Molecular biologists, Salvador Luria and Max Delbrück
  • Biochemists, Stanley Cohen and Earl Sutherland
  • Neuroscientist, Paul Greengard

Peace–

  • Bangladeshi economist and micro-banking pioneer, Muhammad Yunus
  • US Vice President and climate activist, Al Gore

Vanderbilt is also linked to the Fields Medalists—Vaughan Jones and Alain Connes.

Other prominent Vanderbilt-connected individuals include the following:

  • Mathematicians, D.M. Smith, Michael Plummer, Edward Saff, Mark Sapir, Guoliang Yu & Aleksandr Olshansky
  • Computer scientist, Paul Hudak
  • Philosophers, Richard M. Weaver, Sandra J. Rosenthal, John Lachs, John Heil, Tom Rockmore & Robert Arrington
  • Poets Allen Tate, John Crowe Ransom, Randall Jarrell, James Dickey & Diann Blakely
  • Poet and novelist, Robert Penn Warren
  • Novelist, Ellen Gilchrist
  • Short fiction author, Lorrie Moore
  • Non-fiction author, Michelle Alexander
  • Crime author, James Patterson
  • Playwright, William Inge
  • Literary scholar, Cleanth Brooks
  • Artist, Red Grooms
  • Bassoonist, Peter Kolkay
  • Classical composers, Michael Alec Rose & Evan Mack
  • Musicologist, George Pullen Jackson
  • Popular singer-songwriters, Amy Ray, Amy Grant & Chris Stapleton
  • Singer, actor, and TV personality, Dinah Shore
  • Film director, Delbert Mann
  • Film scholar, Sam Girgus
  • Film critic, Joe Bob Briggs (John Irving Bloom)
  • Astronomers, Edward Emerson Barnard, Carl Keenan Seyfert & J. Davy Kirkpatrick
  • Physicists, Joseph Melvin Reynolds & Kenneth Galloway
  • Space scientist, Herbert Gursky
  • Electrical engineers, Sokrates Pantelides & Kimberly Bryant
  • Chemists, Charles Baskerville, Charlotte Froese Fischer, Jens Meiler & Dorothy J. Phillips
  • Geologist, James Perrin Smith
  • Biophysicist, John Wikswo
  • Molecular biologists, Peter Walter, Tom Maniatis & Ghanshyam Swarup
  • Pathologist, Ernest Goodpasture
  • Neuroscientists, Mriganka Sur & Lisa Monteggia
  • Epidemiologist, Dorothy Horstmann
  • Pathologist and medical historian, William A. Pusey
  • Cardiothoracic surgeons, Norman Shumway & Levi Watkins
  • Biomedical engineer, Anita Mahadevan-Jansen
  • Psychologists, John Ridley Stroop, Logan Wright & Shirley Collado
  • Psychiatrists, Carol Tamminga, Jonathan Metzl & John Fryer
  • Historians, William Yandell Elliott, Sheldon Hackney, Louis R. Harlan, Mark A. Noll & Neil McMillen
  • Economists, Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, Henry Manne, Herman Daly, Markus Brunnermeier, Martha Bailey, Myrna Wooders, Carolyn Heinrich & Faisal Basri
  • Political scientists, Cullen Gosnell, Lee Siegelman & Larry Bartels
  • Archaeologist, Edward Craig Morris
  • Journalist, political commentator, and biographer, David Maraniss
  • Political commentator and humorist, Roy Blount, Jr.
  • Journalist, Richard Quest
  • TV journalist, David Brinkley
  • Former US Supreme Court Justice, James Clark McReynolds
  • Present Kentucky Governor, Andy Beshear
  • Present Texas Governor, Greg Abbott
  • Former US Senator Jim Sasser
  • Former US Senator and actor, Fred Thompson
  • Current US Senators, Lamar Alexander & John N. Kennedy
  • Former US Vice President, John Nance Garner

According to Wikipedia, Vanderbilt University is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1 million endowment in the hopes that his gift and the greater work of the university would help to heal the sectional wounds inflicted by the Civil War. Vanderbilt is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and has been the conference's only private school since 1966.

Vanderbilt University's Online Degrees

MEng in Enigneering Management
  • Required Credits: None Reported
  • Completion Time: None Reported
  • Format: None Reported
MS in Computer Science
  • Required Credits: None Reported
  • Completion Time: None Reported
  • Format: None Reported
EdD in Leadership and Learning in Organizations
  • Required Credits: 53
  • Completion Time: None Reported
  • Format: None Reported
MS in Nursing
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: None Reported
  • Format: None Reported
MEd in School Counseling Specialization
  • Required Credits: 48
  • Completion Time: None Reported
  • Format: None Reported

Vanderbilt University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceGraduation RateMedian SAT ScoreMedian ACT Score
46,3777%93%153034

How Much Does Vanderbilt University Cost To Attend?

Tuition (in-state)
$60,348
Price by Family Income
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$7,451
30K - 48K$4,475
48K - 75K$8,892
75K - 110K$16,934
110K+$43,288

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

How Much Do Vanderbilt University Graduates Make?

If you graduate from Vanderbilt University, then you can expect to earn an average of $86,200 per year. You also have a 91% chance of being employed after 10 years.

Vanderbilt University's Demographics

Demographic data is for full-time, on-campus students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
14,7707,2337,537

Where is Vanderbilt University?

Vanderbilt University is located at 2101 West End Avenue, Nashville TN 37240

How Safe is Vanderbilt University?

Vanderbilt University has a violent crime rate of less than .01% and a property crime rate of less than .01%.

What Is Vanderbilt University Known For?

Vanderbilt University is known for it's academic work in the following disciplines:

Vanderbilt University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Nursing
#37
World Rank
#37
Historical Rank
#23
USA Rank
nursing Degrees
Law
#129
World Rank
#138
Historical Rank
#41
USA Rank
Medical
#104
World Rank
#109
Historical Rank
#43
USA Rank
medicine Degrees
Philosophy
#135
World Rank
#178
Historical Rank
#44
USA Rank
philosophy Degrees
Religious Studies
#182
World Rank
#202
Historical Rank
#45
USA Rank
religious-studies-hub Degrees
Education
#158
World Rank
#159
Historical Rank
#47
USA Rank
education Degrees
Business
#109
World Rank
#109
Historical Rank
#48
USA Rank
business Degrees
Economics
#187
World Rank
#207
Historical Rank
#48
USA Rank
economics Degrees
Psychology
#89
World Rank
#94
Historical Rank
#52
USA Rank
psychology Degrees
Political Science
#175
World Rank
#183
Historical Rank
#53
USA Rank
political-science Degrees
Mathematics
#216
World Rank
#264
Historical Rank
#53
USA Rank
math Degrees
Biology
#158
World Rank
#194
Historical Rank
#56
USA Rank
biology Degrees
History
#144
World Rank
#156
Historical Rank
#56
USA Rank
history Degrees
Anthropology
#147
World Rank
#163
Historical Rank
#56
USA Rank
anthropology Degrees
Literature
#174
World Rank
#180
Historical Rank
#66
USA Rank
literature Degrees
Physics
#265
World Rank
#276
Historical Rank
#66
USA Rank
physics Degrees
Sociology
#190
World Rank
#190
Historical Rank
#66
USA Rank
sociology Degrees
Chemistry
#312
World Rank
#341
Historical Rank
#71
USA Rank
chemistry Degrees
Social Work
#130
World Rank
#132
Historical Rank
#73
USA Rank
social-work Degrees
Communications
#253
World Rank
#278
Historical Rank
#78
USA Rank
communications Degrees
Engineering
#322
World Rank
#348
Historical Rank
#84
USA Rank
engineering Degrees
Computer Science
#318
World Rank
#317
Historical Rank
#92
USA Rank
computer-science Degrees
Earth Sciences
#501
World Rank
#516
Historical Rank
#128
USA Rank
earth-science Degrees

Who Are Vanderbilt University's Most Influential Alumni?

Vanderbilt University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Nursing, Criminal Justice, and Psychology. Here are some of Vanderbilt University's most famous alumni:

Herman Daly
Herman Daly
An American economist.
James Patterson
James Patterson
An American author.
Allen Tate
Allen Tate
An American poet, essayist and social commentator.
Cleanth Brooks
Cleanth Brooks
An American literary critic and academic.
John Crowe Ransom
John Crowe Ransom
An American poet.
Robert Penn Warren
Robert Penn Warren
An American poet, novelist, and literary critic .
David Brinkley
David Brinkley
An American journalist .
John Seigenthaler
John Seigenthaler
An American journalist, writer, and political figure .
John Ridley Stroop
An American psychologist known for creating the Stroop effect test..
Michelle Alexander
Michelle Alexander
An American lawyer, civil rights activist and writer.
Norman Shumway
An American surgeon .
Steven E. Jones
A Physicist.

Who Are Vanderbilt University's Most Influential Faculty?

Vanderbilt University's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Nursing, Criminal Justice, and Psychology. Here are some of Vanderbilt University's most famous alumni:

James Gross
An American psychologist.
Barney S. Graham
An American immunologist, virologist, and clinical trials physician in viral pathogenesis, immunity, and vaccine development.
Michael Kearney
An American child prodigy.
Jad Abumrad
Jad Abumrad
An American radio host and producer.
Robert B. Talisse
Robert B. Talisse
An American philosopher.
Eugene Gu
Eugene Gu
An American physician-scientist.
Nita A. Farahany
A Researcher ORCID ID = 0000-0003-4808-6256.
Constance Bumgarner Gee
An American scholar.
Suzana Herculano-Houzel
Suzana Herculano-Houzel
A Brazilian neuroscientist .
Caroline Randall Williams
Caroline Randall Williams
An American writer.
Isabel Gauthier
A Canadian neuroscientist.
Harold L. Moses
An American cancer researcher.