Surge in the Number of Black Applicants at Vanderbilt University

This year there are 172 black freshmen at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. They make up 10.3 percent of the incoming class. This places Vanderbilt fourth in the percentage of black freshmen among the nation’s 30 highest-ranking universities. A decade ago, there were 82 black freshmen at Vanderbilt. Thus over the past decade, the number of black first-year students has more than doubled.

Vanderbilt has made a concerted effort to increase racial diversity on its campus. And despite recent successes, the university is not resting on its laurels. Vanderbilt reports that the number of black applicants to this coming fall’s entering class is up 24 percent from a year ago.

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