Getting into Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine is a small, research-intensive private school in Nashville. It publishes its GPA as a range and its MCAT as a percentile band — not a scaled score — so we present exactly that, and never convert it into a number it doesn't report. No admission odds, just verified facts and how to read them.
Updated September 2026 · 2026-2027 cycle · figures cited to Vanderbilt's official admissions pages
The mission — and what it signals
“An accelerated, individualized education anchored in discovery and lifelong learning.”Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, on Curriculum 2.02 · research & immersion
Vanderbilt is small, selective, and research-forward, built around its Curriculum 2.0 — an accelerated preclinical phase and a long, individualized immersion phase. Its refusal to set score minimums, and its choice to publish a percentile band rather than a number, both point to holistic, research-minded review. For an applicant, genuine scholarly engagement is the signal.
Curriculum & distinctive programs
Vanderbilt highlights a distinctive, research-integrated program:
- Curriculum 2.0: a roughly 13-month accelerated, case-based preclinical Foundations phase, then core clerkships, then a long individualized Immersion phase tailored to each student’s career path.2
- Research woven throughout: embedded student research across all four years, with a fully funded Medical Scholars research year available.2
- Innovation & certificates: the Medical Innovators Development Program (MIDP) and graduate certificate options (e.g., biomedical ethics, community health).2
The pattern is unmistakable: Vanderbilt reads for people who want to discover, not just complete — and it evaluates them holistically rather than by a cutoff.
How Vanderbilt reviews applicants
Vanderbilt states its most recent entering class had a GPA range of 3.5–4.0 and MCAT scores in the 74th–100th percentile, and it sets no minimum for either (it super-scores the MCAT).1 That percentile band is exactly what Vanderbilt publishes — it does not report a scaled MCAT total — so we present the band as-is and don't manufacture a number. Its class is small, at 82 MD students (entered 2026).1 Read all of this as a holistic, research-minded process.
The interview
Vanderbilt interviews virtually, via Zoom, across a September–February season.1 Whether it uses a traditional or MMI format, the number of interviewers, and length are not published, so prepare for both formats and confirm the current structure on the official page once invited.
Secondaries
With no score cutoffs and a research-first identity, your essays carry real weight. Make your scholarly curiosity concrete — what you've explored and what questions drive you — and tie it to Vanderbilt's Curriculum 2.0 and research culture specifically.
Timeline & cost
Apply through AMCAS, complete the Vanderbilt secondary, and expect virtual Zoom interviews from September through February. Complete your file early to make the most of the season.
Tuition: MD tuition for 2025–26 is $70,900/year (about $72,713 with mandatory fees); private, with living costs additional.3
Holistic by design — no cutoffs, no faked number.
Vanderbilt sets no score minimums and publishes an MCAT percentile band rather than a scaled number — a school confident in holistic, research-minded review, and honest about what it reports. The read: it wants genuinely curious, discovery-driven people — a judgment about fit, not a prediction of admission. We publish no odds, and we don't invent a score Vanderbilt doesn't.
See exactly where you stand — at Vanderbilt and every school on your list
Preceptorly is admissions software built by a practicing physician. It matches your real numbers to each school's published averages — never fake odds — and coaches the parts that actually decide your cycle:
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Frequently asked
What MCAT does Vanderbilt publish?
Vanderbilt reports MCAT only as a percentile band — the 74th–100th percentile for its most recent entering class — not as a scaled total score, and it sets no minimum. We present that band as-is and don't convert it into a number Vanderbilt doesn't publish.1
What GPA does Vanderbilt publish?
A range of 3.5–4.0 for its most recent entering class, with no minimum GPA — not a single average or median. Read it as the span of an admitted class.1
How large is a Vanderbilt class?
82 MD students (entered 2026) — a small, research-intensive program.1
Does Vanderbilt require CASPer or AAMC PREview?
Neither is mentioned as a requirement on Vanderbilt's MD admissions pages as reviewed. Confirm current requirements on the official site before applying.1
Sources — Vanderbilt official pages
- MD admissions process (GPA range, MCAT percentile band, no minimums, interview, letters, class size): https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/md/admissions/process/; class size, entered 2026: news.vumc.org
- MD curriculum (Curriculum 2.0, research, MIDP): https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/md/curriculum/
- Tuition & fees 2025-26 (medical): https://www.vanderbilt.edu/stuaccts/fees/tuition_fees_2025-26_medical/
Vanderbilt publishes a GPA range (3.5–4.0) and an MCAT percentile band (74th–100th), not a scaled MCAT total, and sets no minimums; we present exactly those figures and do not convert the percentile band into a scaled score. Figures describe the most recent entering class, not cutoffs or predictions. Tuition is 2025-26 and excludes living costs. No acceptance rate or admission odds are shown, by policy. This page is not affiliated with or endorsed by Vanderbilt University; confirm all requirements on the school's official pages. Nothing here predicts an admission decision.