Vanderbilt University, located in downtown Nashville, is a private research university. Founded in 1873 with the help of rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, this school has gone on to become one of the country's top institutions of higher learning. U.S. News and World Reports ranked the school 17th on its 2010 round-up. Graduates of Vanderbilt find themselves in good company; Nobel laureates Al Gore Jr. and Muhammad Yunus are both alumni.
Vanderbilt enrolls around 12,000 students. Of these, about 6,700 are full-time undergraduates. Students can earn 70 majors from four different colleges--the College of Arts and Sciences, Blair School of Music, the School of Engineering and Peabody College of Education and Human Development.
In their free time, students at Vanderbilt can participate in the school's 300 clubs or 33 fraternities and sororities. The university also fields several competitive Division I sports teams in the Southeastern Conference.
Median SAT scores for incoming Vanderbilt freshman are 660 in verbal and 690 in math. Mid-range ACT scores run from 30 to 34.
Vanderbilt University
2305 West End Ave.
Nashville, TN 37203
615-322-2561
vanderbilt.edu
Tennessee State University is a public school established in Nashville in 1912 as a teacher's college. Now, TSU is Tennessee's only state-funded historically black university. TSU accepts students of all races, but the majority of its undergraduates are black. Famous alumni include Rufus Thomas and Oprah Winfrey.
Tennessee State University enrolls around 10,389 students, of which 8,456 are undergraduates. The school offers 42 majors in eight separate schools, including degrees in agriculture, engineering and public service. Two-year associate degrees are available in nursing and dental hygiene.
Applicants to TSU must have an ACT score of 19 or at least a 900 the SAT and a minimum grade point average of 2.25 on a 4.00 system. In-state applicants may apply for financial aid based on residency and will also be required to complete the Tennessee Proficiency Examination.
Tennessee State University
3500 John A Merritt Blvd.
Nashville, TN 37209
615-963-5000
tnstate.edu
Middle Tennessee State University is a large public university in Murfreesboro. Established in 1911 by the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, MTSU took as its motto "Agriculture and Commerce." Its programs have grown to cover a number of subject areas beyond farming and business.
MTSU enrolls 25,188 students, with 22,299 in its undergraduate programs, making MTSU the second-largest school in the state. Sixty degrees are offered in seven colleges, including liberal arts, mass communications, and behavioral and applied sciences.
MTSU is home to around 225 clubs and special interest groups, including 30 sororities and fraternities. Their sports teams, known as the Blue Raiders, compete in NCAA's Division I in the Sun Belt Conference.
Applicants for regular admission to MTSU should present a minimum 3.0 GPA, a composite ACT of 22 or an SAT combined score of 1020.
Middle Tennessee State University
1301 East Main Street
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
615-898-2300
mtsu.edu