The Ivy Scholars guide to Tufts University’s culture, admissions, and other essential information for prospective students and their families.
Statistics
Rankings
Dates + Deadlines
Statistics
Strategy
Schools + Colleges
Core Requirements
Special Programs
Housing
Campus + Area
Student Orgs + Athletics
Cost
Financial Aid
Scholarships
Located just outside of Boston, Tufts University is the third oldest in the area. Founded on land donated by the school’s namesake, the school has a long history of research and academics. They have one of the strongest DIII sports programs in the country, and are well known for their International Relations program.
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US News Rankings:
Independent Rankings:
Acceptance Rates:
Average Applicant Pool: 21,500
Average Number of Applicants Accepted: 3,100
Average Number Enrolled: 1,600
Application Systems: Common App, Coalition App
SAT Scores: 25th% – 1390, 75th% – 1540
ACT Scores: 25th% – 32, 75th% – 34
*Test mandatory. Writing sections are not required.
Demonstrated Interest:
Tufts does consider demonstrated interest.
Recommendation Letter Policies:
One counselor letter is required. One letter from a teacher of a core academic subject from Junior or Senior year is required. An additional letter is accepted if the student feels it is valuable.
Tufts Essay Prompts:
How to write the supplemental essays
Special Notes:
Transfer:
The aspects tufts consider important include GPA, test scores, course rigor, essays, recommendations, and fit. Aspects that Tufts considers include legacy status, level of interest, first generation status, racial/ethnic background, geographic origin, interview, and talent.
For the Museum of Fine Arts, artistic talent as demonstrated through the portfolio is much more important, and counts much more highly for admissions. While academic preparation is still important, artistic talent will generally be the deciding factor.
Coaches recruiting athletes will be considered as part of an admissions application, recruited athletes must still meet the academic standards required by Tufts.
Tufts is looking for students with the sort of intellectual curiosity and passion that will fit into their campus environment.
Every application to Tufts is read twice, first by a regional officer, then by a second admissions officer. Applications then go to committee, where the final admissions decision is made. While there are no test scores or grades which will automatically sink an application, Tufts does expect a high level of intellectual vitality in their applicants.
For fit, Tufts is looking for students with the sort of intellectual curiosity and passion that will fit into their campus environment. While they do not describe precisely what this means, this blog post does go into some of what they consider when considering how a student will “fit” at Tufts.
Perfect scores with a lack of substance behind them will generally not be admitted. Strong, though not perfect students with more substance and a better narrative are much stronger candidates. 70% of students have the academics to be admitted to Tufts if those were the only criteria, thus they turn to the essays, and the broader narrative the application paints.
Tufts considers students by highschool, which means if multiple people apply from the same high school they will be judged in context with each other. They may all be accepted if each meets the academic standards of Tufts.
The essays are a large part of what Tufts is looking at and for, to demonstrate intellectual vitality, curiosity, and fit with Tufts. Letters of recommendation are also used here, to learn about how students act in the classroom, and whether they exhibit the curiosity and passion Tufts desires.
While the standards of admission are not easier when applying ED according to an admissions blog, applicant’s chances are often better due to the smaller overall pool of applicants during the early round of admissions. Early Decision II offers similar benefits, in that the pool is smaller, although the requirements remain the same. Applying ED II is a good choice if you miss the deadline for ED.
While Tufts does consider demonstrated interest, they want students to be intentional about it; emailing or calling the admissions department purposefully will do nothing to help your application.
The Why Tufts essay, despite its short length, is one of the more important ones they consider. This blog post explains some of what admissions officers are looking for in these essays. These are used to determine how students see themselves fitting into the community at Tufts, which is one of the more important criteria.
It is best to be interesting, rather than to have perfect scores. While what makes a candidate interesting is subjective, demonstrating passions and a desire to explore those passions is advantageous. The strongest essays make admissions officers want to have conversations with the students.
Schools:
Core Requirements:
Courses of Study:
AP Credit Policies:
Honors Programs:
While there is no separate honors program, all students may complete an honors thesis in order to graduate with honors.
Research Availability:
Study Abroad:
Business Options:
Pre-Med Options:
Pre-Law Options:
Computer Science Options:
Additional Specialty Programs:
Programs for High Schoolers:
School Motto: Peace and light
Mission and Values:
Residential Housing System:
There are more than 25 residence halls on campus. While freshmen live in traditional dorms, upperclassmen can live in apartment style housing or shared interest communities. The dorms will often host speakers or other events for the students residing therein. Students who move out of housing usually live in apartments near campus. All freshmen and sophomores are required to live in university housing, or in registered fraternities or sororities.
Housing Statistics:
All freshmen and sophomores are required to live in university housing, or in registered fraternities or sororities.
Campus & Surrounding Area:
Transportation:
Traditions:
Student-Run Organizations:
Sports:
Greek Life:
Nightlife:
Yearly Cost of Attendance:
Financial Aid:
Tufts is need blind for domestic students; though is need aware for international students. It is committed to meeting all demonstrated financial need for students, domestic and international. All aid awarded is based on need, and students with parents who have incomes under $60,000 a year usually have the full cost of their tuition covered. Outside scholarships are used to reduce the amount of loans a student requires. Work study is a component of most financial aid packages. Scholarships are rarely awarded for BFA students or through the ROTC program.
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