Vanderbilt ACT Scores and GPA

What are Vanderbilt's average ACT scores and GPA? In this guide, we'll discuss what scores are needed for you to get admitted into Vanderbilt. You'll also get to calculate your own chances with our admissions calculator.

Location: Nashville, TN

This school is also known as: Vandy, Vanderbilt University

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Vanderbilt Admissions Statistics

There are three critical numbers when considering your admissions chances: ACT scores, GPA, and acceptance rate. All these combine to tell you what you scores are required to get into Vanderbilt University.


Average ACT: 35

The average ACT score composite at Vanderbilt is a 35.

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The 25th percentile ACT score is 34, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 35.

In other words, a 34 places you below average, while a 35 will move you up to above average. There's no absolute ACT requirement at Vanderbilt, but they really want to see at least a 34 to have a chance at being considered.


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Average GPA: 3.9

The average GPA at Vanderbilt is 3.9. This makes Vanderbilt Extremely Competitive for GPAs.

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(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.

With a GPA of 3.9, Vanderbilt requires you to be at the top of your class. You'll need nearly straight A's in all your classes to compete with other applicants. You should also have taken plenty of AP or IB classes to show your ability to excel in academic challenge.

If you're a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change from this point on. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 3.9, you'll need a higher ACT score to compensate and show that you're prepared to take on college academics. This will help you compete effectively with other applicants.



Admissions Rate: 6.3%

The acceptance rate at Vanderbilt is 6.3%. In other words, of 100 students who apply, only 6 are admitted.

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This means the school is very selective. Scores are vital to getting past their first round of filters. After that, you will need to impress them beyond just your academic scores.



Final Admissions Verdict

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Because this school is extremely selective, getting a high ACT score and GPA is vital to having a chance at getting in. If you don't pass their ACT and GPA requirements, they'll likely reject you without much consideration.

To be safe, you should aim for the 75th percentile, with a 35 ACT and a 3.9 GPA or higher to be above average.

This is only part of the challenge - after this, you'll need to impress them beyond your academic scores, with your accomplishments and extracurriculars. But if you apply with a 35 ACT or below, you unfortunately have a small chance of getting in.


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Admissions Calculator

What are your chances of admission at Vanderbilt University?
Chances of admission with these scores:

Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are.

Pick your test: ACT

ACT Score
Your GPA

Note: Your admission decision relies not only on your GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but also on your coursework difficulty, extracurriculars, letters of recommendation, and personal statements. This tool provides only a simplistic estimate of your chances of admission. Instead of treating this tool as a crystal ball, we recommend you consider the big picture of what your chance means:
  • 80-100%: Safety school: Strong chance of getting in
  • 50-80%: More likely than not getting in
  • 20-50%: Lower but still good chance of getting in
  • 5-20%: Reach school: Unlikely to get in, but still have a shot
  • 0-5%: Hard reach school: Very difficult to get in
We recommend you apply to schools across a range of chances. Applying to some safety schools will guarantee you have a college to go to, while applying to some reach schools will give you a shot at getting into the school at the top of your range.
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Other Schools For You

If you're interested in Vanderbilt, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. We've divided them into 3 categories depending on how hard they are to get into, relative to Vanderbilt.


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Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into

These schools are have higher average ACT scores than Vanderbilt. If you improve your ACT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 1540 35
Brown University Providence, RI 1540 35
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA 1543 35

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Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into

If you're competitive for Vanderbilt, these schools will offer you a similar chance of admission.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Princeton University Princeton, NJ 1518 34
Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA 1485 34
Tufts University Medford, MA 1500 34
Villanova University Villanova, PA 1440 33
University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 1470 33
Emory University Atlanta, GA 1484 33
University of Washington Seattle, WA 1410 32

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Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

If you're currently competitive for Vanderbilt, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If Vanderbilt is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY 1428 32
Boston University Boston, MA 1418 32
Binghamton University Binghamton, NY 1430 31

Data on this page is sourced from Peterson's Databases © 2024 (Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.) as well as additional publicly available sources.


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