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
Stanford$124.1KHighest
Vanderbilt$91.6K
Graduation rate
Stanford97%Highest
Vanderbilt93%
Retention rate
Stanford97%Highest
Vanderbilt96%
Borrowing
Median debt
Stanford$12KLowest
Vanderbilt$14K
Undergrads with a federal loan
Stanford6%
Vanderbilt10%
Median debt, Pell Grant recipients
Stanford$7.5KLowest
Vanderbilt$9.5K
Eight-year outcomes
Credential within 4 years, all students
Stanford72%
Vanderbilt89%
Credential within 8 years, all students
Stanford97%
Vanderbilt93%
Enrolled at another college, 8 years on
Stanford1%
Vanderbilt5%
Graduation by group
Graduated in 6 years, Pell Grant recipients
Stanford88%
Vanderbilt90%
Graduated in 6 years, neither Pell nor subsidized loan
Stanford93%
Vanderbilt93%
Pell graduation gap
Stanford5 pts lower
Vanderbilt3 pts lower
Graduated in 6 years, by race and ethnicity
| Group | Stanford | Vanderbilt |
|---|---|---|
| White | 94% | 94% |
| Asian | 92% | 97% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 91% | 93% |
| Black | 90% | 89% |
| Two or more races | 90% | 96% |
| International | 90% | 92% |
On-time progress, from the colleges' Common Data Sets
| Finished within | Stanford | Vanderbilt |
|---|---|---|
| 4 years: Pell recipients | Not published | 86% |
| 4 years: neither Pell nor subsidized loan | Not published | 90% |
| 4 years: all first-time full-time | Not published | 89% |
| 5 years: Pell recipients | Not published | 90% |
| 5 years: neither Pell nor subsidized loan | Not published | 93% |
| 5 years: all first-time full-time | Not published | 92% |
Sources:College Scorecard, most recent release;Stanford University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Outcome Measures survey, Students entering fall 2016;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;Vanderbilt University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019About 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