It was certainly a banner year in Vanderbilt University’s admissions office. Between Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and Regular Decision, Vanderbilt received a grand total of 47,174 applications to its Class of 2025. Of these students, 3,162 earned admission. The overall admit rate for Vanderbilt’s Class of 2025 thus stood at a record low 6.7%. It seems like eons ago when Vanderbilt received 32,376 applications for its Class of 2024. Or 32,967 for its Class of 2023. Or 30,146 for its Class of 2022. Just last year, the overall admit rate stood at 9%. A drop to 6.7% is, in a word, significant. And just to put the year-over-year spike in applications in perspective, total applications to the Nashville, Tennessee-based university rose over 45.7%% from this time last year. That’s right. Nearly 46%.

And while the spike in applications is riveting, would you believe it’s not the most interesting admissions data Vanderbilt released this year? That’s right…we’ve got more! Unlike the vast majority of our nation’s cryptic highly selective colleges — with notable exceptions like the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University — Vanderbilt has actually released test score data. For the Class of 2025, 56.3% of students applied with test scores. By comparison, 61.1% of students were admitted with test scores. So in spite of everything admissions officers have so vocally told you to the contrary — that a student with a great test score has no advantage over a student with no test score — the numbers refute this assertion. After all, a greater percentage of the admitted pool submitted test scores as compared to the overall applicant pool. Does that not say it all?

Congratulations to all who earned admission to Vanderbilt University’s Class of 2025! You were among the 6.7% of applicants who got in after applications spiked from last year by nearly 46%. Well done!