Yale University vs Vanderbilt

Yale University and Vanderbilt University, two prestigious institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Yale, an Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, boasts a lower acceptance rate (6.3%) compared to Vanderbilt's 10.3%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors at Yale including Economics, Political Science, and History, while Vanderbilt students commonly pursue Engineering, Economics, and Human & Organizational Development. Yale's student body is slightly smaller, with an undergraduate enrollment of around 6,000 compared to Vanderbilt's 7,000. Additionally, Yale has a higher graduation rate (97%) than Vanderbilt (93%). Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences between these two esteemed universities and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Vanderbilt University logo

Vanderbilt University

Yale University logo

Yale University

Overview

Location Nashville, Tennessee New Haven, Connecticut
Campus setting City: Large City: Midsize
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 97.0% 98.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 7.1% 5.3%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $50

Graduate: $95
Undergraduate: $80

Graduate: $105
SAT range 1480 - 1570 1480 - 1580
ACT range 34 - 35 33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score 25.0% 54.0%
Students submitting ACT score 32.0% 35.0%
Total number of applicants 47,152 47,240
Total number of admissions given out 3,368 2,509
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,626 1,786
Yield rate 48.3% 71.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Not required
Recommendation letters Not required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $79,538 $82,170
Average net price $27,553 $20,605
Tuition $54,840 $59,950
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $12,000

Meal plan: $6,376
Room/dormitory: $10,100

Meal plan: $7,700
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

64.0%
Average amount $49,730
58.0%
Average amount $58,715
Students receiving federal student loan 10.0%
Average amount $4,979
5.0%
Average amount $4,879
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $27,798
0.0%
Average amount $5,094

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 7,111
Men 48.9% Women 51.1%
6,536
Men 48.6% Women 51.4%
Graduate students 6,685
Men 39.5% Women 60.5%
8,031
Men 46.3% Women 53.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students 89.5% 93.6%
International students 11.7% 21.6%
Campus local/setting City: Large City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity 5,598 5,576
First year students are required to live on campus? Yes Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Tennessee California New York Florida Texas California New York Connecticut Texas New Jersey

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Business
  • Legal Profession
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Social Sciences
  • Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio 8:1 6:1
Institutional accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 93.4% 96.9%
Dropout rate 6.4% 2.5%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $101,041
  • Year 2: $122,038
  • Year 3: $169,145
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $129,825
  • Year 2: $130,517
  • Year 3: $144,008
Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $131,102
  • Year 2: $117,572
  • Year 3: $133,025
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $128,494
  • Year 2: $127,087
  • Year 3: $132,454
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $132,293
  • Year 2: $114,324
  • Year 3: $130,516
Marketing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $108,764
  • Year 2: $111,620
  • Year 3: $121,754
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $126,876
  • Year 2: $119,805
  • Year 3: $112,193
Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $91,224
  • Year 2: $104,192
  • Year 3: $108,525
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $99,979
  • Year 2: $93,249
  • Year 3: $101,010
Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $76,609
  • Year 2: $80,309
  • Year 3: $95,754
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $133,998
  • Year 2: $122,038
  • Year 3: $168,803
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $150,882
  • Year 2: $147,858
  • Year 3: $167,455
Law (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $76,705
  • Year 2: $132,032
  • Year 3: $165,012
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $132,023
  • Year 2: $132,866
  • Year 3: $142,164
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $115,929
  • Year 2: $111,017
  • Year 3: $117,291
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $95,157
  • Year 2: $98,213
  • Year 3: $112,141
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $88,985
  • Year 2: $95,473
  • Year 3: $95,527
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $87,166
  • Year 2: $86,621
  • Year 3: $91,001
Medicine (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,834
  • Year 2: $63,625
  • Year 3: $73,597
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,489
  • Year 2: $58,522
  • Year 3: $72,034

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