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Tufts University

#43 in US ranking Medford, MA
Type:
Private not-for-profit
Programs:
4 years or more

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Tufts University award
Tufts University award

Cost

Cost / year
$92,054
Tuition & fees
$73,616
Avg. aid
$52,946
Receiving aid
45%

Admissions

Acceptance rate
11%
SAT range
1470–1560
ACT range
33–35

Outcomes

Graduation rate
94%
Median salary
$64,890
1 yr after graduation

What is the accreditation of Tufts University?

Tufts University holds institutional accreditation from the New England Commission of Higher Education, known as NECHE. Institutional accreditation reviews the university as a whole; it is distinct from approval or accreditation of an individual professional program.

Some Tufts programs also operate under discipline-specific accreditation requirements. Engineering applicants should check the accreditation status of their particular degree through ABET. Applicants to medicine, dental medicine, or veterinary medicine should likewise confirm the current professional accreditation and licensing requirements for their intended program. Accreditation of one program does not automatically cover another.

Institutional accreditation is relevant to eligibility for federal student aid. It can also matter when seeking to transfer credit or pursue further study, but another institution decides whether to accept a specific course. For licensed professions, students should check both program accreditation and the rules of the state where they expect to practice.

What are the admission requirements at Tufts University?

Tufts uses selective admission rather than open admission for first-year undergraduates. Applicants generally submit an application, a secondary-school record, recommendations, and Tufts-specific written responses. Preparation for college-level work is important, but the published admissions indicators do not establish a universal minimum high-school GPA or class rank.

The reported entering-class figures show roughly 34,400 first-year applicants and 4,000 offers of admission, an acceptance rate of about 11%. That describes a past applicant pool, not an individual's probability of admission. Among enrolled first-year students who submitted scores, the reported median was 1495 on the SAT and 34 on the ACT; because only a portion of students submitted each test, those medians do not describe the entire class.

Standardized-testing rules can change by entry year. Applicants should check the policy for their own cycle before deciding whether to send SAT or ACT results. Students educated in a language other than English should also review Tufts' current English-proficiency rules, including any accepted tests or exemptions, rather than assume every international applicant follows the same requirement.

Tufts offers first-year application rounds with different deadlines, including early-decision options and regular decision. Early decision carries a commitment if the student is admitted and receives an affordable aid package under the applicable rules. Applicants to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts should check its additional portfolio requirements. Graduate and professional schools set separate admissions criteria.

What are the application fees and waivers at Tufts University?

The reported undergraduate application fee is $75. This is an application charge, not an enrollment deposit or a tuition payment; applicants should confirm the amount displayed for their application cycle before submitting.

Tufts offers application-fee waivers to eligible applicants, including students for whom the fee would create a financial hardship. Applicants can indicate eligibility through the application's fee-waiver process and should complete that request before paying. A school counselor or the admissions office may be able to clarify documentation or eligibility when the available application choices do not fit a student's circumstances.

Transfer, graduate, and professional applicants should follow the fee instructions for their own application, which may differ from the first-year undergraduate process.

What types of ROTC programs are available at Tufts University?

Tufts students can pursue Army, Air Force, and Navy ROTC through cooperating institutions rather than assuming Tufts operates a separate unit for each branch on its campus. Participating students should expect to coordinate Tufts coursework with the host program's classes, training, and travel requirements.

ROTC participation and an ROTC scholarship are separate matters. Scholarship eligibility, medical and physical standards, citizenship rules, and eventual service obligations vary by branch and program. A prospective student should speak with the relevant host detachment before committing to a schedule or assuming a scholarship will cover a particular Tufts expense.

What are the requirements for transfer students at Tufts University?

Tufts admits undergraduate transfer students for fall entry and generally considers college coursework completed at other accredited institutions. A transfer applicant must apply for admission; the fact that a course may be eligible for transfer credit does not itself confer admission.

Applicants should expect to provide college transcripts and information about their secondary-school education, along with the application materials required for the current cycle. Tufts evaluates transfer credit by course and by its relevance to a degree. A course accepted for credit might not satisfy a particular major, distribution, or engineering requirement.

Transfer planning is especially important for sequential majors and studio-based programs. Students should retain syllabi and course descriptions and seek an official credit evaluation after admission. They should also check how many credits must be completed at Tufts, whether their intended school has additional requirements, and how transferred work could affect time to graduation.

What types of study abroad programs are available at Tufts University?

Tufts offers undergraduate study-abroad advising and routes that can include Tufts programs and approved programs run by other providers. Depending on a student's course of study, an international experience may last a semester, an academic year, or a shorter period.

Program approval matters as much as destination. Before applying, students should establish how overseas courses will count toward a major and graduation requirements, which office will award or record the credit, and whether the program fits a required course sequence. Engineering students and others with tightly ordered curricula may need to plan particularly early.

Costs and financial-aid treatment can differ between Tufts-operated and external programs. Students should compare the program budget, housing, travel, and aid rules for the specific option they are considering rather than assume their usual campus bill will carry over unchanged.

Tufts University Admissions Factors

SAT range
1470–1560
4001600
ACT range
33–35
136
Acceptance rate
11%

Acceptance rate vs. median

This school
11%
Massachusetts
70.5%
US
78%

46% of admitted students enrolled (1,801 of 3,957)

Tufts University Admissions

Applicants
Total: 34,432
Admission
Total: 3,957
Enrolled
Total: 1,801
Women
Men

How to Apply to Tufts University

Regular application deadline

January 4

Application fee

$75

Early Decision

Yes, deadline November 2

Early Action

No

Tufts University First-Year Students

Where first-year students come from

In-state: 397
Out-of-state: 1,129
International: 273

Freshmen vs. transfer students

Freshmen: 1,799
Transfer: 124

Tufts University Admission Requirements

Median composite SAT score

1495

Median composite ACT score

34

Percent of students submitting ACT scores

16%

Percent of students submitting SAT scores

42%

High school completions

General Educational Development (GED) required

Secondary school GPA

Considered but not required

Secondary school rank

Considered but not required

Secondary school record

Required

Completion of college-preparatory program

Required

Recommendations

Required

Formal demonstration of competencies

Considered but not required

Admission test scores

Considered but not required

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language

Required

Other Test (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)

Neither required nor recommended

Open admission policy

No

Dual credit

No

Credit for life experiences

No

Advanced placement (AP) credits

Yes

Special learning opportunities

Orientation program

Yes

Disabilities services

Yes

Off-campus study

Yes

ROTC-Army

ROTC branch unit at a cooperating host institution

ROTC-Navy

ROTC branch unit at a cooperating host institution

ROTC-Air Force

ROTC branch unit at a cooperating host institution

Study abroad

Yes

Weekend/evening college

Yes

Student can complete their preparation in certain areas of specialization

Yes

Preparation at another institution required

No

Approved by the state for initial certification or licensure of teacher

Yes

Tufts University Transfer Acceptance Rate

Accept ACE recommendation for credit

Yes

Possible transfer

Fall

Data last updated on November 2, 2026

Data sources: IPEDS 2024-25, Peterson 2026, College Scorecard 10/2026, Clery 2024 (2023-24), OpenAlex 2026

Figures on this profile come from federal and third-party datasets in the editions listed above and are refreshed periodically, so they may differ from what the institution currently reports. Confirm costs, deadlines and requirements with the school before making decisions.

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