Crowd of students walk through campus, as captured on Oct. 1, 2024. (Hustler Multimedia/George Albu)
The Class of 2028 survey had 256 respondents, and race and gender demographics were compared to official university statistics for consistency. Of the respondents, approximately 59.8% identified as a woman, 37.5% identified as a man and 2.7% identified as non-binary or gender-nonconforming. Respondents also shared their sexuality in the survey, with approximately 78% identifying as heterosexual, 13% as bisexual or pansexual, 4% as gay or lesbian and 5% as questioning or unsure. According to the results, 2.3% of respondents identify as transgender.
GENDER
SEXUALITY
RACE
RELIGION
The racial and ethnic breakdown yielded 49.8% Caucasian, 38.6% Asian/Pacific Islander, 6.9% African American/Black, 2.9% Middle Eastern/North African, 0.7% Native American/Alaskan Native and 1.1% other. In the survey, multiracial respondents were able to select multiple, and approximately 8% of the survey population identified as multiracial. Of the respondents, roughly 10.9% identified as Hispanic/Latino.
DOMESTIC MAP
Chloe Matus, a first-year student originally from Idaho, said she believes Vanderbilt does a good job prioritizing spaces of diversity. Though she grew up in a rural, predominantly Caucasian neighborhood, she said she is grateful to have met people of diverse experiences and backgrounds upon arriving on campus. Within the Ingram Commons, students live in 1 of 10 houses. Whether hanging out in the seminar rooms or attending the weekly study break events, Matus shared that she has found different communities that make her feel welcome.
Approximately 87% of respondents were domestic students, while the other 13% were international students. The domestic respondent population represented 37 of the 50 states and one U.S. territory.
FIRST-GEN/LEGACY
HOUSHOLD INCOME
INCOME BY LEGACY STATUS
Approximately 3% of the surveyed students are part of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. Furthermore, just 2% of respondents were recruited athletes. These results from the Class of 2028 survey are almost identical to the data collected in the Class of 2027 first-year survey.