VSA Tuition & Financial Assistance

Jump to: Overview | Tuition Timeline | Financial Assistance & Scholarships | Payment Plans | Cancellation Policy | Program Cancellation Policy 

Overview

Payment for Vanderbilt Summer Academy has three primary components:
(1) Application Fee, (2) Deposit, and (3) Tuition.

(1) Application Fee: A $50 ($100 for international applicants) nonrefundable application fee is due at the time of application submission. Online applicants will submit the application fee via credit card or electronic check during the online application submission process.

(2) Tuition Deposit: If a student is placed in a course, a 20% nonrefundable tuition deposit is due one week after the notice of admission email is sent to hold a spot in the course. Details on how to pay the tuition deposit by check or online will be provided through the emailed admissions notification. The tuition deposit for applicants who apply for financial aid will not be due until financial aid materials have been processed and the aid amount communicated to the family. For individuals who receive financial aid, the tuition deposit is 20% of the remaining tuition balance after aid has been applied.

(3) Tuition: Tuition is comprehensive. It covers course costs, materials, housing, meals, and residential outings and activities. Please see the Tuition Timeline section below for more information about tuition deadlines.

**If a student is flying into the BNA airport alone, VSA provides required shuttle transportation to Vanderbilt University. The cost for round trip service is $75 (There is no discount for one-way service).

Tuition Timeline

Programs for Talented Youth understands the need for families to plan ahead when thinking about financing summer experiences. Tuition is due March 15, 2023, for students admitted prior to March 1.

PTY has developed rolling tuition and refund deadlines based on when a student receives an admissions notification for a session after March 1. These students can expect admissions notifications to be sent within three weeks of application submission. For admission notifications sent after March 1, tuition is typically due two weeks after the admissions notification is sent.

While PTY encourages applicants to submit an application during the Application Priority Window, VSA continues accepting applications throughout the winter and spring. All students who submit an application during the priority window can expect to hear from VSA from January 30, 2023 to February 13, 2023.

Please note, students may be admitted off waiting lists at any point, at which time families will receive an admissions notification. Families may have different tuition deadlines if they apply to multiple sessions and are admitted off waiting lists on different dates.

Need based financial assistance and payment plans are available. Please contact our office for more information.

Methods of Payment

Credit card and bank account payments can be made online through your SchoolDoc Account.

For technical support making a payment, please visit the SchoolDoc Support Hub.

Financial Assistance

PTY is committed to making programs available to academically advanced students regardless of a family’s ability to pay the full tuition. Therefore, need-based financial aid is available based on income. The PTY application review process is need-blind and does not consider financial status. Applying for financial aid will not negatively impact a student’s application. If you plan to apply for financial aid at the time of application submission, you may do this as part of the application process. You may also apply for financial aid at any point in the application and admission process. If you choose to apply for financial aid after submitting your application, please email pty.peabody@vanderbilt.edu to be granted access to the online financial aid application. The financial aid application includes completing a series of questions within our online portal and uploading the household’s most recent tax return. We ask that you remove all SSNs and/or other sensitive information.

Your student may be offered admission to the program before receiving a financial aid award. You are not obligated to officially enroll your student until you receive a financial aid quote. When your financial aid quote is received, you may accept or decline the amount and placement in a course. Please contact the PTY office at 615-322-8261 if you have additional questions about financial aid or other payment options.

Payment Plans

In addition to providing need-based financial assistance options, PTY also offers all families the option to set up a monthly payment plan for their student’s summer tuition. A student does not have to apply for financial assistance in order to set up a payment plan option. After receiving an admissions notification, families interested in setting up a payment plan can do so in their SchoolDoc account. More information will be provided in the admissions notification email.

Payment plans allow families to pay equal installments each month leading up to the Payment Plan Tuition Deadline of June 1, 2023. Payment plan options are not available for those who receive an admissions notification after May 1, 2023. If on a payment plan, no refunds are provided for previously paid installments if a student requests a cancellation.

Scholarships

Programs for Talented Youth works with organizations, companies, foundations, and individuals who are interested in directly supporting students’ attendance through named scholarships. Scholarships are based on criteria defined by the supporting organization, company, foundation, or individual and vary year-to-year. Scholarships, along with criteria, are located on the scholarship page. Scholarships range in monetary aid and eligibility requirements, with select scholarships offering full tuition.

Click here to view the Scholarship page.

Interested in helping support students through a named scholarship or in connecting us with a company, organization, or foundation? Please contact our office to learn more!

Cancellation Policy

The $50 ($100 for international applicants) application fee is nonrefundable for all applicants. Once the student is admitted and placed in a ranked course, an email notice will be sent. A nonrefundable 20% tuition deposit is due within one week of receiving notification of admission and is required to hold the spot for the admitted student. If no tuition deposit is paid within this time frame, the student forfeits their space in that course. A student who has been admitted into the program but not placed in any course will remain on the waiting list and will not be asked to submit a tuition deposit unless placement in a course can be offered.

A student who withdraws from the program after submitting the 20% nonrefundable tuition deposit will receive a tuition refund for any amount paid above the deposit amount (less the non-refundable application fee) if VSA is notified before the tuition deadline. No refunds will be granted after the tuition deadline for the session, including if a student must leave VSA early.

Program Cancellation Policy

If Vanderbilt University determines that it is in the best interest of VSA participants to delay or cancel the VSA program, VU staff will issue a timely statement to participants via email and the PTY website to advise of the delay or cancellation. No tuition reimbursements will be given for delays. If a cancellation is announced prior to the program start date, tuition paid, less the nonrefundable application fee, may be applied to a future program of the family’s choosing, or if preferred, a tuition reimbursement may be issued. In the event of a cancellation during a program, VU may, in its sole discretion, elect to provide partial tuition reimbursements. As is the VSA application policy, the application fee and deposit are nonrefundable. VU is not responsible for any expense or cost incurred by you in preparing for or arising or resulting from a delayed or cancelled program, including without limitation, the cost of non-refundable airfare, other transportation, lodging, and meal expense and the cost of any additional or alternative arrangement you elect or are required to incur or make as a result of a delayed or cancelled program.

Inclement Weather Policy

Weather cancellations are unfortunate for all involved, but the safety of our students and families is top priority. Should it be in the best interest of our students and families that we delay or cancel our program due to inclement weather, we will issue a timely statement to our participants via email and also on our website. If a program cancellation is announced, tuition paid may be applied to a future program of the family’s choosing, or if preferred, a tuition reimbursement may be issued. If, however, the program commences as planned, we are unable to offer a refund to individual students who do not attend. As is our policy, the application fee is nonrefundable. No matter the official program decision, it is always most important that each family make the safest travel decisions in regard to their own situation and program attendance.