MD · Nashville, TN · private · applies through AMCAS
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Known as Vanderbilt
Prerequisite coursework
Verify with the school| Course | Status | Hours | Lab | Pass/fail | AP credit | Online | Community college | Notes from the school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biology BIOL | Recommended | — | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | We do not require or recommend a class in "biology" only. If there is another course that you have taken that fits our recommended content, we are comfortable with that: https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/mdadmissions/admission-requirements/ |
| Chemistry CHEM | Recommended | — | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | We do not require or recommend a class in "chemistry" only. If there is another course that you have taken that fits our recommended content, we are comfortable with that: https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/mdadmissions/admission-requirements/ |
| Physics PHYS | Recommended | — | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | We do not require or recommend a class in "physics" only. If there is another course that you have taken that fits our recommended content, we are comfortable with that: https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/mdadmissions/admission-requirements/ |
| Psychology BESS | Recommended | — | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | We do not require or recommend a class in "psychology" or "sociology" only. If there is another course that you have taken that fits our recommended content, we are comfortable with that: https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/mdadmissions/admission-requirements/ |
| Statistics MATH | Recommended | — | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | We do not require or recommend a class in "statistics" only. If there is another course that you have taken that fits our recommended content, we are comfortable with that: https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/mdadmissions/admission-requirements/ |
Community-college pathways
Vanderbilt recognizes that everyone's pathway to medical school is different. That is what sparked our movement from pre-requisites to recommendations. Vanderbilt has no issue with candidates who take coursework at a community college, as long as their MCAT performance is strong.
Source: MSAR Report for Applicants and Advisors: Premed Course Requirements 2027 (AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13). Verify with the school.
Admission policies, in the school's words
ADMISSIONS PROCESS Vanderbilt only receives verified AMCAS applications, which can take 4-6 weeks from AMCAS. Once received, our committee ensures there is a current MCAT score and then screens to decide to give a secondary application. Once the secondary and letters of evaluations are received, our Interview Review Subcommittee reviews to help determine an interview. We interview on Mondays and Fridays from September to February. After the interview, our Admissions Committee determines who will join the class. We have a December and February wave of admissions; afterwards, candidates not admitted are placed on the waitlist. Vanderbilt's goal is to utilize the waitlist to craft a class that reflects the mission of the school. In the spring, admitted candidates attend Second Look Weekend, which provides these individuals the opportunity to learn more about Nashville and Vanderbilt. Admitted students have a checklist that they can use to stay on track about immunizations, matriculation surveys, and other items. As a reminder, admissions is contingent on a successful criminal background check, compliance with our technical standards and honor code along with the State of Tennessee immunization requirements, and documentation of graduation from an accredited institution. Internationally educated candidates can find the following website helpful: https://registrar.vanderbilt.edu/academic-records/international-degrees.php . Candidates are strongly encouraged to reach out to Admissions to clarify any questions they may have. VANDERBILT SELECTION PROCESS Vanderbilt looks at strong academic performance to help assure the ability to be successful in the curriculum. Although there are no extracurricular requirements, it is recommended to have medical exposures, community engagement, leadership, and research experience before applying. In addition, candidates who are successful typically have either a unique life experience or extracurricular activities that add unique experiences to the class. No one activity to weighed more than the other. Vanderbilt loves to see a strong interest in an activity, instead of using extracurriculars as a checklist for admissions. Having a passion for medicine being evident in the application materials, along with strong letters of support are additional elements Vanderbilt evaluates in the holistic admissions process. For the MD/PhD candidates, the selection process is typically the same. Candidates are encouraged to have strong letters of support for their ability to complete an MD/PhD. The candidates usually have strong research skills. Many candidates have a transition year after graduating college where they work full time in a research lab. Quite a few candidates have been published or done presentations on their research. REAPPLICANTS Vanderbilt does not have a policy against reapplicants, but encourage candidates take time to personally evaluate their application materials. When doing that, many candidates will work on areas of improvement and then reapply later.
Source: MSAR Report for Applicants and Advisors: Admission Policies and Information 2027 (AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13). Verify with the school.
Who can apply
- Out-of-state applicants
- Yes As of 3-3-2026, there are no restrictions to be accepted to VUSM as an out of state applicant.
- Canadian applicants
- Yes We accept applications from any applicant who meets our academic and other prerequisites, without regard to citizenship or immigration status.
- International applicants
- Yes We accept applications from any applicant who meets our academic and other prerequisites, without regard to citizenship or immigration status.
- DACA applicants
- Yes We accept applications from any applicant who meets our academic and other prerequisites, without regard to citizenship or immigration status.
- DACA details
- We accept applications from any applicant who meets our academic and other prerequisites, without regard to citizenship or immigration status.
Source: (AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13). Verify with the school.
Interview
- Format
- Two interviews are held.One interview is an open file (AMCAS and secondary) interview that lasts roughly 35 minutes.The other is a short, closed file interview that lasts roughly 20 minutes.Candidates spend the rest of the day learning more about us.
- Invitations sent
- Invitations to interview for both the MD and MD/PhD programs are sent via email from August until January.
- Typical interview day
- For the 2026 cycle, Vanderbilt will conduct virtual interviews. Candidates are invited to an informal gathering with current students virtually. For the virtual interview day, VUSM utilizes a Zoom platform. For an hour before the interview, there is an informal conversation with a faculty member. After the candidates interview, a session on the curriculum is held. While interviewees are eating lunch, there is a student experience panel (no faculty or staff allowed). After that session is over, VUSM explains the admissions and financial aid process. There are also sessions throughout the cycle for interviewees to learn more about research. Interviewees are encouraged to reach out with any questions they might have about the area or school. The MD Ambassadors (https://medschool.vander bilt.edu/md/admissions/am bassadors/) are a wonderful way to get a current student's perspective. The MD/PhD interview allows candidates to interview with potential research mentors.
- Regional interviews
- Regional interviews are not available.
- Video interviews
- VUSM will conduct Zoom interviews for this cycle. Emails regarding additional information sessions for candidates will be sent to interviewees as the cycle progresses.
- School's admissions page says
- Virtual interviews via Zoom, September through February (about 600 applicants invited)
Tags are derived from the text above by keyword; read the text before relying on a tag.
Source: MSAR Report for Applicants and Advisors: Interview Procedures 2027 (AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13). Verify with the school.
Situational-judgment tests and MCAT dates
- Casper
- Not on official list source
- AAMC PREview
- Not used "We are not using PREview scores in the admissions" source
- Latest MCAT considered
- September 12, 2026
- Oldest MCAT considered
- January 2023
Casper status comes from the school's own admissions page where it states one, otherwise from published requirement lists; PREview from the school's page or the AAMC PREview policies report. Both change between cycles. Verify with the school.
Secondary application
- Required
- Yes
- Fee
- $95
- Fee waiver available
- Yes
- Deadline
- Nov 15, 2026 MD Deadline=November 15; MD/PhD=December 1
- Who receives it
- Selected applicants are invited to fill out the secondary application, after review of the verified AMCAS. Approximately 5700, out of over 7400 applicants, received secondaries for the 2026 cycle.
Source: (AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13). Verify with the school.
Letters of evaluation
- Committee letter
- Accepted
- Letter packet
- Accepted
- Individual letters
- Accepted
Source: (AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13). Verify with the school.
Waitlist and deposit
- Typical waitlist positions
- All applicants not initially admitted will be placed on the non-ranked waitlist. The number of candidates admitted ranges from around 0- 20 each cycle. VUSM accepts updates and letters of intent.
- Offers made from the waitlist
- 20
- Procedure
- Applicants are encouraged to stay in touch with VUSM, as we view that as interest in staying on the non-ranked waitlist. The committee uses a holistic review in selecting from the waitlist.
- Deposit required
- No
Cost of attendance and debt
| In state | Out of state | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition and fees | $72,803 | $72,803 |
| Health insurance | $4,074 | $4,074 |
| Total cost of attendance, year 1 | $116,943 | $116,943 |
73% of students receive aid. Average indebtedness of indebted graduates: $182,022.
Official AAMC counts, 2025-2026
- Applications
- 7,685 (5% in-state)
- Matriculants
- 95 (6.3% in-state, 93.7% out-of-state; 52.6% women)
- Applications per seat
- 81
Source: AAMC FACTS Table A-1: Applications and Matriculants by School, State of Legal Residence, and Gender, 2025-2026 (AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13).
Entering class
- Matriculated
- 96
Source: the school's published class profile (page), retrieved 2026-10-13. Statistics describe one entering class and are not cutoffs.
Transfer applications
No
Mission statement
The School of Medicine is led by a talented and expert team of administrators, staff and faculty who are committed to the success of its people and the advancement of safe, effective, ethical, evidence-based, and patient-centered health care. The core values of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine are integrity, belonging, humility, fairness, mutual respect, and excellence. Our Mission The mission of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine is to catalyze the advancement of impactful discovery, servant leadership, and lifelong learning. To carry out this mission, we make these strategic commitments: *To nurture the growth of clinicians, scientists, and educators who will serve and lead their local, national, and global communities. *To create, implement, and disseminate new knowledge that expands understanding of health, disease, and healthcare systems. *To teach, learn, and provide compassionate, personalized caring of the highest quality for every patient who seeks our service and to strive to achieve health for all in the populations we serve. *To embrace a culture of lifelong learning, critical thinking, and innovation so that we will continuously improve in all we do. *To build a broad community of faculty, staff, and students that expands the richness of our learning environment and enhances excellence in all of our endeavors.
Notes
No minimum GPA or MCAT. Most recent entering class: GPA range 3.5-4.0 and MCAT range 74th-100th percentile (no medians published); more than 7,600 applications per cycle for 96 positions. Admissions page shows in-progress 2026-2027 cycle counts (6,752 verified applications, 5,561 secondary invitations, 188 interview invitations). Does not accept transfer students. Fee waived with an AAMC FAP voucher.
Sources for this page
- MSAR Report for Applicants and Advisors: Premed Course Requirements 2027 · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- MSAR Report for Applicants and Advisors: Admission Policies and Information 2027 · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- MSAR Report for Applicants and Advisors: Interview Procedures 2027 · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- School website (class profile and admissions pages)
- LCME Directory - Accredited Programs
- AAMC FACTS Table A-1: Applications and Matriculants by School, State of Legal Residence, and Gender, 2025-2026 · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/md-admissions/ · school website, retrieved 2026-10-13
- https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/md/admissions/ · school website, retrieved 2026-10-13
- https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/md/admissions/process/ · school website, retrieved 2026-10-13
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