Medford, MA · Private · 7,061 undergraduates · suburban
Tufts University
Highly selective
Tufts is the Boston-area university known for international engagement, active citizenship, and a liberal-arts center paired with engineering and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. The Medford hill provides a residential campus; Boston adds research, arts, health, policy, and employers without replacing it. Students who want both civic engagement and disciplinary flexibility tend to understand the appeal quickly.
Institutional profile
Highly regarded Strong in academic standing, and solid in student experience.- Admission
- 10.1% admitted
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 94.2%
34,003 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$83,214 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Tufts apart
Active citizenship has an institutional home
The Tisch College connects civic learning, research, and community work across undergraduate fields.
Arts, sciences, and engineering share the hill
Students can combine a liberal-arts base with engineering or study through the museum school partnership.
Boston adds reach without erasing campus
Medford retains a residential center while metropolitan institutions remain accessible.
The Tufts pattern
Turn an academic interest toward public work
Tufts is most distinctive when study becomes useful to a community beyond the classroom.
Build disciplinary command
Courses and faculty establish the methods behind an interest.
Work with a real community
Service, research, advocacy, and internships expose practical constraints.
Improve the question
Experience makes later academic work more specific and accountable.
Can I get in?
10.1% admitted
Tufts expects strong preparation and reads closely for intellectual fit, contribution, and voice. The application should show how the student acts on an interest, not simply describe broad global awareness.
Recent applicant pool
34,003About 10 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Academic range
Of admitted students, 36% submitted an SAT, and 18% submitted an ACT. The ACT range comes from a small share of admitted students and does not describe the full class.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Tufts, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Tufts weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Show action behind the values
Use a result from service, work, advocacy, family, or community rather than stating concern.
Connect fields credibly
Explain a combination that follows from existing academic work.
Write with recognizable voice
Specific choices and observations matter more than a polished institutional summary.
Use Boston with purpose
Name the institution or work the location makes possible.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Tufts offers Early Decision rounds and Regular Decision. Writing should connect academic interests with a concrete record of civic, creative, or community action.
Fee waiver: accepted
Major and program admission
Some fields have their own entry path.
The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.
EngineeringAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Need-based aid can lower the published price materially. Boston-area housing and travel remain part of the full comparison.
College funding
Scholarships and financial aid
Review available aid, application requirements, and renewal terms.
Tufts University publishes one merit award, the largest under $5,000 a year. All of them renew past the first year.
Open across the university · Merit · Competitive · Renews
In the season card
This award, by name
What each one is called, what it pays, the grades and scores it asks for, and what to send.
- The name of each award
- What it pays
- The grades and scores it asks for
- How to be considered
- What to send, and where
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Tufts
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
Technology, health, policy, education, finance, arts, research, and graduate study benefit from Boston access and a broad alumni network.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Economics
Computer Science
Admits separately
International Relations and National Security Studies
Biology, General
Research and Experimental Psychology
What is campus life like?
Tufts beyond the classroom
The hill campus, residence halls, clubs, Greek organizations, arts, athletics, and nearby Davis Square create a social center with Boston beyond it.
A hillside campus creates a clear home
Residence halls concentrate early life before apartments and Boston routines broaden the map.
Campus meals meet Davis Square
Dining halls anchor the week while nearby neighborhoods add restaurants and gathering places.
Service and international work are highly visible
Publications, performance, research, advocacy, engineering, cultural groups, and athletics recruit actively.
Campus and city share the weekend
Residence halls, Greek groups, clubs, teams, Davis Square, and Boston create overlapping circles.
Boston remains close but not immediate
Transit makes hospitals, museums, employers, and civic institutions usable with planning.