Frequently Asked Questions

International students are eligible to apply for any of our merit scholarships. Please note, scholarships are extremely competitive and full tuition awards are rare.

No, international financial aid is only available to incoming freshmen.

Vanderbilt does not require the TOEFL if you have completed three of your last four educational years in an English-speaking school. However, if you are enrolled in an English as a Second Language (ESL) or English Language Learner (ELL) program, the TOEFL is recommended. Students are also exempt from the TOEFL if they score a 600 or above on the critical reading section of the SAT reasoning exam.

We offer a limited amount of financial aid for international students. Competition for these funds is intense, and we are not able to offer financial aid to every student who would be successful at Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt considers you an international student if you are a citizen of any nation other than the United States of America. You are not considered an international student if you are a dual U.S. citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident, refugee/asylee, or a U.S. citizen living abroad.

Interviews are not part of the admission process for Vanderbilt, and anytime you speak or meet with an admissions officer it is simply a casual conversation, not an evaluation. Some applicants may choose to participate in our optional Alumni Interview Program. Currently London is the only city overseas with an alumni interview program, though interviews are available to international students in many different areas of the U.S.

International students overseas will receive an e-mail indicating the admission decision, followed by a formal letter. Admitted students will receive admission packets via express mail service.

Your citizenship determines how we process the paperwork of your application, but not how we review your application. Any student who attends school outside the U.S. will work with our international recruiter so that cultural and educational differences are kept in perspective throughout the review process.

No. We cannot accept substitutions to the testing requirements. All applicants, freshman and transfer, need to submit scores from either the SAT Reasoning Exam or the ACT.

Vanderbilt does NOT offer conditional admission. We do have an English Language Center but it is separate from our degree programs. If you apply to ELC you are applying to enter only the language program and admission to the university is not guaranteed. Students applying to Vanderbilt University should be prepared to enter directly into our English-speaking classrooms.

Please notify our office as soon as you receive approval for U.S. permanent residency. Once you obtain this status, you are no longer considered an international student in our process and may then be eligible for federal and/or institutional financial aid.

No. If you have U.S. citizenship or permanent residency you are not considered an international student and do not need to complete the international supplement.

Transfer credits are only reviewed AFTER a student has been offered admission. Once an offer of admission has been made, a faculty committee in the school in which the student has been admitted reviews his or her transcripts. The Office of Admissions does not work with credit transfer.

No. Vanderbilt University does not allow students to choose how they apply to the university. If you are currently attending or have previously attended a university full time you must apply for admission as a transfer student. You may only apply for freshman admission if you have completed the equivalent of 11 credit hours or less (usually three college courses).

Yes. If you attend a school that can provide accurate predicted IB scores, we will need them for review.

Yes. All non-U.S. citizens need to complete the International Supplement.

No. If you need to apply for international financial assistance, you must apply for Regular Decision admission.

We make very few full-funding offers, only one or two per year if any.

No. A family‘s ability to finance the cost of attending Vanderbilt is a factor in the admissions process for international students. The more assistance a student requires, the less likely it will be for that student to gain admission.

To be considered for International Financial Aid you should complete the international student financial aid application, which you can find online.

After students are offered admission they will then work with Vanderbilt‘s International Student Services and Scholars Office (ISSS) on visa issues. ISSS will contact students regarding necessary documentation, orientation and other relevant information for international students.

Vanderbilt will waive the application fee if it proves to be a financial burden for the applicant. Please have your school counselor or another school official request a waiveron your behalf.