Amherst College vs Vanderbilt University

Amherst, MA · Nashville, TN · largest Scorecard gap: acceptance rate

Scorecard match plate

Pair MA:TN

PRIVATE-NP-PAIR · CROSS-STATE · ACCEPT-TIGHT · NET-SPLIT · EARN-SPLIT · DEBT-PAR · COMPLETE-HIGH · GAP-ACCEPT

  • PRIVATE-NP-PAIR Private nonprofit pair
  • CROSS-STATE MA × TN
  • ACCEPT-TIGHT Tight admission
  • NET-SPLIT Net-price split
  • EARN-SPLIT Earnings split
  • DEBT-PAR Debt near-par
  • COMPLETE-HIGH High completion
  • GAP-ACCEPT Largest gap · Acceptance Rate

Instrument codes from this pair's College Scorecard ownership, geography, acceptance, net price, earnings, debt, and completion, plus the ENROLL-RACE · narrow · 2013–2023 decade-path stamp below, not a ranking or recommendation.

Decade path · College Scorecard

Nearly parallel enrollment growth

ENROLL-RACE · narrow · 2013–2023

Undergraduate headcount rose at both Amherst College and Vanderbilt University across 2013–2023 on similar paces, while acceptance rates tightened on both sides, a growth-under-squeeze pattern rather than a pure size race.

  • Amherst College: enrollment grew +6.8% over 2013–2023; fitted +12 students/yr fitted, r² 0.41.
  • Vanderbilt University: enrollment grew +5.1% over 2013–2023; fitted +38 students/yr fitted, r² 0.82.
  • Amherst College: acceptance rate tightened -31.2% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.80).
  • Vanderbilt University: acceptance rate tightened -50.7% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.81).

College Scorecard institution series; dollars are nominal. Direction claims require r² ≥ 0.40 on the fitted annual slope, otherwise the page reports the observed range. Descriptive history, not a recommendation.

Scorecard metrics

Cards ordered by relative gap on this pair. Teal = better side.

Largest gaps: Amherst College vs Vanderbilt University

  1. ACCEPTANCE-RATE Vanderbilt University leads on acceptance rate (5.9% vs 9.0% at Amherst College)
  2. AVG-NET-PRICE Vanderbilt University leads on avg net price ($15,846 vs $23,367 at Amherst College)
  3. MEDIAN-EARNINGS-(6 Vanderbilt University leads on median earnings (6 yr) ($73,909 vs $62,537 at Amherst College)

Amherst College profile · Vanderbilt University profile · Compare other colleges

Acceptance Rate and other Scorecard questions

On acceptance rate, who leads between Amherst College and Vanderbilt University?
Vanderbilt University leads on acceptance rate at 5.9% versus 9.0% at Amherst College. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On avg net price, who leads between Amherst College and Vanderbilt University?
Vanderbilt University leads on avg net price at $15,846 versus $23,367 at Amherst College. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On median earnings (6 yr), who leads between Amherst College and Vanderbilt University?
Vanderbilt University leads on median earnings (6 yr) at $73,909 versus $62,537 at Amherst College. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard College Scorecard institution outcomes (earnings, completion, debt); acceptance rate focus for this pair · 2025