Vanderbuilt University, informally known as Vandy or VU, is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of the shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million endowment.
Vanderbilt University approximately enrolls 13,500 students from the US and over 100 foreign countries. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity.” The university is affiliated with several research centers and institutes, including the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities, the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center, and Dyer Observatory. Vanderbilt University Medical Center, formerly part of the university, became a separate institution in 2016.