Davidson College vs Vanderbilt

Davidson College and Vanderbilt University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Davidson, a liberal arts college nestled in North Carolina, boasts a tight-knit community and a focus on undergraduate teaching, while Vanderbilt, a research university located in Tennessee, provides a wider range of academic programs and opportunities for research. With Davidson's acceptance rate hovering around 15% and Vanderbilt's at 10%, both institutions are highly selective. Davidson's student body is predominantly White, while Vanderbilt's is more diverse. Popular majors at Davidson include Economics, English, and Biology, while Vanderbilt offers a broader range of programs, including Engineering, Music, and Medicine. Davidson graduates enjoy a 94% placement rate within six months of graduation, while Vanderbilt boasts a 93% placement rate. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Davidson College	Vanderbilt University
Overview
Location	Davidson, North Carolina	Nashville, Tennessee
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.8%	7.1%
Application fees	$50	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $95
SAT range	N/A	1480 - 1570
ACT range	N/A	34 - 35
Students submitting SAT score		25.0%
Students submitting ACT score		32.0%
Total number of applicants	6,434	47,152
Total number of admissions given out	1,145	3,368
Admitted students who chose to enroll	547	1,626
Yield rate	47.8%	48.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$73,200	$79,538
Average net price	$25,794	$27,553
Tuition	$54,460	$54,840
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,700 Meal plan: $7,525	Room/dormitory: $12,000 Meal plan: $6,376
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	64.0% Average amount $47,889	64.0% Average amount $49,730
Students receiving federal student loan	10.0% Average amount $5,095	10.0% Average amount $4,979
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $33,219	2.0% Average amount $27,798

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,973 Men 47.2% Women 52.8%	7,111 Men 48.9% Women 51.1%
Graduate students	N/A	6,685 Men 39.5% Women 60.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	76.8%	89.5%
International students	8.2%	11.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,830	5,598
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	North Carolina Virginia Texas New Jersey Florida	Tennessee California New York Florida Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Psychology Physical Science Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Ethnic Studies	Health Professions Education Engineering Business Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.6%	93.4%
Dropout rate	10.0%	6.4%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $60,797 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $80,388 Political Science and Government (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $42,752 Year 2: $45,715 Year 3: $53,747 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,240 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $41,099 Year 2: $35,330 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,670 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $34,292 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: N/A Anthropology (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A History (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,075 Year 3: N/A	Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,041 Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $169,145 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $129,825 Year 2: $130,517 Year 3: $144,008 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $131,102 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $133,025 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $128,494 Year 2: $127,087 Year 3: $132,454 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $132,293 Year 2: $114,324 Year 3: $130,516 Marketing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,764 Year 2: $111,620 Year 3: $121,754 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $126,876 Year 2: $119,805 Year 3: $112,193 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $91,224 Year 2: $104,192 Year 3: $108,525 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,979 Year 2: $93,249 Year 3: $101,010 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,609 Year 2: $80,309 Year 3: $95,754

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Davidson College vs Vanderbilt

Davidson College

Vanderbilt University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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