by our College Data Analytics TeamHere is what you can expect to pay at Vanderbilt University, spanning what it costs to attend, projected costs over a degree, net price, debt outcomes, and aid equity.
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The total published cost of attendance at Vanderbilt University comes to about $84,412.00 per year.
Below, the published cost is shown three ways — the full sticker price with no aid, the net price after the average grant package, and the net price for low-income students who typically receive the most aid.
| Tuition and fees | $67,498.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $16,914.00 |
| Total cost | $84,412.00 |
| That is 157% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $84,412.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$73,744.00 |
| Net price | $10,668.00 |
| That is 67% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $84,412.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$86,176.00 |
| Net price | $-1,764.00 |
| That is 105% below the national average net price. | |
| For the full breakdown, see the tuition & fees page plus room and board. |
Costs have trended upward in recent years at a recent average of 5.8% per year; the projections below compound that across a degree. The projections below run a full degree for a low-income aided student, an average-aid student, and the full sticker price. Loan totals assume a ten-year repayment at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 5.8% | 5.8% | 5.8% |
| Freshman year | $-1,867.00 | $11,289.00 | $89,323.00 |
| Senior year | $-2,212.00 | $13,376.00 | $105,838.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $-8,144.00 | $49,250.00 | $389,699.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $-3,102.00 | $18,763.00 | $148,461.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $-94.00 | $567.00 | $4,485.00 |
| Total amount paid | $-11,246.00 | $68,013.00 | $538,160.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 5.8% | 5.8% | 5.8% |
| Freshman year | $-1,867.00 | $11,289.00 | $89,323.00 |
| Senior year | $-1,975.00 | $11,945.00 | $94,520.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $-3,842.00 | $23,234.00 | $183,843.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $-1,464.00 | $8,851.00 | $70,037.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $-44.00 | $267.00 | $2,116.00 |
| Total amount paid | $-5,305.00 | $32,085.00 | $253,880.00 |
See the full net-price breakdown in the net price section below.
Net price reflects the true cost to attend after grant and scholarship aid is deducted. It is usually a better planning number than the sticker cost above.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $15,846.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $19,040.00 |
Net price varies sharply by family income, dropping as need-based aid grows. The table below shows the average net price by family-income bracket:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $5,797.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $4,729.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $6,211.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $14,780.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $42,754.00 |
Use Vanderbilt University Net Price Calculator, or get in touch with the financial aid office.
Curious how grants and scholarships are distributed? Explore the financial aid page.
The median amount borrowed by graduates of Vanderbilt University stands at $12,913.00, which federal data classifies as a Low ($10-20k) debt-burden category.
Across borrowers, debt at graduation distributes like this:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $3,967.00 |
| 25th | $6,500.00 |
| Median (50th) | $12,913.00 |
| 75th | $21,016.00 |
| 90th | $27,000.00 |
How far apart the 10th and 90th percentiles sit tells you how uneven debt outcomes are.
Read the complete debt breakdown on the student loan debt detail.
Debt at graduation is far from uniform across income levels. Below, debt is broken out by low, middle, and high family income:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,500.00 |
| Middle income | $11,981.00 |
| High income | $14,000.00 |
Whether your parents attended college is associated with differences in median debt at graduation.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,981.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,077.00 |
Pell Grant eligibility is a useful proxy for low-income status among undergraduates. Looking at Pell recipients versus non-recipients tells us how debt is distributed across need.
The Pell-versus-non-Pell median debt difference at Vanderbilt University comes to $-5,135.00.
The Department of Education default-rate tier for Vanderbilt University is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 1.3% |
For a sense of scale, Stafford disbursements at Vanderbilt University come to $642,525,193.00 over 18,815 loan recipients.
Veterans and active-duty students can access dedicated federal education aid including the GI Bill and Department of Defense tuition support.
| GI Bill recipients | 205 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $33,291.00 |
Dig into veteran education benefits on the college veterans page.
Use the figures above as a launch point, then think through Vanderbilt University, keep these questions in mind:
Explore the related pages below for a deeper look at the cost picture:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.