Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University Featured Rankings
- #1 What Can You Do with a Masters in Early Childhood Special Education?
- #1 Best Colleges in Tennessee
- #1 Best Grad Schools in Tennessee 2022
- #1 Best Research Universities in Tennessee
- #1 Tennessee's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #1 Best Private Colleges in Tennessee
- #1 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #4 20 Fastest Online Master's of Nursing Degree Programs
- #7 Online Master's in Computer Science
- #8 Best Online PhD of Nursing (DNP) Degree Programs
- #12 Fastest Online Master's Degrees
- #12 Online Master’s in Management
- #15 15 Colleges with the Happiest Freshmen
- #19 Education Research Universities
- #21 The Most Influential Colleges in Tennis Today
- #22 Communications Research Universities
- #23 Anthropology Research Universities
- #23 Religious Studies Research Universities
- #25 Philosophy Research Universities
- #25 Physics Research Universities
- #25 Biology Research Universities
- #25 Sociology Research Universities
- #26 Best Research Universities for Psychology Majors
- #26 Best Undergrad Private Colleges
- #27 Best Undergrad Research Universities 2022
- #29 Best Private Grad Schools 2022
- #30 Best Undergrad Colleges 2025
- #33 The Fastest Traditional MBA Degree Programs
- #37 The Best Traditional MBA Programs
- #47 Best Grad Schools 2025
About Vanderbilt University
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 Applications | Acceptance | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46,377 | 7% | 93% | 1530 | 34 |
How Much Does Vanderbilt University Cost To Attend?
| Tuition (in-state) |
|---|
| $60,348 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $7,451 |
| 30K - 48K | $4,475 |
| 48K - 75K | $8,892 |
| 75K - 110K | $16,934 |
| 110K+ | $43,288 |
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 Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 14,770 | 7,233 | 7,537 |
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:
- Nursing
- Law
- Medical
- Philosophy
- Religious Studies
- Education
- Business
- Economics
- Psychology
- Political Science
- Mathematics
- Biology
- History
- Anthropology
- Literature
- Physics
- Sociology
- Chemistry
- Social Work
- Communications
- Engineering
- Computer Science
- Earth Sciences
Vanderbilt University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
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
- An American economist.
- James Patterson
- An American author.
- Allen Tate
- An American poet, essayist and social commentator.
- Cleanth Brooks
- An American literary critic and academic.
- John Crowe Ransom
- An American poet.
- Robert Penn Warren
- An American poet, novelist, and literary critic .
- David Brinkley
- An American journalist .
- John Seigenthaler
- An American journalist, writer, and political figure .
- John Ridley Stroop
- An American psychologist known for creating the Stroop effect test..
- 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
- An American radio host and producer.
- Robert B. Talisse
- An American philosopher.
- 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
- A Brazilian neuroscientist .
- Caroline Randall Williams
- An American writer.
- Isabel Gauthier
- A Canadian neuroscientist.
- Harold L. Moses
- An American cancer researcher.
