What SAT or ACT score do you need for Vanderbilt?

As of November 2026: Vanderbilt is test-optional for fall 2027 and fall 2028 applicants, and the middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored 1510 to 1560. On the ACT, that middle half scored 34 to 35, and testing will be required starting with applicants for fall 2029 entry.

Vanderbilt does not require a score for fall 2027 or fall 2028, but the students who send one score near the top. Here is what the bands mean for your child and what we would do this month.

By Nick Standlea, Test Prep Gurus. Figures may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.

Test-optional for fall 2027 and fall 2028, required from fall 2029 Vanderbilt does not require the SAT or ACT for students who enter in fall 2027 or fall 2028. Testing will be required starting with applicants for fall 2029 entry.

The middle half of SAT senders scored 1510 to 1560 On the ACT, the middle half of enrolled first-years who sent a score landed at 34 to 35. These bands come from the fall 2023 class.

Vanderbilt admitted 6.3 percent of applicants for fall 2023 It had 45,313 applicants and 2,855 admits that year. For fall 2025 entrants, the overall rate was 5.38 percent.

Does Vanderbilt require the SAT or ACT?

This is Vanderbilt's testing policy as its admissions page states it.

College	Policy	Applies to	What changes next	Source
Vanderbilt University	optional	fall 2027 and fall 2028 applicants	testing will be required starting with applicants for fall 2029 entry	Source

Optional means a score is not required, but a student may send one.

Vanderbilt: score bands, who sends a score, how many get in, what it costs

Score bands describe enrolled first-years in the fall 2023 class who sent that test. Prices come from the College Scorecard.

Measure	Value
applicants, fall 2023	45313
admits, fall 2023	2855
admit rate, percent	6.3
SAT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	1510
SAT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	1560
ACT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	34
ACT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	35
share of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT, percent	25
share who sent an ACT, percent	26
application fee, dollars	50
full price of a year, dollars	89590
average net price after aid, dollars	15846

Bands describe enrolled first-years who submitted that test, not all admitted students.

Vanderbilt: early decision versus the overall rate

These counts are for students who entered in fall 2025, as the college reported them.

Cycle	Early decision applicants	Early decision admits	Early decision rate	All applicants	All admits	Overall rate	Source
fall 2025 entrants (CDS 2025-26)	6,202	874	14.09%	48,196	2,593	5.38%	Source

The early decision group is its own pool of applicants, so its rate is not the odds for any single student.

Does Vanderbilt require the SAT or ACT?

No, Vanderbilt does not require the SAT or ACT for students who apply to enter in fall 2027 or fall 2028. Its admissions page says, "Scores from the ACT or SAT exams will not be required for students applying to enter the university for fall 2027 and 2028." That covers high school seniors in the 2026-27 school year, who start college in fall 2027. It also covers juniors in the 2026-27 school year, who start college in fall 2028.

The policy changes after that. Testing will be required starting with applicants for fall 2029 entry. That means sophomores in the 2026-27 school year, who would start college in fall 2029, should plan on sending a score. For the two test-optional years, a score is not required, but your child may still send one.

What SAT score do enrolled first-years at Vanderbilt carry?

The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored between 1510 and 1560. These are students in the fall 2023 class, the latest year in the federal count. The band only describes students who enrolled and chose to send an SAT.

This band does not show the lowest score that got in. Some enrolled students who sent an SAT scored below 1510, and some scored above 1560. Students who did not send a score are not in the band at all.

Here is how we read it with families. A score of 1560 or higher sits at the top of the band. A score from 1510 to 1560 sits inside it. A score under 1510 sits below the middle half of submitters, and that is the score we talk through most carefully.

What ACT score do enrolled first-years at Vanderbilt carry?

The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an ACT scored 34 to 35. This band also comes from the fall 2023 class and only counts students who chose to send an ACT.

The ACT band is very tight. A single point on the ACT moves a student from inside the band to below it. That is why we never guess which test suits a student. We have our students sit both a full SAT and a full ACT, then we compare each result with its own band. Many students find that one test fits them better, and that is the test we prepare them for.

How many Vanderbilt first-years send a score?

In the fall 2023 class, 25 percent of enrolled first-years sent an SAT and 26 percent sent an ACT. Some students send both tests, so these two shares cannot simply be added together.

These shares tell you that many enrolled students did not send a score that year. They do not tell you how those students were judged, and we do not guess. What we can say is what the score bands show: the students who did send a score sent very strong ones.

Should my child send a score to Vanderbilt?

Our rule for Vanderbilt is simple: an SAT score of 1510 or higher, or an ACT score of 34 or higher, is one to send. Those scores sit inside or above the band. A score below the band is one to think hard about, because it sits under the middle half of enrolled first-years who sent a score.

At a selective test-optional college like Vanderbilt, we tell families it is nearly always good to have a score, because a strong score bolsters the odds of getting in and most merit scholarships are keyed to one. That is our advice, not the college's policy. Having a score gives your family a choice. Not having one takes that choice away.

For students who apply for fall 2029 entry, the question changes. Every applicant in that group sends a score, so the only question is how strong it is. Younger students have time to build that score before it counts.

How hard is it to get in to Vanderbilt?

Vanderbilt admitted 6.3 percent of applicants for fall 2023, with 2,855 admits from 45,313 applicants. For fall 2025 entrants, the college reported 48,196 applicants and 2,593 admits, an overall rate of 5.38 percent.

In that same fall 2025 cycle, the college reported 6,202 early decision applications and 874 early decision admits, a rate of 14.09 percent. We do not treat that higher rate as the odds for any one student. The early decision group is its own pool of applicants.

Our advice is to apply early decision only if Vanderbilt is your child's clear first choice and your family has already run the numbers on cost. With rates this low, we tell families to build a full college list with schools at several levels of reach.

What does it cost to apply to and attend Vanderbilt?

The application fee at Vanderbilt is $50, and the full price of a year is $89,590. The average net price after aid is $15,846. That average covers students who receive aid, so your own price could be higher or lower.

Vanderbilt publishes a net price calculator, as every US college must. We tell families to sit down together and run it with their own income and savings. It gives you a far better picture than the full price or the average alone.

What should we do this month?

This month, have your child sit a full-length mock SAT and a full-length mock ACT, then compare each result with the Vanderbilt bands of 1510 to 1560 on the SAT and 34 to 35 on the ACT. That tells you where your child stands today and which test fits better.

Test Prep Gurus offers a free mock SAT and a free mock ACT. You can sign up at https://www.prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step or call us at 949.229.5359. We will go over the results with you in plain terms.

Once you know which test to focus on, plan 6 to 12 weeks of prep before a test date that counts. Our rule is to prepare for the whole test every sitting, not just one section. Students who prepare that way walk in calm, and their scores tend to hold steady from one sitting to the next.

Questions parents ask

Does Vanderbilt require the SAT or ACT?
No, Vanderbilt does not require the SAT or ACT for students who apply to enter in fall 2027 or fall 2028.

Will Vanderbilt require test scores in later years?
Testing will be required starting with applicants for fall 2029 entry.

What SAT score do Vanderbilt students have?
The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored between 1510 and 1560.

What ACT score do Vanderbilt students have?
The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an ACT scored 34 to 35.

Should my child send a test score to Vanderbilt?
At a selective test-optional college like Vanderbilt, we tell families it is nearly always good to have a score, because a strong score bolsters the odds of getting in and most merit scholarships are keyed to one.

What is the average net price at Vanderbilt?
The average net price after aid is $15,846.

Method and sources: The policy comes from Vanderbilt's own admissions page and applies to fall 2027 and fall 2028 applicants. The SAT and ACT bands describe enrolled first-years who submitted that test in the fall 2023 class, the latest federal file, so they do not describe all admitted or enrolled students. Fall 2023 applicant and admit counts also come from that federal file, and the early decision figures come from the college's Common Data Set for fall 2025 entrants. Prices come from the College Scorecard.