the average gpa of students accepted to vanderbilt is 3.8 out of 4.0. that\u2019s pretty steep, and will require that you have almost entirely a\u2019s on your transcript for the duration of your high school career. <\/p>\n

a good way to raise your gpa is by excelling in plenty of honors, ib, and\/or ap classes. depending on how your high school calculates your gpa, these courses are often weighted more heavily and therefore naturally raise your gpa. <\/p>\n

for that matter, if you\u2019re considering highly selective universities, you\u2019ll want to do well in challenging, higher-level courses because doing so indicates that you\u2019re prepared for the rigor of college. <\/p>\n

word to the wise though: after your first two years of high school it\u2019s quite difficult to change your gpa significantly. so if you want to be a competitive applicant, you\u2019ll want to start getting high grades early on and keep it up for 4 years! <\/p>\n

also, it’s important to know, realistically, that even<\/strong> with a very high gpa, vanderbilt’s acceptance is very low. the following admissions percentages for various gpas illustrate this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

high school gpa<\/th>\n	% of freshman accepted <\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
3.75+\n<\/td>\n	63%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3.50 to 3.75\n<\/td>\n	21%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3.25 to 3.50\n<\/td>\n	10%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n3.00 to 3.25\n<\/td>\n	3%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2.75 to 3.00\n<\/td>\n	2%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2.50 to 2.75\n<\/td>\n	1%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2.25 to 2.50\n<\/td>\n	0%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n <\/p>\n notice that most significantly, your chances greatly diminish if your gpa is lower than 3.50. what this tells us is that in the recipe for how to get into vanderbilt, a good gpa is just one ingredient. <\/p>\n more about vanderbilt\u2019s acceptance rate<\/h2>\n historically, vanderbilt\u2019s admissions rate is about 12%, but a growing applicant pool is making things more competitive (the regular decision admissions rate for 2023 was 6.3%!). while the acceptance rate climbed ever so slightly up 7% for the class of 2024, interest in vanderbilt remains high, making admissions competitive.<\/p>\n for the class of 2024<\/a>, 32,376 regular decision students applied and 2,907 were accepted. <\/p>\n according to this article<\/a>, the class of 2024 has the highest test scores in history, meaning that you’re going to have to be an impressive candidate to get in!<\/p>\n vanderbilt freshman profile <\/h2>\n <\/p>\n “my love for nashville was a huge part of why i applied to vanderbilt. in fact, i fell in love with nashville before i fell in love with the vanderbilt, which is unlike my experience with other schools i toured…now that i live in nashville, there are so many amazing sites to see, restaurants to try and memories to be made. i don’t feel like i am lost in a big city, and also don’t feel like i’m confined to a small college town. i love that the southern culture is evident outside campus, yet only 30% of the student body is from the south so you still get a diverse experience.” — il0913, admitsee<\/a><\/div>\n so who are <\/strong>these highly impressive students being admitted to vanderbilt? <\/p>\n the most recent vanderbilt freshman profile<\/a> published reflects tons of data on the class of 2022, which gives us a good indication of the type of students getting into vandy. <\/p>\n most notably, the students admitted to the class of 2022 (the most recent data released) are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n female<\/td>\n 51%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n male<\/td>\n 49%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n american indian or alaska native<\/td>\n 0.3%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n asian or hawaiian\/pacific islander\n<\/td>\n 15.4%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n black\/african american\n<\/td>\n 11.9%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n hispanic of any race\n<\/td>\n 10.1%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n two or more races\n<\/td>\n 5.6%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n total minority\n<\/td>\n 43.2%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n international\n<\/td>\n 12.4%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n students receiving financial assistance\n<\/td>\n 66%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n students receiving pell grants\n<\/td>\n 15%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n <\/p>\n the profile also includes lots of interesting information on enrollment by region, financial aid awarded, etc. but really, the most noteworthy trend in vanderbilt\u2019s admissions is that the student body is becoming decidedly more diverse, which is a great thing!<\/p>\n vanderbilt admissions requirements <\/h2>\n so what will you actually need to gather and submit if you plan to apply to vanderbilt?<\/p>\n you\u2019ll find everything you need to know in vanderbilt\u2019s undergraduate admissions<\/a> overview including admissions requirements for homeschool applicants, international applicants, transfer applicants, questbridge applicants, and blair school of music applicants. <\/p>\n but for convenience, here\u2019s an application checklist for first-year applicants:<\/p>\n \n a completed coalition application<\/a> or common application<\/a> (remember that for either application, you will need to write an essay; here\u2019s a guide to writing a common app essay<\/a> that will help you get you accepted!)<\/li>\n a $50 application fee or fee waiver<\/li>\n official high school transcripts <\/li>\n letter of recommendation from your school counselor <\/li>\n two letters of recommendation from academic teachers who know you and can speak to your academic talent, growth, potential, and character (p.s. here\u2019s a great guide to asking for a letter of recommendation<\/a>!)<\/li>\n official sat and\/or act scores, or toefl or ielts scores for non-native english speakers <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n vanderbilt admissions faqs<\/h2>\n this is a super sweet, comprehensive list of vanderbilt faqs<\/a>, covering everything from academics to financial aid. and you\u2019ll be hard-pressed to think of a question about applying to vanderbilt<\/a> that isn\u2019t included. <\/p>\n among the most common faqs:<\/p>\n does vanderbilt interview?<\/h3>\n interviews are not part of the formal application process, but some interviews with vanderbilt alumni are available to prospective students looking to learn more about the school. here is more information on vanderbilt interviews<\/a>. <\/p>\n does vanderbilt give credit for ap classes?<\/h3>\n yep! vanderbilt awards college credit to ap test scores of 4-5 and ib test scores of 6-7. here\u2019s more information about the required scores<\/a> for specific exams. <\/p>\n is vanderbilt need-blind?<\/h3>\n yes, which means that your financial need is not taken into consideration when reviewing your application. you can read more about vanderbilt\u2019s financial aid<\/a>, but know that vanderbilt commits to funding 100% of accepted students\u2019 demonstrated need and does not give out financial aid in the form of loans. <\/p>\n how to get into vanderbilt<\/h2>\n wondering how to get into vanderbilt, in a nutshell? here\u2019s the short answer based on everything we\u2019ve gone over: be an academic rockstar! <\/p>\n the real key, though, is to make sure that your application is impressive all the way around. a high gpa or excellent sat scores on their own won\u2019t cut it. <\/p>\n beyond the combined powers of a high gpa and high test scores, what can you do to make your application stand out?<\/p>\n \n write a truly outstanding essay. make sure that your essay paints a unique and compelling portrait of yourself while being well crafted and perfectly polished. we recommend revising it many times, so start drafting it early!<\/li>\n get the best letters of recommendation possible. don\u2019t ask teachers who don\u2019t really know you or your academic work, and don\u2019t ask under a time crunch. give your teachers ample time to put the proper thought and energy into recommending you. a meaningful letter of recommendation can be a game-changer on a college application!<\/li>\n participate in plenty of extracurricular and\/or service-based activities. the more, the better, especially if you\u2019ve been in a leadership position (e.g. a team captain). <\/li>\n don\u2019t be afraid to brag. if you have awards, honors, or publications, for example, list them on your application! <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n remember that the key is to stress why you want to join the vanderbilt community and what you can contribute to it. the more well-rounded you are, the better chances you have of getting accepted.<\/p>\n and of course, since standardized tests are so integral to your application, start studying early! here is a great, free 1-week sat free trial<\/a> as well as a great 1-week act free trial<\/a> to get you started! <\/p>\n good luck!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" vanderbilt university, also sometimes affectionately known as \u201cvandy,\u201d is one of the best colleges in the nation located one of the hippest cities ever, nashville, tennessee. vanderbilt is a highly prestigious, highly selective private research institute known equally for its acclaimed music school and medical center. currently ranked #14 in national universities, vanderbilt draws the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":267,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[215],"ppma_author":[24877],"class_list":["post-13281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-college-admissions","tag-act-sat"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n