Strongest and most selective of schools that still manage to blend Old South gentility with modern ways. Long a preferred choice for Atlanta and Birmingham elites, Vandy has become more diverse, geographically and otherwise. More selective than Emory and now comparable to Duke among leading schools south of the Mason-Dixon line. One of the few major universities where both academics and athletics are top-notch.

Once a quiet, conservative school in the heart of the South, Vanderbilt University has diversified its student body and brought a more cosmopolitan atmosphere to campus. Coats, ties, and pearls may be giving way to Commodore fan gear at football games these days, but the university has succeeded in marrying Old South gentility with modern attitudes. The result is a relaxed, friendly culture that makes the rigorous academic environment easier to handle. “Students looking for a balance between great academics and a solid social life need to look at Vandy,” counsels a history major.

Founded in 1873 by railroad and shipping magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, the university’s 330-acre tract in Nashville is an arboretum and includes Peabody College, the central section of which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. On the main campus, art and sculptures dot the landscape, and architectural styles range from Gothic to modern glass and brick. The Sarratt Student Center serves as a social hub, with a movie theater, Rand Dining Hall, a pub, and offices for student organizations. Construction is underway on three new residential colleges, slated for completion in 2023.

Undergraduates choose one of four schools-College of Arts and Science, School of Engineering, Blair School of Music, or Peabody College of Education and Human Development-but everyone takes their core liberal arts courses in the College of Arts and Science, where the writing program is a standout. Immersion Vanderbilt, a graduation requirement, calls for every undergraduate to undertake an immersive learning experience (such as internships, fieldwork, or performances) culminating in a final project; students choose from four pathways: civic and professional, creative expression, international, and research. Optional first-year Commons “iSeminars” (project-based Immersion seminars) allow students to explore various topics in small groups with close faculty interaction; recent offerings have included everything from Drug Epidemics: What Lies Beneath? to Navigating the Visual Arts in Nashville.

Engineering, education, and music are particular strengths at Vandy. Popular majors include human and organizational development; engineering (especially mechanical); biological sciences; medicine, health, and society; and economics. Education majors who enroll at Peabody College are required to double major, usually in a liberal arts field. Many students interested in financial careers declare an economics major and pursue a business minor; there’s also a 3–2 program with the Owen Graduate School of Business, which lets talented undergraduates save a year on the path to their M.B.A.s.

“The academic climate of Vanderbilt is absolutely collaborative,” an elementary education major says. “It provides the academic rigor I was hoping for without any of the cutthroat aspect I was afraid would accompany such an academically challenging school.” Sixty-one percent of courses have fewer than 20 students, and in the classroom, Vanderbilt students are governed by the school’s honor system, which dates from 1875. The system governs all aspects of academic conduct and makes it possible for professors to give unproctored exams. Students rave about the faculty. “Many professors go out of their way to encourage students to get involved with research and internship opportunities,” comments a junior.

Vanderbilt’s study abroad program attracts 44 percent of students and offers the chance to spend a summer, a semester, or a year on one of six continents via more than 120 programs. The optional “Maymester” allows students to spend four weeks on a single project, helpful for double majors or those who’d like to embark on a short-term internship or overseas trip. About 60 percent of students, from all four undergraduate schools, participate in research, and many copublish articles. The campus is home to more than 100 interdisciplinary centers and institutes.

Ten percent of undergraduates are in-state residents, and 10 percent are international, coming from more than 50 countries. Asian Americans account for 14 percent of the student body, African Americans 11 percent, Hispanics 10 percent, and multiracial students 6 percent. Politically, Vanderbilt students are divided pretty evenly between conservatives, moderates, and liberals. “I would not describe Vanderbilt as an activist campus per se, but in my two years there have been several rallies and protests,” observes an English major. Vanderbilt employs a need-blind admissions process, meets full demonstrated need for all admitted students, and offers loan-free financial aid packages for students with demonstrated need. In addition to need-based aid, the university awards approximately 250 full-tuition merit scholarships, complete with summer stipends, to top admitted students through three signature merit scholarship programs. It also awards 242 athletic scholarships.

Eighty-five percent of Vanderbilt undergraduates live on campus. All first-year students live together in 10 Commons houses and take part in Vanderbilt Visions, a living/learning initiative designed to foster a sense of community among new students. Each first-year is assigned to a Visions group, which has about 18 students, a faculty advisor, and an upper-class peer mentor. In addition to meeting with their group once a week during the fall semester, students have opportunities to get to know the faculty who live in the various Commons houses. Students also compete in the Commons Cup. A junior explains, “You and your house compete in intramurals, sustainability, community service, and academics over the course of the whole year.” Three residential colleges for upper-class students are available as well. Other options for older students include 10-person townhouses, six-room suites, theme dorms, and school-owned apartments. Seniors may move off campus but must obtain a special waiver.

Vanderbilt has more than 20 dining facilities that “always provide a delicious array of options,” according to a junior, and all campus residents are required to buy a meal plan. The Taste of Nashville program allows students to use their meal money at two dozen local restaurants. Students report feeling safe on campus, thanks to an active security department that “watches out for Vanderbilt students and keeps us safe.” As for sexual assault awareness and prevention, one student says Vanderbilt “is facing this issue head-on,” especially through the efforts of the Project Safe Center.

Forty-three percent of the women and 27 percent of the men join the Greek system; while many Greek parties are open to the entire campus, the effort to encourage mixing between the groups is not always successful. “Fraternities and sororities start the social scene,” a senior says, “but certainly don’t encompass all aspects of Vanderbilt’s social life.” The first-year Commons campus is dry, but of-age students are allowed to have alcohol elsewhere on campus, although open containers are banned in public and kegs are also taboo. As at many colleges, one student says, “underage students can find loopholes.” Students get involved in more than 500 student organizations. Favorite Vanderbilt traditions are the Commodore Quake and Rites of Spring music festivals, Founders Walk, and the Anchor Dash, when all the first-years run onto the football field before the first home game.

Vanderbilt’s proximity to Music City USA provides plenty to do. “Nashville is so much fun,” cheers one senior. “The list of excellent restaurants, bars, shopping, and live music venues is endless.” Country music fans shouldn’t miss the Hall of Fame. Beyond Nashville’s borders are the Great Smoky Mountains and state parks with picnic facilities, beautiful lakes, and skiing in the winter. The best road trips are to Memphis (home of Elvis), New Orleans (for Mardi Gras), and Louisville (for the Kentucky Derby). Students also engage in the local community through a variety of service-oriented programs. Alternative Spring Break, which takes students to more than 30 service sites across the country for volunteer work during spring break, is Vandy’s largest student-run organization.

Vanderbilt may be the smallest-and the only private-institution in the competitive and football-crazy Division I Southeastern Conference, but there is no shortage of enthusiasm among Commodore fans. Vandy reconfigured its athletic program some years ago in an effort to cut costs. Instead of losing ground (as many feared), the programs have thrived. The baseball team is a perennial powerhouse, bringing home national titles in 2014 and 2019, while the women’s tennis and soccer teams are recent conference champs. The Vanderbilt Aerospace Club has won NASA’s annual Student Launch Challenge, an eight-monthlong rocketry competition, several times in recent years. There are 32 club sports for weekend jocks, as well as more than 40 intramural sports leagues.

Vanderbilt sits squarely among the top universities in the nation and has capitalized on its unique blend of Southern charm and scholarly achievement to attract students from around the country and beyond. Four years here do carry a steep before-financial-aid sticker price; witness a tongue-in-cheek campus slogan, “Vanderbilt: It Even Sounds Expensive.” But for many, investing in a Vanderbilt education is money well spent.

-Fiske Guide