Vanderbilt is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee that has become extremely popular for crafting what many believe is the perfect college experience. Nashville is a music, culture, and food mecca, with tons of career opportunities for students as they look forward to what comes next. While pursuing their degree (or degrees, for that matter), the 13,700 students, about half undergraduate, have access to an innovative and fun college experience. Vanderbilt has become known for having some of the happiest college students of any campus in America, and they’re all about balance in the classroom and out.
Students have access to more than 70 majors, and state-of-the-art facilities across the board, from science labs to art studios to the formidable athletic complex. Students take advantage of these resources, participating in 475+ student organizations and 40+ intramural sports. 59% of students take part in volunteer service.
The Vanderbilt athletic program, the Commodores, is comprised of 16 Division I varsity teams who share outstanding facilities that include the FirstBank Stadium, miles of cross country running trails, two bowling facilities (yes, bowling), a 145,000 square foot pool complex, and a 36-hole golf club — and that’s just a taste.
You may have heard recently that Vanderbilt is pricey. It’s true that the unadjusted sticker price could send just about anyone into shock, but what’s often left out of the headlines is that 65% of undergraduate students receive some financial assistance and 83% of students graduate with no debt. If you are looking at Vanderbilt as a place to learn and play a sport, you may also be pursuing athletic scholarships and aid through the recruitment process. Getting in isn’t easy, though. For the class of 2028, the acceptance rate for regular decision applicants dropped to 3.7% and 5.1% overall — a record low. We want you to really zoom in a different number, though. The Early Decision admit rate was a much higher 15.2%. This signals that Vanderbilt prioritizes students who really want them and who commit early, whether it’s through Early Decision or the athletic recruitment process.
In this post, we’ll break down the different ways you can engage as a student athlete at Vanderbilt, from playing DI on a leading team to kicking a ball around on weekends in a low-stakes but well-organized game of pick-up soccer.
If your considering Vanderbilt but aren’t sure how to stand out, send us an email. We specialize in helping students craft compelling applications to outstanding schools.
What is Vanderbilt looking for in Student Athletes?
As a Division I school in the NCAA, student athletes at Vanderbilt compete against many of the best athletes in the nation — including ones who will go on to compete in the Olympics (or have already) and play professionally. They want their teams to stand out in this competitive field, so they’re on the lookout for athletes who bring the level of play together with the level of smarts that they want to see. Getting into that club of top-notch student-athletes isn’t easy, though. And it isn’t for everyone.
Many talented athletes choose not to go the DI route, but still want to be (and play) at Vanderbilt. For them, intramurals and clubs can fulfill the need to play. Below we’ll dig into each of these options.
Recruited Athletes
Vanderbilt is home to 16 Division I teams in the NCAA. Division I is the crème-de-la-crème of athletic competition, and making it onto a Division I team is a big (big) deal. Before you can pursue recruitment by a Vanderbilt team, though, you need to ensure that you’re NCAA eligible — and make choices that protect that eligibility. The NCAA guide to eligibility should become your favorite reference document.
Once you’ve caught the eye of a Vanderbilt coach through some respectful and NCAA-appropriate self-promotion, you’ll benefit from resources like the Ingram Center for Student-Athlete Success. They pride themselves on helping the athletes succeed off the court and field, and out of the pool. This is college, so they want to see you acing your classes and the Ingram Center helps make that possible. Freshman athletes also have a required study hall program, and writing tutors are available every day.
Walk-Ons
“Walking on” is a term used for athletes who aren’t recruited, but who are still able to join a varsity collegiate team sans the fancy benefits of recruitment. That mostly means that they typically don’t have (or at least don’t start with) scholarships, but they still have access to the support systems recruited students have. But walking onto a DI team isn’t simple. While many students join DIII sports teams after arriving on campus, that isn’t as common for Division I sports unless you’ve already built some sort of relationship with the coach and team before first-year orientation. So, you should start down the recruitment path and see where it takes you. You may not become a recruited athlete, but the coach could tell you that they’ll make room once you’re on campus.
Intramural and Club Sports
If going down the whole recruitment, NCAA, Division I path isn’t attractive to you — or your level of play doesn’t measure up (no shade, it’s not like we were college basketball stars) — there are a lot of options at Vanderbilt for student-athletes outside of varsity sports.
Vanderbilt is home to more than 30 club sports teams and programs. These are open to all Vanderbilt students of all levels of play, but some have tryouts due to limited space. Teams are led by student officers, and there are typically membership dues for participants that cover uniforms, equipment, and any travel necessary for games or training.
There are also 13 Intramural Sports Leagues, including volleyball and pickleball, basketball and ultimate, and even cornhole. Some of these are competitive leagues that are game-focused, and some are recreational leagues…like cornhole. Which may not be fair because we aren’t personally on a cornhole team, but we are guessing it’s a lot of fun.
Through the club and intramural programs, you can play multiple sports — which is an amazing option for multi-sport athletes that don’t want to have to give up one love in favor of another. It’s also a great option for students who are pursuing intensive academic tracks and so don’t have much time, but who wants to make the most of the time they do have.
If Vanderbilt sounds like fun, you aren’t alone. It’s popular because it’s the best of everything: education, entertainment, athletics, social life — all of it. Being an athlete at Vanderbilt is an exciting rollercoaster that can result in a championship and a top-tier diploma.
If you’re giddy with excitement over becoming a Vanderbilt student-athlete, let us know. We help top students get into their perfect fit college.