College reputation seems almost impossible to change, but Vanderbilt has done it.
In 2005, Vanderbilt admitted 34% of applicants, and its middle 50% SAT range was 1280–1460. Today, it admits under 5%, with a middle 50% SAT range of 1510–1560.
They are opening a San Francisco campus for 1000 full-time students next year, and Jensen Huang just donated $75M to the campus
They moved from being compared mainly with the likes of Emory and Georgetown to competing directly for students with Northwestern and Duke.
Very smart how they did it, definitely some lessons that apply broadly:
- They recruited aggressively at Northeastern prep schools and top high schools nationwide… the chancellor would visit the schools that sent the most students to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown and Penn (ALWAYS GET ON THE PLANE!)
- Built relationships with influential college counselors, so Vanderbilt would appear on the same recommended lists as the Ivies and Duke
- Specifically decided to attract Jews (the chancellor decided that Jewish students would strengthen the university’s intellectual life) by building out more Jewish life (Hillel center, kosher dining, Jewish studies program)… and it also helped shed the image of a traditional, insular Southern school dominated by white Christian fraternities
- Used generous need-based aid and merit scholarships to win students from more prestigious schools
- Sold a distinctive product: elite academics, SEC sports, a strong social scene and a real campus experience
