TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Tufts Application Requirements, Admissions Tips, and University Guide

Tufts is a mid-sized private university with 4 campuses located in Medford, Somerville, Grafton, and Boston, Massachusetts. Tufts is both a research and a liberal arts university – a unique combination – and is home to just over 6,500 undergraduate and 5,000 graduate students.

How difficult is it to get into Tufts?

Tufts is a highly selective school, admitting only 9% of its applicants to the class of 2026.

If you’re considering applying to Tufts, here’s a list of the materials you’ll need to submit your application:

You can submit to Tufts through either the Common Application or the Coalition Application.
You’ll need to submit all of the items from the following list in order to apply:

1. 2 letters of recommendation:
   1. One from a teacher you had in junior or senior year in a major academic course (math, natural science, social science, English or a foreign language)
   2. One from a school counselor
      A letter from an art teacher if you are applying to an arts program
2. A summary of extracurricular activities
3. Tufts Short-Answer Questions
4. High school transcript(s)
5. Senior Grades
   1. If applying Early Decision I, send first quarter or trimester grades no later than the last week of November
   2. If applying Early Decision II, send first semester or trimester grades no later than the third week in January
   3. If applying Regular Decision, send first semester or trimester grades by the middle of February
   4. If applying from abroad, send predicted grades
6. TOEFL scores if English is not your first language or if English is not the language in which you receive instruction at school.
7. Art Portfolio: If you are applying for a BFA or a Combined Degree BFA+BA/BS program. Your portfolio should include 15-20 pieces of your recent work.
8. $75 Application Fee or Fee Waiver

 Optional

1. • Standardized Testing: students can choose whether or not to send their ACT/SAT scores (SAT Subject Tests, the SAT Essay, or the writing section of the ACT will not considered in the application process)
   • Arts or Maker Portfolio: If you are applying to the Schools of Arts and Science or the School of Engineering, you may submit an Art or Maker Portfolio to showcase your talents in studio art, dance, drama or engineering to SlideRoom.
   • Alumni Interview

Application Deadlines

Here are some deadlines to keep in mind if you are considering applying to Tufts. Remember, applying Early Decision means that, should you be accepted, you are committing to attending Tufts.

Early Decision I – November 1st
Early Decision II & Regular Decision – January 4th

Early Decision I results will be released in mid-December. Early Decision II results will be released in mid-February, and regular application decisions will be released by April 1st.

What is Tufts known for?

Tufts offers traditional Bachelors of Arts (BA) and Bachelors of Science (BS) degrees. In addition, Tufts offers Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA), and a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Art and a 5 year combined BFA + BA/BS program. Students can choose from nearly 150 majors and minors. A third of Tufts students declare a double major, and almost half declare a minor. Tufts is known to have particularly strong international relations, economics and computer science programs.

Can I afford Tufts?

Tufts is estimated to cost $84,600 per year. Like any private university, this is a steep price tag. Tufts is committed to meeting 100% of demonstrated student financial need, regardless of citizenship status.

If you are interested in applying for aid, here’s a link to deadlines for applying that you’ll want to keep in mind.

What are the academic requirements at Tufts?

All students in the School of Arts and Science pursuing a liberal arts Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts must complete their Foundation and Distribution Requirements, as follows:

• Foundation Requirements
  • Writing Requirements (2 semesters of college writing)
  • Language/Culture Requirement in two parts
    • Part 1: Demonstrate knowledge of a language other than English through the third semester at the college level
    • Part 2: Advanced language courses OR study of an additional language OR study of a specific culture through courses taught in English.
  • World Civilization: In-depth study of a non-Western civilization, or of the interaction of non-Western world and Western civilizations with equal attention given to both.
• Distribution Requirements
  • You’ll be required to complete the equivalent of 2 courses or 6 semester-hour units in the following five areas: humanities, arts, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematical sciences.

How is campus life at Tufts?

Student life is very active at Tufts. There are over 300 clubs on campus, ranging from standard offerings such as club sports and service groups to clubs devoted to Quidditch and comedy. Greek life is popular on campus with about 18% of the student body belonging to one of Tufts’ five fraternities, four sororities, one co-ed independent fraternity, or four active culturally based Greek Organizations. However, Greek life doesn’t necessarily dominate the social scene. Tufts has a close-knit community that values campus traditions highly, such as cannon painting, candle-lighting, and placing pumpkins around campus in the fall. For high school students looking to attend college near a major metropolitan center, Tufts could be an ideal fit. Tufts is close to Boston–the city is only a half-hour train ride away, through MBTA public transit–while still providing a centralized college campus based in the smaller city of Somerville. Students make the occasional trip out to Boston to enjoy museums and concerts, Red Sox games, and dining and shopping.

70% of Tufts students choose to live on campus. There are over 25 residence halls, some with special themes that allow students with like-minded interests to live together. Examples of current special-interest housing themes include language immersion, sustainability, cultural affinity, and the arts. All students who live on campus eat at one of two main dining centers, which offer a variety of cuisines, comfort food, and specialized catering for students with specific dietary needs. There are also several on-the-go options including marketplaces, cafes, and a kosher deli. Students who prefer to live off-campus will find apartments in Medford, Somerville, or Boston, typically in groups of 3-4, but can either opt into a meal plan or cook for themselves.

How diverse is the student body at Tufts?

Of the 6.043 degree seeking undergraduate students enrolled in Fall 2020, 50.8% were white, 8.4% were Hispanic, 4.6% were Black/African American, 15.2% were Asian, 6.0% were two or more races. 10.8% were international.

Of the admitted U.S. Students in the class of 2026, just over 56% are students of color. Black students represent 11%, Hispanic and Latinx students represent 14%, and Asian American students represent 20% of the admitted U.S. students. An additional 11% of admitted students are multiracial.

*Updated 2022