The Vandy Admissions Blog

Thom September 29th, 2009

The New York Times draws attention to the important topic of economic diversity on American college campuses.   U. S. News and World Report’s ranking of top colleges by economic diversity is based on the percentage of undergraduates eligible for federal Pell grants.  While this is only one way to measure economic diversity, it is somewhat the nationally accepted measure.

I thought I’d share the link, enjoy: NY Times > Economix Blog > Poor Students at Rich Colleges

• Diversity at Vanderbilt
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Thom September 14th, 2009

Annually, the Office of Enrollment Management takes the official enrollment snapshot for Vanderbilt University.  This morning, our Vice Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions issued a report to the University community regarding the incoming class of 2009 and the state of the enrollment for Vanderbilt.  The full report can be viewed on the Office of the Registrar’s page, but here’s the admissions related highlights:

• Vanderbilt’s Undergraduate Enrollment: 6,794
• Incoming Class of 2008-09: 1,599

Admissions-related statistics for the incoming class of 2009:

• Total Applications: 19,353 (up 14% over last year)
• Percent Admitted Overall: 20%
• Percent of incoming class in the top 10% of their HS graduating class: 86%
• SAT (M + CR) Middle 50%: 1350-1520
• ACT Composite Middle 50%: 30-34
• Percent of incoming class identifying as a student of color: 29%
• Percent of incoming class that is international: 5.3% (up from 4.6% last year)

• Diversity at Vanderbilt , VU Admissions Statistics
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Thom February 13th, 2009

MOSAIC: adj, composed of a combination of diverse elements, etymologically rooted in the Greek word “mouseîon ” for “work of the Muses” c. 1400

Early next week our office will be mailing invitations for Vanderbilt’s MOSAIC 2009.  This program is geared to highlight the vast diversity of Vanderbilt (One of the nation’s most diverse and inclusive leading Universities according to a recent report from the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education) for newly admitted students of color for the incoming class of 2009.  MOSAIC is our signature multicultural student recruitment program and one that we are incredibly proud of, not only for rave reviews it gets from students (it has the highest percentage of students who attend who ultimately enroll of any program we run), but also that it has become a program that literally the entire VU community has bought in to.  You see it from the fact that admitted students who attend are hosted by current Vanderbilt students (from an amazingly diverse background), to the central role that the Vanderbilt cultural student organizations play in the planning and coordination of the program, to the fact that the Vanderbilt NPHC fraternity and sorority step show, a highly popular community-wide event, is coordinated to coincide with MOSAIC weekend.

A couple of key facts about our MOSAIC invites:

• Students invited to MOSAIC receive a packet that informs them that they will be admitted to Vanderbilt, even though their official admit packet will not arrive until the beginning of April, when all of the rest of the decision letters go out.
• Not all students of color who will ultimately be admitted to Vanderbilt can be invited to MOSAIC.  It’s a space and program capacity issue.  We utilize a competitive and holistic review process to select who gets invited to the program.
• DO NOT assume that if you are a student of color and you are not invited to MOSAIC, that you are de facto denied to VU.  Your application is still under consideration, and you will receive your admission decision at the beginning of April.

Congrats to all invited MOSAIC students, and welcome to the Commodore community as newly admitted students to Vanderbilt.  We hope to see you in March!

• Application Process , Diversity at Vanderbilt , MOSAIC - VU's Multicultural Student Recruitment Program
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Thom December 13th, 2008

Happy December,

The Early Decision letters have officially left 2305 West End Avenue as of noon today. I speak for our whole office when I say that this was a very impressive pool both academically and personally.

Overall, the ED 1 pool was larger (albeit slightly) than in years past and while we were excited to see the pool grow in numbers, we were even more thrilled to see an increase in both depth and talent. Indeed, this was the largest, most talented, and most diverse Early Decision group in Vanderbilt’s history. Regarding diversity, Vanderbilt had significant increases in ED apps from African Americans (up 62%) and Asians or Asian Americans (up 72%). Applications were stable among Latino and American Indian populations. Keep in mind that it is generally our practice to not publish academic quality statistics until the entire admitted class is complete (at the end of regular decision).

Consequently, we had some very interesting and difficult discussions. Ultimately, we admitted slightly more than 45% of Early Decision 1 applicants.

Please remember that we always have, and always will conduct a holistic, need-blind admissions process. So many students augmented their academic performance with co-curricular involvement, leadership, commitment to diversity, intellectualism, creativity, musical talent, and service. We value these, and many other attributes when building a class.

All letters are sent in regular envelopes (i.e., the small ones) with first class postage. Weather, distance from Nashville, and holiday mailing volume all affect arrival times. Our office will release decisions by phone starting next Wednesday.

Congratulations to the newest Commodores, we are delighted that you chose to apply to Vanderbilt.

• Application Process , Diversity at Vanderbilt , Early Decision , VU Admissions Statistics
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Brad October 3rd, 2008

I might have the greatest job in the world. I get to travel. I get to meet intelligent, interesting young people. When not traveling, I go to work on a beautiful campus in the middle of Nashville. I even have a season baseball ticket.

Still, the best part is that I can make some promises that very few of my colleagues at other institutions can make. Before midnight on Wednesday, that list only included two. Now, with Vanderbilt’s new Expanded Financial Aid program, I can add a very important third commitment.

Brent already laid out the back story of our Expanded Aid Program and two of our student Vandy Bloggers, Chris and Jean, have chimed in with their take on the exciting news.

I am here to talk about each of those three promises, and how individually each is wonderful, but in concert, puts Vanderbilt into select company. So let’s get started.

Vanderbilt Meets 100% of demonstrated financial need.

Essentially, this means that Vanderbilt will cover whatever the difference is between what your family can afford and what Vanderbilt costs.

Essentially, you and your family fill out FAFSA and the College Board CSS Profile. Using a federal calculation (on the FAFSA) and an institutional calculation (with the much more specific CSS) Vanderbilt determines a number that amounts to the money your family can spend for one year of higher education. Let’s say it’s $10,000. That number is deducted from our total cost ($53,000) to get your need. The remaining $43,000 will be fully and totally met in your financial aid package.

A lot of schools make this promise, but they are unable to fund all of the students that they would like to admit. Which is where the second promise comes in.

Vanderbilt has a need-blind admissions process.

This means that we admit students completely based on their merits, talents and perspectives. Finances are never taken into account during the admissions process for any US citizen or permanent resident. Inside Higher Ed called need-blind the “gold standard” and I am most proud of this promise. It guarantees that Vanderbilt is accessible to anyone who will contribute to our intellectual and social community. It’s as simple as that.

Vanderbilt will no longer package NEED BASED Financial Aid loans

Promise three is the icing on the cake. We want students to have enriching academic experiences while on our campus and not have to choose academic programs with loan repayment in mind. We want students to have the motivation and financial means to pursue graduate school, work in the service sector and become community leaders and educators.

Occasionally I make these promises to families who simply do not believe it. That perhaps there is a catch or that it’s simply too good to be true. I assure you, there is no fine print. These commitments are legitimate and stand at the philosophical core of what we do. I encourage you to get in touch with our financial aid office if you have any questions. This is an exciting time for Vanderbilt and regardless of your ability to pay, you can be a part of it.

I promise.

• Advice for Parents , Application Process , Diversity at Vanderbilt , Scholarships and Financial Aid
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