Vanderbilt SAT Scores, GPA, and ACT (2026)
By the Cheetah Prep team · Reviewed July 13, 2026
SAT middle 50 percent
1500 to 1570
Half of enrolled students at Vanderbilt scored in this range on the SAT. One quarter scored above 1570, and one quarter below 1500.
- Acceptance rate
- 5.9%
- ACT range
- 34 to 35
- Test policy
- Test optional
- Location
- Nashville, TN
- Undergraduates
- 7,151
- School type
- Private nonprofit university
Vanderbilt SAT Scores and Admissions
Vanderbilt admitted about 6 percent of applicants and enrolled students whose SAT scores ran 1500 to 1570 in the middle 50 percent. Vanderbilt is a private university in Nashville, Tennessee, with roughly 7,000 undergraduates, generous financial aid, and a strong sense of campus community. Its scores now sit alongside the most selective private universities in the country, and a number in its band is expected rather than exceptional.
Vanderbilt was test optional in the most recent federal data, so its enrolled scores reflect students who chose to submit and run high relative to the full admitted pool. At a 6 percent admit rate, the familiar logic applies: reach a competitive score efficiently, then focus on the essays, recommendations, and pursuits that a Vanderbilt reader actually weighs. Our score plans can map a realistic route to this band from wherever you are starting.
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Vanderbilt SAT Score Breakdown by Section
Here is the section by section SAT profile of enrolled students at Vanderbilt, from the federal College Scorecard.
| Section | 25th percentile | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and Writing | 730 | 770 |
| Math | 770 | 800 |
| CompositeTotal SAT | 1500 | 1570 |
Where this sits on the 400 to 1600 scale
1500 to 1570
Vanderbilt Admissions Calculator: What Are Your Chances?
Enter your SAT score and unweighted GPA for an honest read on your chances of getting into Vanderbilt, measured against real enrolled student data instead of a made up percentage.
No SAT score yet? Take the diagnostic and get a real number in about 25 minutes.
How this calculator works: your SAT is compared with Vanderbilt's reported middle 50 percent range from the federal College Scorecard, your GPA is compared with the range admitted students at similarly selective schools typically present, and both are weighed against the school's real acceptance rate. We do not print a made up percent chance. No calculator can see your essays, your course rigor, or your recommendations, and at selective schools those decide close calls. Treat this as an honest read of your academic position, not a prediction.
Chances of Getting Into Vanderbilt by SAT Score
Here is what specific scores mean at Vanderbilt, based on its reported 1500 to 1570 middle 50 percent range. Find the row closest to your score, or use the calculator above for a read on your exact numbers. No made up percentages: each verdict is your real position in the enrolled class.
| SAT score | Where it lands | The honest read |
|---|---|---|
| 1350 | Well below the 25th percentile | A 1350 is well below the 1500 to 1570 range at Vanderbilt. On testing alone this score does not keep the application in contention, so raising it is the priority. |
| 1450 | Just below the 25th percentile | A 1450 falls just short of Vanderbilt's 25th percentile of 1500. Some students get in below the range, but they usually bring something exceptional elsewhere in the application. |
| 1540 | Inside the middle 50 percent | A 1540 sits inside the 1500 to 1570 range, matching the profile of enrolled students. At this acceptance rate the score keeps you in the pool; the rest of the application decides. |
| 1570 | At the 75th percentile | A 1570 matches the 75th percentile at Vanderbilt, stronger than about 3 out of 4 enrolled students. Testing is a clear strength at this level. |
| 1600 | Above the 75th percentile | A 1600 beats the 75th percentile at Vanderbilt. The score is doing all it can; nothing more is gained by retaking. |
How to Raise Your SAT Score to Vanderbilt's Range
The two targets that matter here are 1500, the score that puts you inside the admitted range, and 1570, the score that puts you in the top quarter. Here is the size of the jump from common starting points, with the step by step plan for each one.
| Starting score | To reach 1500 | To reach 1570 | The plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 | +500 points | +570 points | All score plans |
| 1100 | +400 points | +470 points | All score plans |
| 1200 | +300 points | +370 points | All score plans |
| 1300 | +200 points | +270 points | 1300 to 1600 plan |
| 1400 | +100 points | +170 points | 1400 to 1600 plan |
| 1500 | Already there | +70 points | 1500 to 1600 plan |
Not sure where you stand today? The diagnostic gives you a real starting score and a section breakdown in one sitting, so the gap you plan around is your actual gap.
What SAT Score Do You Need for Vanderbilt?
A score below Vanderbilt's 25th percentile of 1500 trails the enrolled band, and at a test optional school there is little reason to submit a number below the class. From 1500 to 1570 your score is competitive and worth including. Above 1570 you are past the 75th percentile, a clear strength that still faces the long odds of a 6 percent admit rate.
Enrolled ACT scores ran 34 to 35. These figures describe enrolled students who chose to submit, so the actual admitted range, especially among test optional applicants, runs lower. If your score sits near 1500, weigh it honestly against the rest of your application before deciding to send it. Vanderbilt's generous aid draws a deep, strong pool, so treat a score in range as your entry point rather than your edge.
Vanderbilt GPA Requirements
Vanderbilt's admitted students almost all rank at the top of their class with the most rigorous schedules available to them. There is no stated GPA minimum, but at a 6 percent admit rate a near perfect transcript in demanding courses is the competitive norm. Admissions readers weigh the rigor of your schedule alongside the grades, so a challenging path with strong results reads better than an easy path with perfect ones.
In concrete terms, that usually means an unweighted GPA in the 3.9 to 4.0 range, with essentially no room for a slip. If your grades already put you near the top of your class, the SAT is often the more moveable half of your profile. Because Vanderbilt is test optional, a strong score is worth submitting and a weak one can be held. The diagnostic shows you where your score really stands, section by section, before you plan your prep.
Typical admitted GPA
Admitted students at Vanderbilt typically present a GPA in the 3.9 to 4.0 range on an unweighted 4.0 scale. Nearly every admitted student carries an almost unbroken A record in the hardest courses their high school offers.
If your GPA sits at or below this range, a strong SAT score is the fastest way to stay competitive, since grades are hard to move late in high school. See where your SAT score really stands and build the plan around the gap.
These are unweighted grades on a 4.0 scale. A school that weights GPA or reports a different scale will show a higher number.
Vanderbilt SAT Testing Policy
Vanderbilt considered scores without requiring them (test optional) in the most recent federal data. Testing policies change year to year, so confirm the current 2026-2027policy on the school's admissions site before you decide whether to submit scores.
Should you submit your score?
Submit your score when it is at or above 1535, the middle of Vanderbilt's range. If you are below 1500, the 25th percentile, consider holding your score and letting your grades, essays, and activities carry the application.
Last verified July 13, 2026
Should You Submit Your SAT Score to Vanderbilt?
Vanderbilt was test optional in the most recent federal data, which turns your score into a strategic choice. The folk theory that applying without scores signals weakness is overstated, but the math of what helps is simple: a score that lands inside or above the admitted range works for you, and a score well below it does not.
1540+
Submit
At or above the middle of the admitted range, submitting clearly helps. A real data point beats an open question.
1500 to 1540
Lean submit
Inside the range, most counselors say send it: you are within the profile of enrolled students, and holding it back leaves the reader guessing.
Below 1500
Usually hold it
Below the 25th percentile the score rarely helps at Vanderbilt. Apply without it, or better, close the gap first. Scores can still matter for merit scholarships elsewhere on your list.
Policy as reported for the 2024-2025 cycle. We verified it against Vanderbilt's own site, where any mid cycle change would appear first.
Vanderbilt ACT Scores: Should You Take the SAT or ACT?
The middle 50 percent of enrolled students at Vanderbilt scored between 34 and 35 on the ACT, alongside the 1500 to 1570 SAT range. Like nearly every US college, Vanderbilt states no preference between the two tests. The right move is to take whichever test converts higher for you, using the official concordance below, and send that one.
| ACT composite | SAT equivalent |
|---|---|
| 35 | 1530 to 1560 |
| 34 | 1490 to 1520 |
| 33 | 1450 to 1480 |
SAT equivalents from the official College Board and ACT concordance tables. Highlighted rows fall inside Vanderbilt's ACT middle 50 percent.
How Vanderbilt Reviews SAT Scores
Vanderbilt reads applications holistically, weighing community fit, intellectual engagement, and character alongside the numbers. At a 6 percent admit rate the SAT is one input among many. Course rigor, essays, recommendations, and what you have genuinely pursued carry the decision once your scores clear the range.
The efficient approach is to reach a competitive SAT, decide whether submitting it helps, and then put your energy into the parts of the application that show who you are and why Vanderbilt. A balanced score earned in a focused stretch leaves room for the work that actually moves a decision at a school this selective.
How to Get Into Vanderbilt
Aim for 1570 if you plan to submit to Vanderbilt, so your score clears the enrolled 75th percentile and reads as an asset. If you are in the low to mid 1400s, the gap is closeable by fixing whichever section is costing you the most points. Our 1450 to 1550 score plan targets this band with a week by week structure.
Ground your target in a real number first. The diagnostic gives you a real score and a section breakdown in one sitting. Keep your sections balanced, since an even 1540 reads stronger than a lopsided 1550. If your realistic best still lands below 1500, Vanderbilt's test optional policy lets you apply without the score and lead with your transcript and the rest of your file.
How Hard Is It to Get Into Vanderbilt?
Vanderbilt admits about 59 of every 1,000 applicants, and enrolls an undergraduate class of about 7,151. That ratio, not any single cutoff, is what makes the admitted profile look the way it does: when a school turns away 941 of every 1,000 people who apply, the students who get in cluster at the top of every measurable scale.
For perspective against the country as a whole: Vanderbilt's 25th percentile score of 1500 already beats roughly 98% of all SAT takers nationally, and its 75th percentile of 1570 sits around the 99th percentile. A score that feels middling on this page is an excellent score almost anywhere else, which is worth remembering when you build the rest of your list.
Colleges Similar to Vanderbilt: Reach, Match, and Safety Options
Real reported ranges from schools students often consider alongside Vanderbilt, ordered by acceptance rate. Odds are compared on acceptance rate first, because a school with a lower SAT average can still be far harder to get into.
| School | SAT middle 50 percent | Acceptance rate | Odds vs Vanderbilt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt | 1500 to 1570 | 5.9% | This page |
| Duke | 1500 to 1570 | 5.7% | Similar oddssimilar SAT range |
| Rice | 1510 to 1570 | 8.0% | Similar oddssimilar SAT range |
| Cornell | 1500 to 1570 | 8.8% | Similar oddssimilar SAT range |
| Washington University in St Louis | 1500 to 1570 | 12.1% | Better odds than Vanderbiltsimilar SAT range |
| Tennessee Knoxville | 1200 to 1370 | 41.6% | Better odds than VanderbiltSAT about 250 lower |
| Middle Tennessee State | 1010 to 1230 | 69.1% | Better odds than VanderbiltSAT about 415 lower |
How Recent Are These Vanderbilt SAT Scores?
Every score, rate, and enrollment figure on this page comes from the US Department of Education College Scorecard, 2024-2025 release, the same federal dataset colleges report into. Testing policy reflects the 2024-2025 admissions cycle. This page was last reviewed July 13, 2026.
Score ranges quoted around the web for Vanderbilt disagree with each other more than you would expect, usually because a site is quoting an older class or an unlabeled estimate. We publish the reported number, label the vintage, and update when the source updates. We also cross checked Vanderbilt's own admissions site, where any change would appear first.
Vanderbilt SAT Scores and GPA: Frequently Asked Questions
What SAT score do you need to get into Vanderbilt?
Vanderbilt's middle 50 percent SAT range is 1500 to 1570. Aim for at least 1500 to be competitive, and 1570 or higher to be a strong applicant. There is no hard cutoff, but a score in or above this range keeps your application in contention.
Is a 1500 a good SAT score for Vanderbilt?
A 1500 sits at Vanderbilt's 25th percentile, the lower edge of its middle 50 percent range of 1500 to 1570. It keeps you in range, but a score closer to 1570 makes your application stronger.
What is the average SAT score at Vanderbilt?
Vanderbilt does not report a single composite average in the federal data, so the middle 50 percent range is the most precise figure available: enrolled students scored between 1500 and 1570.
Does Vanderbilt require SAT scores?
No. Vanderbilt was test optional in the most recent federal data, so you can apply without SAT scores. Confirm the current 2026-2027 policy on the school's admissions site before you decide whether to submit.
Is Vanderbilt test optional for 2026-2027?
Vanderbilt was test optional in the most recent federal data, meaning you could apply without scores. Policies change year to year, so verify the 2026-2027 policy on the school's admissions site.
What ACT score do you need for Vanderbilt?
Vanderbilt's middle 50 percent ACT range is 34 to 35. Aim for at least 34 to be competitive and 35 or higher to be a strong applicant. A strong ACT can stand in for the SAT at Vanderbilt.
What GPA do you need to get into Vanderbilt?
Admitted students at Vanderbilt typically present an unweighted GPA in the 3.9 to 4.0 range on the 4.0 scale, based on schools with a comparable acceptance rate. Grades earned in rigorous courses matter as much as the number itself, and a strong SAT score is the fastest way to offset a GPA at the lower edge of that range.
What is Vanderbilt's acceptance rate?
Vanderbilt admits about 5.9% of applicants, which makes it extremely selective. A strong SAT score helps your application stand out in a pool this competitive.
What are my chances of getting into Vanderbilt?
Vanderbilt admits about 5.9% of applicants, so your chances depend on where you sit against the admitted pool. The middle 50 percent of enrolled students scored 1500 to 1570 on the SAT and admitted students typically carry an unweighted GPA around 3.9 to 4.0. A score above 1570 puts you in the strongest quarter of the class on testing. Use the admissions calculator on this page to check your own SAT and GPA against Vanderbilt's real numbers.
How can I raise my SAT score for Vanderbilt?
Focus your prep on the section costing you the most points, then follow a study plan built for your target score range. Cheetah Prep has step by step score plans for specific point jumps and unlimited practice questions with worked solutions.
Does Vanderbilt superscore the SAT?
Superscore policies vary by school and change year to year, and Vanderbilt does not report this in the federal data. Check the school's admissions site for its current superscore policy, which tells you whether it combines your best section scores across test dates.
About this page: written and reviewed by the Cheetah Prep team. Last reviewed July 13, 2026.
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