Tyler Keys proposes using 2% of each student's tuition at Vanderbilt University to fund extracurricular activities, which are currently cost-prohibitive for many students. Experience Vanderbilt (EV) currently provides up to $500 per student for extracurriculars through private donations, but 62% of EV recipients have not participated in extracurriculars due to costs. Keys argues that using tuition funds could lessen financial burden, improve quality of life, involvement, retention, and make Vanderbilt more inclusive and competitive against peer schools.

1. HOD 2700 Policy Proposal
Tyler Keys

2. Vanderbilt Financial Aid
- Vanderbilt has a well-known financial aid package, in which they meet 100% of
demonstrated financial need, without loans offered
- They are need-blind in admissions, and do not have income brackets in place,
allowing students of all SES to be eligible for aid.
- However, extracurricular activities, vital to the Vanderbilt Experience, have a
barrier to entry because of high costs
$49,242Average financial aid package

3. Where are extracurriculars
considered?

4. Experience Vanderbilt
62.0% EV recipients that have not
participated in an extracurricular due to
costs
73.1% EV recipients that agree or
strongly agree that the $500 cap should
be expanded
98.5% EV recipients that believe EV
positively impacts Vanderbilt’s campus
Privately Funded/Donation Based
Lottery System → Not Guaranteed
$500 maximum for 1 experience
A student-led initiative that provides
extracurricular scholarships for students
who qualify for need based financial aid

5. Vanderbilt should use a
portion of each
student’s tuition to
cover extracurricular
fees.
- 2% of tuition should be
designated for a students
extracurriculars
- Acts as a student’s investment in
their involvement on campus
- Marketplace implementation plan
makes for smooth transition

6. Evidence & Long-Term Impact
- Lessens students’ financial burden on campus
- Better quality of life
- May make students more involved in campus life
- May maintain or even improve retention rates
- As a residential college, it makes sense to invest in full Vanderbilt Experience
- Encourages inclusivity
- People from all backgrounds get funding
- Recruits students from diverse SES
- Makes Vanderbilt more competitive with peer schools
- May improve rankings and prestige

7. Key Takeaways From Meeting
- Oversees Provost Central finances
and supports personnel for all of the
Vice Provost areas
- “Where will the money come from?”
- Tuition dollars go toward each school
and maintaining the buildings
- Deans would need to let go of some
of their (already tight) budgets
- Another route may be more feasible

8. Next Steps
- New Goal: Get Experience Vanderbilt more funding
- Can fund more students for more extracurriculars
- Plan to work with Clayton Arrington to present EV funding push to key decision
makers
- Try to get EV funded further through the Board of Trust or other areas of campus

9. What I Learned About the Policy Process
- Hard to find right person that has all of the information
- The logistics of policy are harder to figure out, even if underlying need is
promising
- Money is important!

10. Appendix
Original Presentation

11. Financial Aid: Extracurriculars
Tyler Keys

12. Vanderbilt Financial Aid
- Vanderbilt has a well-known financial aid package, in which they meet 100% of
demonstrated financial need, without loans offered
- They are need-blind in admissions, and do not have income brackets in place,
allowing students of all SES to be eligible for aid.
- However, extracurricular activities, vital to the Vanderbilt Experience, have a
barrier to entry because of high costs

13. #7 Best Value- US News #2 Great Financial Aid- Princeton Review
#6 Best Financial Aid- Princeton Review #4 Best Value Among Private Universities- Kiplinger
$49,242Average financial aid package

14. But where are
extracurriculars
considered?

15. Experience
Vanderbilt
Privately Funded/Donation Based
Lottery System → Not Guaranteed
$500 maximum for 1 experience

16. “EV is an incredible org that only takes a small step in
making Vanderbilt less financially exclusive. Changing
EV so that it can give out grants bigger than $500
would be amazing...expanding it to more students can
only help, as there currently is an incredibly high
amount of exclusivity at Vanderbilt.”
- Anonymous student quote

17. 73.1%EV recipients that agree or strongly agree that the $500 cap should be
expanded
98.5%
EV recipients that believe EV positively impacts Vanderbilt’s campus
62.0%EV recipients that have not participated in an extracurricular due to costs

18. Vanderbilt should use a
portion of each student’s
tuition to cover
extracurricular fees.

19. Implementation
- 2% of tuition should be designated for a students extracurriculars
- Acts as a student’s investment in their involvement on campus
- Marketplace implementation plan makes for smooth transition

20. Evidence & Long-Term Impact
- Lessens students’ financial burden on campus
- Better quality of life
- May make students more involved in campus life
- May maintain or even improve retention rates
- As a residential college, it makes sense to invest in full Vanderbilt Experience
- Encourages inclusivity
- People from all backgrounds get funding
- Recruits students from diverse SES
- Makes Vanderbilt more competitive with peer schools
- May improve rankings and prestige