Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University was founded in 1873 with a $1 million gift from shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt. His donation was the largest of its kind at the time and was intended to heal regional wounds after the Civil War.

Vanderbilt is located in Nashville, Tennessee, on a 330-acre campus that is designated as a national arboretum. Its location in the heart of Nashville gives students access to one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States.

Vanderbilt is not an Ivy League school, but it is commonly grouped among elite private Southern universities and is part of the Association of American Universities. It is often informally compared to Ivy League institutions in terms of selectivity and academics.

The Vanderbilt University Medical Center is one of the largest academic medical centers in the southeastern United States and is nationally ranked in multiple specialties. It is a major research hospital and is particularly recognized for its education and patient care programs.