范德堡大学（Vanderbilt University），又名范德比尔特大学，是位于美国田纳西州纳什维尔市的一所私立研究型大学。学校创立于1873年，是闻名全美的名牌大学，也是位于美国南方的少数的顶级名校之一（其他南方名校有Duke，Emory,Rice等)，以其出色的教育质量和强大的科研实力，享有“南方哈佛（Harvard of the South)”的美誉。学校名称来自于19世纪末的美国铁路和航运大王、海军准将考尼列斯 范德比尔特（Cornelius Vanderbilt），他捐赠一百万美元建立了这所学校，希望能够弥补南北战争给南方造成的创伤。
基本信息
学校类型： 私立
建立时间： 1873年
本科生： 6,637
研究生： 5,456
学生总数： 12,093
运动队： 共16支I-A运动队
体育联盟: NCAADivision I,Southeastern Conference, American Lacrosse Conference
校色: 黑色（Black)、金色 (Gold)
吉祥物: 海军准将
学校简介
19世纪末华尔街资本家金融巨鳄考尼列斯 范德比尔特（Cornelius Vanderbilt） 捐赠一百万美元建立了范
校园之秋
德堡大学。这所精英学府在商、法、医、教四大学术领域稳居北美顶尖行列，享有南方第一贵族名门的盛誉。范德堡法学院则为美国法学院中的老牌劲旅，依赖于强大的校友会，与一些显赫的商业财团和华尔街最有权势的律师事务所保持着千丝万缕的关系。大学的最大特色是CPLE，即Course Program in LiberalEducation，各学生不论修读任何学系，均须修读人文学科、基本科学、历史及外文，以符合CPLE的宗旨，即人文教育。 范德堡大学体育设施完备，有16支运动队，篮球队和橄榄球队在全美大学联赛中名列前茅。
办学条件
校园之秋
范德堡大学由一个过去专收美国南部富豪及大地主子女们的私校，转变成为一所财力雄厚资源丰富，并以研究着称的大学。范德比尔特大学是座特别美丽的老牌学府。校区里拥有超过300种树木和多种灌木，并且从1988年开始设置了一座国家植物园，可说是一所青葱翠绿的大学。校区里最古老的建筑可追溯至1873年，而1979年并入的毕德堡学院更是从1966年起便被视为国家级历史古迹。
范德堡大学传统上非常注重研究及专业教育的训练，学校十所学院中
范德堡大学体育场
的皮博迪学院前身为乔治皮博迪教育学院（George Peabody College for Teachers），成立于1785年，并于1979年并入范德堡大学，成为教育与人类发展学院。该学院在过去二十多年来逐渐成为美国首屈一指的教育学院之一。图书馆的藏书超过200万册，另有350万册手抄本、期刊及重要资料。
范德堡大学主要建有自然科学研究中心、自由电子激光中心、美术馆、天文观测台、A，B学术研究所、约翰•F•肯尼迪人类发展和教育研究中心、范德比尔特公共政策研究所、生物实验站等科研机构和教育学院、管理学院、工程学院、法学院、医学院、护理学院等研究生院。范德比尔特大学设有艺术、商业、工商行政管理、电子工程学、历史、生物化学、生理学、病理学等一百个学科专业。
校园之春
研究生院：神学院、皮博迪教育与人类发展学院、欧文管理学院、工程学院、法学院、医学院、护理学院。
华人在此就读的历史由来已久。1959年招收的第一位国际学生即为中国人. 1882年, 宋美龄的父亲宋嘉树先生亦在此就读神学院. 研究及攻读领域包括生物化学, 药理, 免疫学, 土木工程, 航天工程, 经济, 特殊教育, 商学管理等。第一位华裔航天员王赣俊, 亦在此任教于本校工程学院。
生源分布图
如今，范德堡大学拥有四所本科学院和六所研究生学院，现有学生12093人，来自美国50个州和90多个国家。在过去的100多年中，范德堡大学已经由一个过去专收美国南部富豪及大地主子女们的私立贵族学校，成长为一所财力雄厚资源丰富，并以研究着称的著名学府。在2011年的全美大学综合排名中，范德堡大学位列第17名，在南方仅次于杜克大学。范德堡大学学科齐全，文理学院、工程学院、法学院、医学院（需要考取MCAT—The Medical College Admission Test）、教育学院（Peabody College)、音乐学院（Blair)、管理学院（Owen)和神学院等学科一应俱全，学校的教育学院（第1名）、医学院（第15名）、法学院（第17名）、护理学院（第19名）均位于全美前20名，皮博迪教育学院更是力压斯坦福大学和哥伦比亚大学而名列全美第一，工程学院和管理学院亦有不俗实力和良好的声誉。其他名列全美第一的专业还有特殊教育、听力学以及教育管理等。
皮博迪教育学院主建筑
不像其他很多私立学校只重视本科生教育，范德堡大学也拥有出色的研究生教育和强大的科研实力，2009年的获得外部支持的科研经费总额就达5.12亿美元，在全美所有高校中名列前20名，其医学院的NIH科研经费总额更是位列全美所有医学院的第10位，同时范德堡大学医院也是USNEWS评选的全美最佳医院之一，位列全美第15位。范德堡大学同时也拥有数个出色的的附属研究机构，包括范德堡大学公共政策研究院，戴尔天文台（Dyer Observatory）以及范德堡大学医学中心（田纳西中部唯一的一级外伤中心）。2009年，美国《财富》杂志将范德堡大学评为“全美最佳100名雇主”，也是入选榜单上唯一一所大学。除了戴尔天文台和一些分支临床医疗机构，范德堡大学的所有机构和设施都位于纳什维尔市心脏地带的主校区，距市中心仅2.4公里，校区虽处繁华地段，但是校
范德比尔特铜像
园内风景优美，拥有300多种树木和灌木，并且从1988 年开始设置国家植物园，曾被评为全美“最美丽校园”。范德堡大学所在的纳什维尔市属于中等城市，位居美国东南部偏中, 气侯宜人，两小时的航程可达纽约，波士顿，芝加哥，迈阿密，亚特兰大等美国重要城市. 纳什维尔市田纳西第二大城市、田纳西州首府以及商业中心，是美国健康护理业（health care )的中心，同时许多银行,保险, 高科技业者在此处设有营运中心，广达计算机亦于此设立美国首座制造中心. 此外, 纳什维尔亦为美国著名的音乐之城（music city ) ，每年举办多场大型演唱会和高水平音乐会。 [2]
专业设置
范德堡大学（Vanderbilt University）主要建有自然科学研究中心、自由电子激光中心、美术馆、天文观测台、A，B学术 研究所、约翰•F•肯尼迪人类发展和教育研究中心、范德比尔特公共政策研究所、生物实验站等科研机构 。
校园小路
学院设置：文理学院、工学院、法学院、医学院、教育学院(Peabody College)、音乐学院(Blair)、管理学院(Owen)和神学院等。
专业设置：大学设有艺术、商业、金融、会计、工商行政管理、电子工程学、历史、生物化学、生理学、病理学等一百个学科专业。
大学的最大特色是CPLE，即Course Program in LiberalEducation，各学生不论修读任何学系，均须修读人文学科、基本科学、历史及外文，以符合CPLE的宗旨，即人文教育。
学校设施
范德堡大学设施齐全，设备先进。学校主要建有自然科学研究中心、自由电子激光中心、美术馆、天文观测台、约翰•F•肯尼迪人类发展和教育研究中心、范德比尔特公共政策研究所、生物实验站等科研机构。学校图书馆系统藏有图书数百万册，杂志数万种，系统主要有以下几个分馆组成：
从校园看那城
毕保德图书馆 Peabody Library
追溯毕保德图书馆的历史，要从慈善家乔治•毕保德在那什维尔市建立了毕保德师范学院开始。1889年安德鲁•卡内基出资，以卡内基公司(Carnegie Corporation)的名义，建立了毕保德图书馆，作为礼物捐赠给了毕保德学院，这也是安德鲁•卡内基捐赠的100多所图书馆之一。图书馆于1917年至1919年间建造，于1919年5月30日正式开馆。图书馆内集中收藏了教育、特殊教育、心理学、人类发展学、自然科学等方面的资料。1979年毕保德大学合并到范德堡大学后，在2002年，该图书馆正式更名为毕保德图书馆。
法律图书馆 Law Library
法律图书馆于1874年建馆，当初只收集了法律方面的书籍。在接下来的12年里，学校都没有再建立其它正式的图书馆，其间，学校也请求法官与律师们把他们用过的书捐赠给该校的法律图书馆。到1891年，该图书馆的藏书量达到6,000册。1962年，图书馆迁移至新的法律学院大楼，1982年，图书馆再次扩大，一位名叫Mrs. Jack C. Massey的校友成为该图书馆的主要捐赠人。
校园一角鸟瞰
神学图书馆 Divinity Library
宗教图书馆始建于1881年，在一座古老的Wesley Hall中。1932年的一场大火烧毁了近一半的藏书(当时藏书量为4,000册)，1941年，该图书馆重建在Calhoun Hall中，后来又迁移至学校的综合图书馆大楼内。1990年神学院收到了来自Raymond Zimmerman家庭基金会的捐赠，使得图书馆有机会再次扩大，并增加了犹太文物方面的收藏。
自然科学及工程学图书馆
1972年以前，学校是没有自然科学及工程学图书馆的，自然科学方面的资料都分散在其它不同的图书馆中，比如：地质学和药剂学图书馆、生物学图书馆都坐落在一座旧的Science Hall中；化学图书馆坐落在Furman Hall中；生物图书馆坐落在Buttrick Hall中；地质和物理学图书馆坐落在Garland Hall中。1972年，自然科学方面的书籍通过归类与整理，作为自然科学系资料，被统一移至Stevenson Center，建立了一座新的自然科学及工程学图书馆。
生物医学图书馆 Biomedical Library
医学图书馆始建于1906年的医学院里，收藏了包括以前纳什维尔医学院图书馆的资料。1925年，该图书馆的藏书量约9,000册，到1932年，增加到26,000册的藏书量(此时与护理学院的图书馆进行了合并)。1964年，图书馆迁至新的医学中心北大楼。1994年，学校建立了一座新的Annette and Irwin Eskind生物医学图书馆大楼。些时，图书馆有超过210,000册的印刷品、81,000册的专题论文集和129,000册的连载期刊、稀有珍贵书籍、手稿、历史图片等。
音乐图书馆 Music Library
校园之秋
音乐图书馆始建于1947年，在毕保德学院内的Social-Religious大楼内(现在的Wyatt中心)。1970年该图书馆被撤除，1985年学校在布莱尔音乐学院内建立了现在的音乐图书馆，2001年扩大到原先的两倍，并以一位主要捐赠人的名字-Anne Potter Wilson(Myra Jackson Blair的孙女)命名此图书馆。
经营管理图书馆 Management Library
经营管理图书馆建于1970年，在欧文研究生管理学院内的Resource Information中心，1981年迁至新的欧文学院并以主要捐赠人Anne Marie and Thomas B. Walker, Jr.重新命名。
编辑本段欧文商学院（Owen）
范德堡大学欧文商学院 (Owen Graduate School of Management)《华尔街日报》排名第15名。欧文商学院(Owen) 在许多具公信力的商业评论媒体为全美排名前三十名的学校。
商学院
因为Owen是研究生商学院，所以商学院没有本科课程设置，不招收本科学生。每年只招收约225位研究生学生，国际学生约占25%。
Owen研究生商学院项目包括：MBA, Health Care MBA, Executive MBA, MS Finance, MAcc Valuation, Master of Accountancy, MM Health Care, PHD in Management 等。
MBA项目介绍
MBA学生至少要学习一个专业方向或者专修领域，同时还可以根据自己的意愿增加一个或多个副修课程。
7个专业方向(Concentrations)：在核心课程(Core Courses)之上要求至少修够12个学分，可凭自己意愿修更多学分。
Concentrations 包括：Accounting, Finance, General Management, Human and Organization Performance (HOP), Marketing, Operations, Strategy
5个专修领域(Specializations)：在核心课程(Core Courses)之上修够20个学时，12个专业方向学分+8个专修领域学分。
Specializations 包括：Brand Management, Corporate Finance, Human and Organization Performance (HOP), Investment Management, Health Care (the Health Care MBA)
3个副修领域(Emphases)：允许你在以下三个领域修8个学分的课程，加强对所学领域知识理解。
Emphases 包括：Entrepreneurship, International Studies, Real Estate
MBA在读学生数据统计 （2013年毕业）
班级人数 162人 平均分数（GPA） 3.4/4.0
平均年龄 28岁 平均GMAT分数 695
年龄区间 25-32岁 平均TOEFL分数 100
国际学生比例 20% 平均工作年龄 4.5年
MS Finance（金融硕士）项目介绍
Owen商学院的MS Finance项目是为工作时间较短或应届本科毕业生提供的密集型、高强度硕士课程，学生需要在一年的时间内必须完成16门课，其中7门为必修课，另外9门为选修课。此金融硕士项目是为致力于从事资产管理、投资研究、金融市场销售与交易、企业金融、保险、风险管理等职业的人士所设定，专业性非常强。
金融硕士学生可从企业金融或量化金融两个专业方向中选择，经过一年的高强度课程，学生会具备熟练的金融应用技术，例如：投资组合管理，金融数据库及模型应用，资产定价，计量经济学预测，资产配置等。
MS Finance必修课程包括：高级财务经济学，计量经济学 I&II，高级会计学，财务模型，衍生品市场，企业价值管理等。
MS Finance选修课程包括：财务报表分析，博弈论及商业策略，国际金融市场及工具，国际企业金融，证券市场，债券市场，金融机构，房地产财务分析，房地产投资与发展，商业谈判，即时资产管理分析，企业金融政策，美国联邦收购与并购收入税法等。
MS Finance在读学生数据统计（2012年毕业）
班级人数 41人 平均本科GPA 3.6/4.0
0-2年工作经历人数比例 95% 平均GMAT分数 703
3年以上工作经历人数比例 5% 平均GRE分数 1433
Owen研究生商学院排名
2012年《金融时报》：MBA - 人力资源管理(HR), 全美第4名, 全球第7名
2010年《商业周刊》：MBA - 会计, 全美第5名
2010年《华尔街日报》：全美EMBA, 第15名
2011年《金融时报》：EMBA, 全美第15名, 全球第49名
2011年《商业周刊》：MBA校友薪水排名, 第18名
2011年《经济学人》：MBA, 北美第23名, 全球第34名
2012年U.S. News：全美MBA, 第28名
2012年《金融时报》：MBA, 全美第30名, 全球第61名
2011年《福布斯》：MBA, 全美第33名
知名校友
默罕默德•尤努斯
范德堡大学历史上人才辈出，曾培养了两位美国副总统，10位诺贝尔奖得主以及诸多州长和国会参议员。普利策奖得主Robert Penn Warren也曾就读于此。目前，范德堡大学在全球有11.4万名校友，31个校友俱乐部。
现代分子生物学的奠基人之一，1969年诺贝尔医学奖得主Max Delbruck曾执教于范德堡大学物理系（1940-1947），医学院教授Earl Sutherland，Stephen Cohen和Paul Greengard曾先后获得1971年，1986年和2000年的诺贝尔医学奖，其他的著名校友还有1972年诺贝尔奖化学奖得主生物学家Stanford Moore(B.A. 1935), 2006年诺贝尔和平奖得主孟加拉国国银行家默罕默德.尤努斯(Ph.D.1971)。
华人在范德堡大学就读的历史也由来已久。1959 年招收的第一位国际学生即为台湾人。1882 年，宋庆龄的父亲宋嘉树先生也在此就读神学院。国人所熟知的王赣俊博士——第一位华裔航天员，亦在此任教于本校工程学院。范德堡大学现有数百位华人学生学者在此就读或工作，多就读于医学院、生物系、化工、电子、环境、经济管理、法学、教育学、社会学、机械工程、生物医学工程等热门专业，由于范德堡高额的学费，以往少有华人本科生，但近年随着中国经济水平的不断发展，越来越多的中国学生亦来此就读本科。范德比尔特拥有约11.4万生活校友，校友俱乐部成立31全世界。
阿尔•戈尔
范德堡大学培养了许多校友在政治上、艺术和科学领域作出了重大贡献。拉马尔•亚历山大是田纳西州前州长和现任美国参议员。 美国的两位副总统，约翰•南切•加纳四世（1933-1941年副总统）和戈尔（1993-2001年副总统）就读了大学，但都没有毕业。 不过，戈尔的夫人，蒂帕•戈尔，也是范德堡大学的校友，在1975年获得皮博迪教育学院的硕士学位。 其他知名校友还包括前美国最高法院大法官詹姆斯克拉克麦克雷诺兹（学士1882年）;国会议员史蒂夫科恩和凯勒（法学博士1992年），大卫波阿斯（1975），卡托研究所执行副主席和约翰R斯蒂尔曼（硕士1924），前白宫办公厅主任的工作人员。 此外，参议员西奥多比尔就读过博皮博迪学院和法学院。 弗里斯特，心胸外科医生，一个前美国参议院多数党领袖，现为范德堡大学医学中心任教。
由于大学在纳什维尔的位置，美国乡村音乐的发源地，范德堡大学的许多校友成为了音乐产业中的佼佼者。 黛娜•肖尔（1938），罗萨安娜•卡诗（1979年），艾米格•兰特（文学学士1982）和迪克斯•本特利（1997年）都是美国音乐界知名校友。 肖尔后来又主演的电影；其他范德堡大学校友还有获得好莱坞奥斯卡奖的得主德尔贝•曼恩（1941年）和汤姆•舒尔曼（1972年）和演员莫莉•西姆斯（1995年）和乔•鲍勃•布里格斯（1974年）。
学校排名
美国高校排名
2012年《美国新闻与世界报道》全国大学综合性排名 第17名
2011年普林斯顿美国最佳私立大学排名 第8名
2011年The Daily Best美国50所压力最大高校 第8名
2010年《新闻周刊》美国最理想的25所城市大学 第13名
最新师资学术生产力指标美国研究性大学排名 第17名
最新美国大学表现评估中心大学排名 第20名
最新《华盛顿月刊》美国大学排名 第29名
美国高校研究生学院排名
2013年U.S. News全美最佳教育学院 第1名
2013年U.S. News全美最佳医学院（医学研究） 第14名
2013年U.S. News全美最佳法学院 第16名
2013年U.S. News全美最佳商学院 第25名
2013年U.S. News全美最佳工程学院 第35名
全球高校排名
美国《新闻周刊》世界100强大学排名 第41名
韦伯麦特里克斯网(Webometrics)世界大学排名第41名
法国巴黎高等矿业学院世界大学排名 第41名
2011年上海交通大学世界大学排名 第42名
全球高校研究生专业排名
《美国新闻与世界报道》人文教育学专业研究生院排名 第1名
《美国新闻与世界报道》经济学专业研究生院排名 第30名
《美国新闻与世界报道》商科专业研究生院排名 第36名
《美国新闻与世界报道》法律专业研究生院排名 第17名
《美国新闻与世界报道》医学专业研究生院排名 第15名
《美国新闻与世界报道》工程学专业研究生院排名 第34名
《美国新闻与世界报道》生物科学专业研究生院排名 第34名
《美国新闻与世界报道》社会学专业研究生院排名 31
《美国新闻与世界报道》心理学专业研究生院排名 29
《美国新闻与世界报道》政治学专业研究生院排名 30
《美国新闻与世界报道》历史专业研究生院排名 26
《美国新闻与世界报道》英语专业研究生院排名 29
《美国新闻与世界报道》物理专业研究生院排名 56
《美国新闻与世界报道》数学专业研究生院排名 48
《美国新闻与世界报道》计算机科学专业研究生院排名 58
《美国新闻与世界报道》化学专业研究生院排名 59
泰晤士报高等教育-全球生命科学和生物医学专业排名 第55名
泰晤士报高等教育-全球人文社会科学专业排名 第41名
专业设置
心理学
认知心理学与心理语言学 Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics
心理学 Psychology
社会科学
人类学 Anthropology
社会学 Sociology
政治科学与政府学 Political Science and Government
人类发展与家庭研究 Human Development and Family Studies
经济学 Economics
科学技术与社会 Science, Technology and Society
社会科学 Social Sciences
教育
初中师范教育 Secondary Teacher Education
教育学 Education
儿童早期教育 Early Childhood Education
小学教育 Elementary/Primary Education
音乐师范教育 Music Teacher Education
特殊教育 Special Education
儿童发展 Child Development
数学及统计
数学 Mathematics
商业\管理\金融
人力资源管理 Human Resources Management
历史与文化研究
非裔美国人研究 African-American Studies
非洲研究 African Studies
美国研究 American Studies
亚洲研究 Asian Studies
乌克兰研究 Ukraine Studies
欧洲研究 European Studies
拉美研究 Latin American Studies
妇女研究 Women's Studies
历史学 History
经典,古代地中海和近东研究和考古学 Classical, Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology
公共行政管理
公共政策分析 Public Policy Analysis
生物和生物医学
分子生物学 Molecular Biology
生物学 Biology/Biological Sciences
生态学 Ecology
神经科学 Neuroscience
语言学及文学
俄语 Russian
葡萄牙语 Portuguese
西班牙语 Spanish
法语 French
德语 German
古典语言文学 Classics and Languages, Literatures and Linguistics
英国文学 English Literature
古典文学 Classics
罗曼语 Romance Languages
英语 English
自然科学
天文学 Astronomy
物理学 Physics
地质学 Geology/Earth Science
化学 Chemistry
工程
工程学 Engineering Science
生物医学工程 Biomedical Engineering
机械工程 Mechanical Engineering
电子工程 Electrical Engineering
化学工程 Chemical Engineering
土木工程 Civil Engineering
计算机工程 Computer Engineering
哲学及宗教研究
宗教研究 Religion/Religious Studies
犹太研究 Jewish/Judaic Studies
哲学 Philosophy
计算机与信息科学
计算机科学 Computer Science
新闻传媒及相关
传媒学-语言交流与措辞学 Speech Communication and Rhetoric
艺术设计与建筑
艺术 Art
艺术史,批判与保护 Art History, Criticism and Conservation
美术 Fine Arts/Studio Arts
表演艺术
打击乐器 Percussion Instruments
音乐 Music
钢琴/管风琴 Piano and Organ
小提琴,中提琴及其他弦乐器 Violion, Viola, Guitar and Other Stringed Instruments
发声学与歌剧 Voice and Opera
戏剧艺术 Dramatic/Theater Arts
音乐表演 Music Performance
音乐理论及作曲 Music Theory and Composition
新生申请材料
申请费
通用申请-未来计划
通用申请-申请表
学校补充申请表
高中成绩单
SATI成绩单
托福成绩单
通用申请-推荐人信息表
推荐信
通用申请-高中学校报告
高中毕业证
SATII成绩单
艺术生补充表
艺术或建筑补充材料
通用申请-国际学生补充表
留学费用
留学费用 研究生学费$18,360/年,住宿$8644/年,一年总费用$38,374
入学要求
入学时间 9月份
本科:高中毕业,成绩优秀.研究生:大学本科毕业,成绩优秀.
本科生 TOEFL88.00 IELTS0.00 SAT680.00
ACT0.00 A-LEVEL0.00 GPA3.00
研究生 TOEFL0.00 IELTS7.00 GRE1100.00
GMAT0.00 LSAT0.00 GPA0.00
Vanderbilt University Introduction
Nestled close to downtown Nashville, Tennessee, Vanderbilt University has stood as a stronghold of higher education in the southeastern United States since its founding in 1873 by a gift from railroad and shipping magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt. In recent years Vanderbilt has become one of the nation’s most engaging, lively, and balanced undergraduate Institutions.
Characterized by a unique balance of academic rigor and social activity, Vanderbilt has always attracted the nation’s top students. These students come to learn in an intimate and diverse academic setting; many of them have multiple majors or do research with their professors. Because it is comprised of four undergraduate schools and several renowned graduate programs, Vanderbilt provides unique opportunities for academic exploration. Students from all fifty states and ninety countries also bring to campus a buzz of activity. Their wide variety of extracurricular passions range from the more traditional (Division I sports, community service, and student government) to the more obscure (hot air ballooning, bowling, and disc golf). Vanderbilt students traditionally exhibit a thirst for service to the world around them, and over half of the student body also participates in volunteer activities while at Vanderbilt. Every year many students travel to destinations ranging from South Dakota to New York City through the Alternative Spring Break program, which was founded at Vanderbilt in 1986.
A walk around Vanderbilt reveals one of the nation’s most beautiful campuses. A national arboretum, its 330 acres are densely populated with leafy limbs under which students (and squirrels) habitually nap, snack, or study. The student body lives amidst the various species of trees and classic red brick buildings of Vanderbilt’s campus. Students find a fantastic community through residence life, starting with the commons, a new residential community dedicated to enhancing the first year experience.
Vanderbilt students are only five minutes from flourishing downtown Nashville, and the campus itself rests in the center of the city’s trendiest neighborhood. Nashville’s population of 1.5 million people radiates a vibrant mix of cosmopolitan energy and southern hospitality, which students find both welcoming and invigorating. Metropolitan Nashville also offers Vanderbilt students opportunities for community service, employment, internships, and religious life just outside the campus perimeter.
A challenging and energetic university, Vanderbilt continues to seek students who hope to engage in four years of both academic and social learning. These students will play a vital role not only in contributing to Vanderbilt intellectually and socially, but also in shaping the direction of the university.
The perfect blend of social activity and academic rigor, Vanderbilt offers prospective students a chance to explore, engage in, and enjoy the college experience. Its spacious lawns, beckoning benches, and shady branches create a comfortable and lovely home for the university’s increasingly diverse and talented student body. In the classroom, students thrive under the expert and personal instruction of Vanderbilt’s faculty. Outside the classroom, Vanderbilt students continue to affect the world through involvement and service, both in their years on campus and in their lives beyond the gates of Vanderbilt.
A blossoming community, Vanderbilt University offers all students a chance to experience four years of challenge, vitality, and change.
Vanderbilt University Academics
Under the umbrella of Vanderbilt University lie four undergraduate schools: College of Arts and Science, Peabody College of Education and Human Development, School of Engineering, and Blair School of Music. With its four undergraduate schools and distinguished graduate programs in arts and sciences, law, medicine, business, divinity, nursing, and education, Vanderbilt is uniquely suited to provide its students with lavish opportunity to explore and research many fields of study. Every undergraduate at Vanderbilt has access to the courses and resources of the entire university. At least one-third of Vanderbilt students have multiple majors across schools, and many create their own interdisciplinary programs.
College of Arts and Science
The oldest and largest undergraduate school at Vanderbilt, the College of Arts and Science offers students a broad, liberal arts education, based on a multidisciplinary curriculum in humanities, natural science, social science, languages, and math. Students begin fulfilling this core curriculum in their first year and are not required to declare a major until the spring of their second year. Thus, broad exploration and multidisciplinary study characterize the Arts and Science student.
Engineering School
The first private school in the South to offer a degree in engineering, the Vanderbilt School of Engineering boasts exceptional facilities to offer every possible learning tool for students in the field of engineering, including wireless connection, interactive computer classrooms, and advanced research and computer labs. Additionally, Engineering faculty have recently claimed several notable awards in their fields. Vanderbilt Engineering students are highly sought after by corporations as well as graduate schools. Of those engineering graduates seeking employment in a recent year, ninety-five percent had jobs within six months of graduation.
Peabody College of Education and Human Development
Consistently ranked in the top five education schools in the nation, Peabody College is home to the education and human development majors at Vanderbilt. With its focus on experiential learning across the lifespan, Peabody requires internship and field placements for most of its majors guaranteeing superb preparation for work upon graduation. The most popular undergraduate major at Vanderbilt—Human and Organizational Development—resides in Peabody College. Peabody has produced several renowned programs, including the progressive Head Start program, and it also boasts the top Special Education program in the nation.
Blair School of Music
The Blair School of Music addresses music through a broad array of academic, pedagogical, and performing activities. Each student auditions as a part of the admissions process and chooses to study performance (including all orchestral instruments), composition/ theory, musical arts, or musical arts/teacher education. Both students and faculty enrich the campus with frequent performances at Vanderbilt and in the greater Nashville community. Blair’s facility includes a 618-seat performance hall with full staging capabilities, recital hall, and generous rehearsal and studio space.
Learning Experience
Vanderbilt boasts not only an intimate, collaborative liberal arts-based learning experience, but a small average class size (19) and impressive student-to-faculty ratio (8:1). The prestigious learning environment also includes access to over $440 million of federally funded research each year. With over 97% of classes being taught by faculty who have a PhD in their respective field, students get the most of each classroom experience. Professors are known for their accessibility, as it goes well beyond just having office hours; they also serve as student academic advisors.
Classes
The prestigious learning environment at Vanderbilt feels intimate not only because of the faculty, but also because of the small class sizes. With an average class size of nineteen, Vanderbilt’s undergraduate schools keep almost every class (ninety-three percent) below fifty students, and a majority of them (seventy-eight percent) below twenty five students. In some classes, graduate students assist professors as teaching assistants by leading small group breakout sections and conducting review sessions. Professors also work hard to keep classes lively and challenging. For example, a sunny spring day at Vanderbilt usually smiles on several classes discussing the day’s material on the grassy lawns of the campus. Recently, in order to continue challenging students and attracting prestigious faculty, Vanderbilt has placed a renewed focus on interdisciplinary study and research funding. Undergraduates at Vandy have continually increasing exposure to teaching and research in cutting-edge fields. In keeping with this pedagogical philosophy, the head of one of Vanderbilt’s newest interdisciplinary departments (a renowned scientist) also taught a freshman seminar last year.
Study Abroad
Approximately forty percent of Vanderbilt students study abroad at some point in their Vanderbilt careers. These students take advantage of Vanderbilt’s unique partnerships in various countries, usually for one or two semesters of junior year, or for summer study. Vanderbilt has home-base programs in several countries, including England, Spain, Italy, France, and Germany. Participants in the Vanderbilt Study Abroad programs are guaranteed that their financial aid packages will translate to the Study Abroad semester or year, and courses in the Vanderbilt programs have been evaluated for transferal of credit. Additionally, Vanderbilt belongs to a consortium of schools through which students can find alternative programs that may be better suited to their interests. Vanderbilt encourages students from all undergraduate schools to pursue studies abroad when possible.
Graduate Study
Vanderbilt offers applicants unique academic opportunities for graduate study. Undergraduates have the opportunity to apply early to the Vanderbilt business and medical programs. The medical school accepts a select number of Vanderbilt undergraduates at the end of their sophomore year. These students do not take the MCATs and proceed directly to Vanderbilt’s Medical School upon graduation. The Owen Graduate School of Management accepts undergraduates in their junior year at Vanderbilt; these students complete their undergraduate studies in addition to an M.B.A. in five years.
The Honor Code
The Honor Code governs student integrity at Vanderbilt University. A rich tradition at Vanderbilt dating to 1875, the Honor Code allows faculty and students to learn in a flexible and trusting environment.
Commitment to the Honor Code begins with all freshmen participating in a discussion and signing of the Code during fall orientation. The pages of signatures hang in Sarratt Student Center, framed as a reminder to students of their oath and to the Vanderbilt community of its reputation for integrity.
Vanderbilt University Admissions
A highly competitive institution, Vanderbilt has experienced significant increases in the number, diversity, and academic profile of its freshmen applicants for the last few years. In the 2007–2008 application year, more than 16,944 students applied for 1,550 freshman spots at Vanderbilt. The average class rank of admitted students was top five percent, and accepted applicants combined exceptional classroom performance with average SATCritical Reading and Math scores ranging between 1330 and 1500.
Application Requirements
An application to Vanderbilt is evaluated on the basis of five components through the common application. The first and most important of these components focuses on a student’s academic work in high school. Admissions officers look for a high school curriculum of challenging, academic classes (with an emphasis on Honors, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate courses), rather than simply basing their evaluation on grade point average. Additionally, applicants should submit standardized test scores, academic teacher recommendations, a resume of extracurricular pursuits, the 1 common app. essay, and the Vanderbilt Supplement.
Standardized Tests
Vanderbilt accepts both the SAT and the ACT. All ACT students must complete the optional writing tests. SAT subject tests are not required for admission; however, they are strongly recommended. These subject tests are used not only for admission evaluation, but may also be used for placement into language, math, and writing classes upon entrance to the university (additional testing times are offered at academic orientations). Vanderbilt additionally requires the TOEFL and or IELTS for overseas applicants whose first language is not English.
Decision Plans
Vanderbilt offers three decision plans: Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and Regular Decision. Created for students who have decided upon Vanderbilt as their first choice, Early Decision is a binding admission plan. Students who apply Early Decision sign a contract to attend Vanderbilt and agree to withdraw all other applications if accepted. Early Decision I applications are due by November 1 with notification mailed by December 15. Early Decision II and Regular Decision applicants must be postmarked by January 3. Early Decision II students receive notification by February 15, and Regular Decision students receive notification by April 1.
Financial Aid
Vanderbilt University’s seven-year initiative of progressively reducing education related undergraduate student debt will reach a bold new level. Financial aid package for incoming students beginning in the fall of 2009 will include no need-based loans. The amount of needbased loans you would have been offered in the past to meet your demonstrated financial need will now be replaced with increased amounts of Vanderbilt scholarship and/or grant assistance. Applicants must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the CSSPROFILE by February 1. Vanderbilt makes the following commitments:
• Since talent and promise recognize no social, cultural, economic, or geographic boundaries, the admissions process is entirely need-blind.
• Vanderbilt will meet 100% of a family’s demonstrated financial need for all admitted U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens.
• Financial aid package for incoming and current undergraduate students beginning in the fall of 2009 will include no needbased loans.
Over sixty percent of Vanderbilt University receives some form of financial aid. The average award in 2007–2008 was around $37,800.
Vanderbilt University Students
Although Vanderbilt students pursue academic success vigorously, they also pour vast amounts of energy and time into extracurricular pursuits. This balance of academic and social pursuits brings a friendly and energetic feel to campus life.
Student Organizations
Nearly all of Vanderbilt’s 400-plus organizations are open to all students, who can join at any point in their Vanderbilt careers. These organizations cater to a variety of interests, and they facilitate speakers, special events, community service projects and various other campus activities.
Sarratt Student Center, the hub of campus life, houses office space, mailboxes, meeting areas, and even faculty advisors for these campus organizations. Additionally, the Sarratt Student Center is a sprawling home to student study spaces, a cinema, several dining options, the bookstore, the post office, and a convenience store called Varsit/Market. Because of the involved nature of campus life at Vanderbilt, the Student Center daily buzzes with activity. On a sunny day, students congregate to advertise events, sell tickets, and socialize on “The Wall.”Students can best sum up the undergrad experience with one word: balance.
Residence Life
Because all undergraduates are required to live on campus, the students who choose to attend Vanderbilt quickly become integrated into the Vanderbilt community. As of 2008, all freshmen will live together in the new Freshman Commons. This brand new complex facilitates relationships between the incoming, diverse freshman class as they embark on their Vanderbilt careers. Critical to the first year experience is the new Vanderbilt Visions program, which helps facilitate the transition into life at Vanderbilt. The program begins on move-in day with a comprehensive orientation program and continues until December. Distinguished by weekly meetings with a 15-person Visions group co-led by professors and upperclass students, Vanderbilt Visions allows first year students to discuss issues of transition and the Vanderbilt experience, traditions, and community. Vanderbilt’s walking campus accommodates the needs of students through campus access to laundry facilities, dining options, and a chapel.
Alternative Spring Break
The original program of its kind, Vanderbilt’s Alternative Spring Break (ASB) annually sends students into needy communities over spring break. Vanderbilt ASB is also one of the largest programs in the country. In 2007, over 500 students traveled to nearly thirty destinations across the United States, Canada, and Mexico to face issues ranging from Native American issues to urban violence. The ASB Executive Board states, “Our mission is to promote critical thinking, social action and continued community involvement by combining education and direct service on the local, regional, national and international levels.”
Greek Life
While Greek life plays a significant role at Vanderbilt, less than half of the student body participates in fraternities or sororities. Unlike most southern schools, Vanderbilt offers a deferred recruitment process. New member recruitment occurs during the spring semester of freshman year, giving new students a chance to adjust to college life and make friends in the fall semester. Students at Vanderbilt can choose from nineteen fraternities and twelve sororities, including Asian, Hispanic, and historically black Greek organizations. All parties are open to the entire student body, and only officers (usually around six) live in the Greek houses on campus.
Athletics
A member of the Southeastern Conference, Vanderbilt offers Division I athletics in addition to club and intramural sports. Vanderbilt University maintains a proud tradition of Black and Gold (the school colors) in intercollegiate sports, including six men’s and ten women’s varsity teams. Students enjoy attending games to cheer and to socialize, and although Vanderbilt is the smallest and only private member in a conference of giants, the Commodores are becoming a stronger program each year. Specifically, in 2007, seven of the sixteen varsity teams were ranked in the top-25; men’s basketball made the Sweet Sixteen, women’s bowling won a national championship, and men’s basketball was ranked #1 in the nation for 18 weeks in a row. Vanderbilt athletes strive for excellence both on the field/court and in the classroom.
Local Community
Although students from outside the South may tiptoe with curiosity into Nashville, they are certain to fall in love with the city soon after arriving. “Music City” claims the country’s“third coast,” featuring musicians from many genres and backgrounds, who can be seen performing all over the city. In addition to its renowned live music scene, Nashville boasts a rich cultural and educational heritage. Sixteen other universities call Nashville home, as do the only exact replica of Greece’s Parthenon, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, the Tennessee government and state capital, the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, and the NHL’s Nashville Predators. Nashville also features diversity usually reserved for more sizable cities, with the largest Kurdish population in the United States and thriving Asian, Hispanic, and African communities.
Vanderbilt’s location near downtown Nashville provides easy access to Nashville’s best restaurants and hottest night spots, and students often walk to nearby parks. When Vandy students need to get away for a weekend, Nashville also provides an ideal location from which to travel, as it is served by an international airport featuring service from seventeen airlines, and easy access to three major interstate highways.
Alumni
The original gates of Vanderbilt University, still located at the main entrance to campus, have ushered generations of Vanderbilt students into the world with great success. Vanderbilt graduates are equipped with strong analytical, critical thinking and writing skills, and they have many options upon graduation.
The Career Center at Vanderbilt assists students in the job search. Career counselors offer standard services such as resume review, and recruiters also come on campus to conduct information sessions and interviews at the Career Center. In fact, more than 300 recruiters came to campus in a recent year. Vanderbilt students also have access to career testing, an alumni mentor search engine, and career workshops. While the majority of Vanderbilt graduates enter the workforce upon graduation, close to 50% attend graduate programs. Vanderbilt’s rigorous academics and excellent reputation make it a wonderful springboard for further education. Law, business, and medicine are popular options for postgraduate study.
Prominent Grads
• Tom Schulman, ’72, Academy Awardwinning screenwriter (Dead Poet’s Society)
• Tipper Gore, ’76, Wife of Former Vice-President
• Will Perdue,’88, ESPN Radio Commentator; Former NBA World Champion with Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs
• Fred Thompson,’67, Movie, TV Actor, Former U.S. Senator
• Dr. Norman Shumway,’49, Transplant Pioneer at Stanford
• Lamar Alexander, ’62, Current U.S. Senator from Tennessee, Former Secretary of Education, Former Governor of Tennessee
• Ann S. Moore, ’71, CEO and Chairwoman, Time Inc.
• James Neal, ’57, Watergate Counsel
• Karl Dean, ’81, Mayor, Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County
• Perry Wallace, ’70, SEC’s First African-American Basketball Player, Law Professor, Washington, D.C.
• Sam Feist, ’91, Senior Executive Producer, CNN
• The Late Grantland Rice, ’01 (1901), Legendary Sportswriter
• James Patterson, ’70, Best-selling Crime-Suspense Novelist
• The Late Robert Penn Warren, ’25, Author and Three-Time Pulitzer Prize Winner (All The Kings Men) m Dr. Mildred Stahlman, ’46, Neonatology Pioneer at Vanderbilt
• Dr. Thomas Frist, Jr., ’61, Chairman, Founder, Hospital Corporation of America
• Chantelle Anderson, ’03, Two-time First Team All-American
Faculty
A prestigious research institution, Vanderbilt employs many professors who have received and are receiving notable recognition in their fields. However, professors at Vanderbilt truly enjoy both the teaching and the research aspects of their profession. In fact, many professors choose Vanderbilt because it is a school where they can focus on teaching relationships in addition to conducting excellent research. To this end, almost all of the professors hold office hours, and they continually make themselves available via email, phone, or appointment. Vandy boasts a 9:1 student to faculty ratio; in contrast to many research universities, Vanderbilt can also boast that ninety-five percent of a typical undergraduate’s courses are taught by professors. With such personal attention, undergraduates never doubt that the faculty at Vanderbilt genuinely care about their students.