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 completion of a final project. Students can learn about Immersion possibilities through the four pathways: Civic & Professional, Creative Expression, International, and Research. Working with an Immersion faculty adviser every step of the way, and supported by a network of offices across the entire campus, students pursue a goal through experiential learning that is punctuated by their final project. Immersion Vanderbilt helps 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 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 been engaging in immersive experiences well before the requirement. 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! Following the timeline for first-year students, Immersion Vanderbilt is a graduation requirement for sophomore transfer students who started in Fall 2020 and junior transfer students starting in Fall 2021. Students who transfer into Vanderbilt as sophomores are 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 Affirmation Statement prior to fall break of their senior year. Transfer students are allowed to transfer in with experiences that may count towards the completion of Immersion Vanderbilt requirements. Their Immersion faculty adviser will decide what can be counted toward their ongoing Immersion plan at Vanderbilt. 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.

Most Immersion Vanderbilt plans and projects are based on those activities that students already undertake as part of their majors or extracurricular activities. Immersion Vanderbilt does not have to cost students anything extra to complete. Students can even include paid experience as part of their Immersion plans. When an Immersion plan will include extra costs, students are encouraged to apply for funding sources that can be used for Immersion Vanderbilt projects. Examples include Global Summer Fellows funding through GEO, research funding through VUSRP, and humanitarian project funding through the Nichols Humanitarian Fund.

As Immersion Vanderbilt continues to be implemented across campus, there is a growing list of funding sources that are being used for Immersion projects based on fit between the experience and the guidelines of the particular funds. Find out about other programs and funding sources available to support students as they create their Immersion plans and explore experiential learning at Vanderbilt.