Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars Program

The Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars Program is a partnership between Vanderbilt University and Metro Nashville Public Schools that offers scholarships covering required direct costs to eligible MNPS students. Through this partnership, Vanderbilt pledges to increase the number of MNPS graduates who are admitted to and enroll at Vanderbilt, and to work with MNPS college counselors, teachers and administrators to prepare more MNPS graduates to be successful in the admissions process at selective colleges and universities. 

aerial photograph of downtown Nashville with Vanderbilt's campus in the foreground. white clouds in in a bright blue sky

About the Scholarship

The Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars Program covers required direct costs at Vanderbilt, including tuition, fees, housing, and meals – currently valued at approximately $94,000. Scholars also receive a one-time summer stipend of $6,000 after the second or third year at Vanderbilt to offset costs associated with summer internships. 

Scholarship Eligibility

To be eligible for the Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars Program, students must meet the following requirements:

How to Apply

To be considered for the Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars Program, eligible students must:

  • Apply to Vanderbilt through one of Vanderbilt’s Early Decision plans:
    • Early Decision I – apply by November 1
    • Early Decision II – apply by January 1

Note: students who apply through the QuestBridge National College Match and meet other criteria are eligible for the scholarship.

Eligible students who apply through the Early Decision plans and for financial aid will be automatically considered for the Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars Program.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Which schools qualify?
    • Antioch High School
    • Cane Ridge High School
    • East Nashville Magnet High School
    • Glencliff High School
    • Hillsboro High School
    • Hume-Fogg High School
    • Hunters Lane High School
    • Intrepid College Prep - Independence Academy
    • James Lawson High School
    • John Overton High School
    • KIPP Antioch Global High School
    • KIPP Nashville Collegiate High School
    • Knowledge Academy at the Crossings
    • LEAD Academy High School
    • LEAD Southeast High School
    • Maplewood High School
    • Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet High School
    • McGavock High School
    • MNPS Early College High School
    • MNPS Virtual School Nashville
    • Big Picture High School
    • Nashville School Of The Arts
    • Pearl-Cohn High School
    • RePublic High School
    • STEM Preparatory High School
    • Stratford STEM Magnet High School
    • The Academy at Hickory Hollow
    • The Academy at Old Cockrill
    • The Academy at Opry Mills
    • Valor College Prep
    • Whites Creek High School
  • What does the scholarship cover?

    The Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars Program award covers the required direct costs at Vanderbilt, including tuition, fees, housing, and meals (currently valued at approximately $94,000). The scholarship also provides a one-time summer stipend of $6,000 after the second or third year at Vanderbilt to offset costs associated with summer internships. The scholarship is awarded for a total of four years (8 semesters) of undergraduate study. Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress to receive the scholarship each year.

  • Who is eligible to receive the Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars Program award?

    To be eligible for the scholarship, you must graduate from a Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) zoned, magnet, or charter high school and be admitted to Vanderbilt through Early Decision I or Early Decision II or matched to Vanderbilt through the QuestBridge National College Match. In addition, you must qualify for a Federal Pell Grant or your parent adjusted gross income must be $100K or less, and you must apply for need-based financial aid through the College Board Financial Aid Profile and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (for US Citizens and eligible non-citizens).

  • What types of scholarship and grant assistance are used to provide the Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars Program award?

    Vanderbilt’s scholarship pledge can be funded based upon the following types of financial assistance administered by Vanderbilt:

    • Vanderbilt need-based assistance
    • Vanderbilt merit-based assistance including Athletics
    • Vanderbilt Faculty-Staff tuition benefit
    • State of Tennessee General Merit Assembly Scholarship
    • State of Tennessee Aspire Scholarship
    • State of Tennessee Hope Scholarship
    • State of Tennessee Ned McWherter Scholarship
    • Federal Pell Grant
    • Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (Federal SEOG)
    • Tennessee Student Assistance Award
    • Outside sources of assistance (e.g., outside scholarships, outside tuition benefits, VA Benefits, ROTC Scholarships)
  • What is the deadline to apply for financial aid?

    We recommend applying for financial aid by the priority filing deadline for each decision plan, listed on our Apply page. 

  • How do you define parent income?

    Income for purposes of determining eligibility for the Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars Program award is defined as the parent adjusted gross income (AGI) on the tax information or equivalent used in the application process.

  • If I apply Early Decision but Vanderbilt chooses to defer my admission to Regular Decision, would I still qualify?

    Yes. Each year, Vanderbilt defers a limited number of students to Regular Decision who originally apply in either Early Decision I or Early Decision II. If Vanderbilt defers your application to the Regular Decision round, you would still qualify for the Nashville Vanderbilt Scholarship.

  • If I apply through the QuestBridge National College Match and I am not a Match Finalist or I am a Match Finalist and I do not get matched, could I still be considered for the scholarship?

    If a student is not selected as a QuestBridge National College Match Finalist or decides not to participate in the match process, they may still qualify for the Nashville Vanderbilt Scholarship if they apply through either of our Early Decision plans.  If a student is a Match Finalist who ranked Vanderbilt but did not match with Vanderbilt or any other school, they may complete the Early Decision Agreement forms and convert their application to Early Decision II at Vanderbilt in order to meet eligibility requirements for the Nashville Vanderbilt Scholarship.  

  • Are transfer students eligible to receive the Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars Program award?

    No, transfer students are not eligible to receive this scholarship, but may apply for other need-based assistance.

  • Is there a limit to the number of scholarships offered?

    No, there is no limit to the number of students who can qualify for the Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars Program.

  • Are international students eligible for this scholarship?

    Only US citizens and eligible non-citizens can qualify for the Nashville Vanderbilt Scholar Program. International students are not eligible to receive this scholarship. International students may apply for other need-based and merit-based assistance.

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