Immersion Vanderbilt

Immersion Vanderbilt, an initiative of the Academic Strategic Plan, calls for each undergraduate student to participate in an intensive learning experience that takes place in and beyond the classroom, culminating in the creation of a tangible final project. Students can engage in one of four pathways: civic and professional, creative expression, international, or research. Immersion Vanderbilt will help students explore their passions, transform ideas into action, and make a difference in the world.

Yes! A network of resources across the university gives students the option of engaging in Immersion Vanderbilt outside their home school/college, including in the professional schools.

The requirements of Immersion Vanderbilt are flexible to allow students to complete them in and/or beyond the classroom. Requirements may also be completed outside of the academic year. Students may use more than one experience to complete their projects and may choose whether to incorporate classroom work into their plans.

The short answer is no. Immersion Vanderbilt does not ask students to do more work. But, they may have to work differently.

Students have been doing this before it was a requirement and without the support that Immersion Vanderbilt provides: approximately 75% of recent Vanderbilt graduates have had at least one potential immersion experience.

Through Immersion Vanderbilt, students have access to a network of resources, including the Office of Immersion Resources, which helps students identify immersion opportunities at Vanderbilt and throughout the world. Students who may not have done something immersive before now have the chance, with extensive support to follow their passions and undertake a project that will define their time at Vanderbilt.

Yes! Transfer students will be able to complete Immersion Vanderbilt. Following the timeline for first-year students, Immersion Vanderbilt will be a graduation requirement for sophomore transfer students starting in Fall 2019 and junior transfer students starting in Fall 2020. Students who transfer into Vanderbilt as sophomores will be required to submit an Immersion plan by the end of their sophomore year and follow the regular Immersion timeline. Students who transfer into Vanderbilt as juniors will be required to submit an Immersion plan by the end of the fall semester of their junior year. They will be required to complete their junior year check-in prior to Fall Break of their senior year. Transfer students will be allowed and encouraged to transfer in with experiences that may count towards the completion of Immersion Vanderbilt requirements. Students are not able to transfer in with a completed Immersion project.

Vanderbilt University has demonstrated a commitment to ensuring students and faculty have support to make Immersion Vanderbilt a success. The Office of Immersion Resources has been working with partners across campus to ensure that advisers are available to assist students as they explore plan ideas and begin their immersion experiences. As Immersion grows across campus, the resource network will commensurately expand.

There are several existing funding sources that can be used for Immersion Vanderbilt projects, including Global Summer Fellows funding through GEO, research funding through VUSRP, funding for humanitarian projects through the Nichols Humanitarian Fund, and summer funding through Vanderbilt scholarship programs. Students are also allowed to work for pay as part of their immersion experience. A webpage dedicated to funding sources will be live in February 2020.