The Vanderbilt University Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship is offered to students who combine outstanding academic achievement with strong leadership and contributions outside the classroom. Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholars receive full tuition, plus a one-time summer stipend for an immersive experience following the sophomore or junior year. Vanderbilt will provide additional need-based financial aid to those Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship recipients whose demonstrated need exceeds the amount of full-tuition. Scholarships are renewed each year as long as the recipient maintains at least a 3.0 GPA.
The Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship honors the vision of Vanderbilt University’s founder, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, who endowed the university in 1873 with a gift of $1 million to “contribute to strengthening the ties which should exist between all sections of our common country.” Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholars continue that mission, bringing intellectual and community leadership to the Vanderbilt campus where they forge interdisciplinary and interpersonal connections that unite people and ideas across the world.