Vanderbilt University

What is the history of Vanderbilt University?

Vanderbilt University was founded in Nashville in 1873 with a gift from Cornelius Vanderbilt. Its original purpose was to establish a university in the South after the Civil War. The institution opened in 1875 and retains its founder's name.

Vanderbilt began with ties to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, but those institutional ties ended in the early 20th century. A major change came in 1979, when neighboring George Peabody College for Teachers merged with Vanderbilt. Peabody's education and human development programs remain a defining part of the university's academic offerings. Vanderbilt University Medical Center became a separate nonprofit organization in 2016, although it maintains academic and clinical relationships with the university.

What are the faculties and departments at Vanderbilt University?

Vanderbilt organizes undergraduate study primarily through the College of Arts and Science, School of Engineering, Peabody College of Education and Human Development, and Blair School of Music. Students can pursue bachelor's degrees across fields ranging from economics and neuroscience to mechanical engineering, education, and music.

Its graduate and professional schools include the Graduate School, Law School, School of Nursing, School of Medicine, Divinity School, and Owen Graduate School of Management. Academic requirements differ substantially: a Blair music applicant, for example, should check audition requirements, while an engineering applicant should examine the mathematics and science preparation expected for the intended program. Vanderbilt's academic catalogs are the appropriate place to confirm a major's current curriculum and whether a particular course is open to students outside its school.

What is the location of Vanderbilt University?

Vanderbilt's main campus is in Nashville, Tennessee, near the city's Midtown and West End neighborhoods. Its location gives students access to urban employers, health care organizations, arts venues, and public-service opportunities while placing restaurants and other amenities close to campus.

The university is not a remote, self-contained college town: traffic, parking rules, and the cost of living matter to commuters and students considering off-campus housing. Nashville International Airport is the principal nearby airport. Applicants planning a visit should distinguish the main academic campus from facilities elsewhere in the Nashville area and allow for city travel time.

What is the mission and vision of Vanderbilt University?

Vanderbilt describes its mission in terms of teaching, research, and service, with the creation and sharing of knowledge central to its purpose. Its stated educational approach combines undergraduate liberal arts study with research and professional education.

Those priorities are visible in its mix of undergraduate colleges, graduate schools, and research activity, but a mission statement is an institutional goal rather than evidence that every student has the same experience. Vanderbilt's Methodist connections are historical; prospective students should not assume that admission or undergraduate study requires a religious affiliation.