Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars Program at Vanderbilt University 2025

The Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars Program is a partnership between Vanderbilt University and Metro Nashville Public Schools that offers scholarships covering required direct costs to eligible MNPS students. The program will launch for students applying to enter college for fall 2025. Through this partnership, Vanderbilt pledges to increase the number of MNPS graduates who are admitted to and enroll at Vanderbilt, and to work with MNPS college counselors, teachers and administrators to prepare more MNPS graduates to be successful in the admissions process at selective colleges and universities. 

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirments
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineJanuary 1, 2026
• Study LevelUndergraduate
• SponsorVanderbilt University
• City to studyTennessee
• School to studyVanderbilt University

Benefits

The Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars Program covers required direct costs at Vanderbilt, including tuition, fees, housing, and meals – currently valued at approximately $91,000. Scholars also receive a one-time summer stipend of $6,000 after the second or third year at Vanderbilt to offset costs associated with summer internships. 

Requirements

To be eligible for the Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars Program, students must meet the following requirements:

• Graduate from a Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) high school
• Qualify for a Federal Pell Grant or have parent income of $100K or less
• Apply to Vanderbilt through either the Early Decision I or Early Decision II plan
• Apply for need-based financial aid through the College Board Financial Aid Profile and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen (includes DACA and undocumented students)

Application Deadline

How To Apply

To be considered for the Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars Program, eligible students must:

• Apply to Vanderbilt through one of Vanderbilt’s Early Decision plans:
  • Early Decision I – apply by November 1
  • Early Decision II – apply by January 1
• Apply for need-based financial aid through the College Board Financial Aid Profile and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid

Eligible students who apply through the Early Decision plans and for financial aid will be automatically considered for the Nashville Vanderbilt Scholars Program. 

For more details, visit Vanderbilt University Scholarship webpage