Key differences on Outcomes
- 1
Stanford grads earn $32.5K more ten years out than Vanderbilt's ($124,080 vs. $91,565)
Median earnings, 10 yrs - 2
Stanford graduates 4 pts more of its students than Vanderbilt (97% vs. 93%)
Graduation rate
Outcomes
Outcomes
Earnings and finishing
Median earnings, 10 yrs
Vanderbilt$91.6K
Stanford$124.1KHighest
Graduation rate
Vanderbilt93%
Stanford97%Highest
Retention rate
Vanderbilt96%
Stanford97%Highest
Borrowing
Median debt
Vanderbilt$14K
Stanford$12KLowest
Undergrads with a federal loan
Vanderbilt10%
Stanford6%
Median debt, Pell Grant recipients
Vanderbilt$9.5K
Stanford$7.5KLowest
Eight-year outcomes
Credential within 4 years, all students
Vanderbilt89%
Stanford72%
Credential within 8 years, all students
Vanderbilt93%
Stanford97%
Enrolled at another college, 8 years on
Vanderbilt5%
Stanford1%
Graduation by group
Graduated in 6 years, Pell Grant recipients
Vanderbilt90%
Stanford88%
Graduated in 6 years, neither Pell nor subsidized loan
Vanderbilt93%
Stanford93%
Pell graduation gap
Vanderbilt3 pts lower
Stanford5 pts lower
Graduated in 6 years, by race and ethnicity
| Group | Vanderbilt | Stanford |
|---|---|---|
| White | 94% | 94% |
| Asian | 97% | 92% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 93% | 91% |
| Black | 89% | 90% |
| Two or more races | 96% | 90% |
| International | 92% | 90% |
On-time progress, from the colleges' Common Data Sets
| Finished within | Vanderbilt | Stanford |
|---|---|---|
| 4 years: Pell recipients | 86% | Not published |
| 4 years: neither Pell nor subsidized loan | 90% | Not published |
| 4 years: all first-time full-time | 89% | Not published |
| 5 years: Pell recipients | 90% | Not published |
| 5 years: neither Pell nor subsidized loan | 93% | Not published |
| 5 years: all first-time full-time | 92% | Not published |
Sources:College Scorecard, most recent release;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Outcome Measures survey, Students entering fall 2016;Vanderbilt University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019;Stanford University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)
Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why