Class of 2026 Regular Decision Summary Statistics
This week we announced admissions decisions for the Regular Decision applicants to the Class of 2026 and sent admit packets to our new Commodores. We’re thrilled to welcome these new students to the Vanderbilt community!
Admitted students were selected from an exceptionally talented applicant pool of over 46,000 applicants. We are honored to receive applications from such remarkable students. At the same time, such a strong pool of applicants means our process must be highly selective. Because we must limit our first-year class to just 1,600 students, there are many talented applicants we are not able to admit. It is precisely because these decisions are so difficult to render that we put such careful consideration into our process.
Below, we provide a brief statistical summary of our Regular Decision admissions plan.
Regular Decision applications: 41,610
Admitted: 1,964
Admit Rate: 4.7%
Regular Decision Class of 2026 Admitted Student Profile
Number of citizenships represented: 49
Number of U.S. States represented: 48
Percent of students who received one or more significant honors or held major leadership positions: 100%
Percent of students in the top ten percent of their graduating class: 94%*
SAT Middle 50% Evidence-Based Reading and Writing: 740-780
SAT Middle 50% Math: 770-800
ACT Middle 50%: 34-36
*based on high schools that provide rank
We’re grateful to everyone who applied, as well as to the parents, teachers, counselors, and others who supported applicants through their advocacy. Thank you.
To our newest Vanderbilt students, we say congratulations! Your admit packet contains important information about Vanderbilt, including about our admitted student programs. We invite you to join your future classmates from the Class of 2026 to explore all that Vanderbilt has to offer:
If you’re exploring Vanderbilt online:
- You Belong Here: A Conversation with University Leaders – Hear from Chancellor Diermeier, Provost Raver, and other university leaders as they welcome you into the community!
- Online Admitted Student Events – Learn more about topics including academics, student life, Nashville, and more.
- Vanderbilt Admitted Student Community – Keep the conversation going with other admitted and current students in the Class of 2026.
And if you’re visiting Nashville:
- Anchor Day – Celebrate becoming a Commodore, connect with faculty and new friends, hear from the Chancellor, and learn how you’ll grow at VU!
- Admitted Student Tours and Panels – Explore campus and learn from current students what life is like at Vanderbilt.
- ‘Dore for a Day – Spend an afternoon with a current Vanderbilt student getting to know campus.
We’ve also been excited to see many of you sharing your news on social media with the hashtag #vu2026 – we can’t wait to see more!
From everyone at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, congratulations and welcome to Vanderbilt!