What Kind of School Tufts Is, in Terms That Matter
Let’s start with the basics. Tufts is a private, nonprofit, four-year university that offers programs through the doctoral level. The government classifies it among institutions with the highest level of research activity, and within its undergraduate category places it in the most selective admissions group. It is also a “highly residential” school: at least half of its undergraduate students live in university-owned or university-affiliated housing, and eight out of ten attend full time.
It is in Medford, Massachusetts, within the Boston metropolitan area. Its census code classifies it as suburban: within the urbanized area but outside the central city. If your child is considering living at home, do not rely on the map: drive the route yourself on a weekday at the time your child would have class. The actual travel time is almost never what Google Maps promises.
One thing is worth clarifying right away: Tufts does not have any of these three federal designations—it is not a historically Black university, a tribal university, or a land-grant institution. That says nothing about how well it serves a Latino community or how comfortable your child will feel there. Ask about that directly: what cultural centers exist today, what student organizations are active, and, better yet, speak with someone who already attends.
A Large School, With More Graduate Enrollment Than It May Seem
Tufts reported 13,274 students enrolled last fall. It is a large university—the government places it in the range of 10,000 to 19,999 students—and, compared with similar selective private schools, it is among the largest: almost none of them are larger.
But that large number is somewhat misleading if your child is considering an undergraduate degree. Of those 13,274 students, only 6,877 are undergraduates. The other 6,397 are graduate students, people who have already completed a degree and returned for more education. If your child is entering a first undergraduate degree program, the number that matters is not the total: it is 6,877.
Who makes up that undergraduate population? Ten out of every hundred students are Hispanic or Latino—a small minority, although above the midpoint when compared with the other 941 similar selective private schools. There are more women than men: 56 out of every 100. There are almost no students older than 25. And here is something important when thinking about the environment: fewer than half of first-time students reported permanent residence in Massachusetts. Most come from outside the state or the country. That does not measure distance or travel costs, but it does tell you something: if your child enrolls here, your child will be surrounded by classmates who also left home. If that applies to your situation, build the budget around actual flights and travel, not just tuition.
If Latino students are few—10 out of every 100—that does not automatically remove Tufts from the list. But it is a question worth asking during a visit: what resources exist for Latino students, what student group is available, what cultural center is there, and who in the admissions office speaks Spanish.
How Academics Work
The academic year at Tufts is organized into semesters: two terms of about 15 weeks. The university accepts credit for AP exams—but did not indicate that it awards credit for life experience—and it also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit through a formal program.
Keep something in mind: saying that Tufts accepts AP does not mean it awards credit for every exam at every score. This data point does not tell us what score is required or whether those credits count toward your child’s specific degree. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before your child enrolls. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
In the 2022-23 academic year, Tufts awarded 1,648 bachelor’s degrees across 19 different academic fields. Social sciences was the largest, accounting for 24 out of every 100 degrees, but no field accounted for the bulk of them. The academic offering is broad. Compared with similar schools, Tufts is in the top quartile for the number of degrees awarded each year.
The ratio of students to instructional staff is 10 to 1—low compared with similar schools. That is an aggregate figure, not an actual class size: it does not tell you whether your child’s introductory class will have 15 people or 150. Ask directly when you visit.
Tufts also reports structured opportunities worth knowing about: study abroad, undergraduate research alongside faculty, and pathways to teacher certification, including state approval of the program. Their existence on paper does not show how they work in practice for your child’s exact degree program; confirm that by asking.
Getting In Is Not Just a Matter of Paperwork
Here is what you probably already suspected: Tufts does not have open admissions. It reviews several components before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marks five as required: the high school record, completion of the courses the university requires, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, and an English-proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. Put plainly: your child has to write. Gathering documents is not enough.
Other components are not required but are considered if submitted: overall grade-point average, class rank, a portfolio or competency exam, work experience, and whether a family member attended—the factor known as legacy status. If that does not apply to your child, do not spend energy worrying about it. Spend it on what is within your child’s control: the essay, coursework, and letters.
The published application fee is $75.
Now for the hard numbers. In the 2023 cycle, Tufts received 34,003 first-time applications and offered admission to 3,444 applicants. That is 10 out of every 100. Its acceptance rate is among the lowest across 942 similar selective private schools: nine out of ten schools in that group accepted a larger share of applicants. On the other side of that calculation are 30,559 applicants who did not receive an offer.
I want to pause here because it is important to say this plainly: that 10% does not measure your child’s worth. It measures how many places were offered relative to how many people applied. A low percentage does not make a school better; a high one does not make it worse. What does make sense is for your child’s list to include schools on both sides: some as selective as this one and others that admit most applicants.
Of those admitted, only half ultimately enrolled. That places Tufts on the high side compared with similar schools—at most of them, a smaller share of admitted students enrolls. But this number does not measure quality or satisfaction either: it only counts who enrolled that fall. When admission letters arrive from several schools, this percentage should not make the decision. Put the letters side by side and compare net price, degree program, and distance before the deposit deadline.
Regarding tests: the SAT and ACT are not required at Tufts. But among those who did enroll last year, 36 out of every 100 submitted an SAT score—a high share compared with schools of its type. Among them, the middle half scored between 710 and 760 in reading and writing, and between 750 and 790 in mathematics. Keep in mind: those numbers describe students who enrolled and chose to submit their scores, not all applicants. That 710 is not a minimum your child must reach, and that 760 does not guarantee anything either.
Regarding transfers: of the cohort that entered in 2017, only 5 out of every 100 are recorded as having transferred to another school within the expected years of study—a low share compared with similar schools. And if your child were to transfer into Tufts, 71 students transferred in from other institutions in the fall of 2023. That number does not tell you how many credits Tufts accepted. Request that information in writing, with the course list in hand, before making a move.
The Sticker Price, and Why It Is Not the Actual Price
At Tufts University, among 49 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $10,526. Among 91 students from the same population whose EFC family income was from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $14,963; among 279 students whose EFC family income was above $110,000, it was $53,400. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income with their own.
There is a difference of $42,874 between the average for the lowest-income band, which included 49 students, and the average for the highest-income band, which included 279 students. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $33,333.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this data with the same time coverage, Tufts falls in the least expensive quartile for the lowest-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a data point that matters when you decide which schools to apply to.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours comes first. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The financial aid letter you receive is what governs your situation.
How It Is Paid For: Grants, Loans, and What Remains to Be Covered
At Tufts, 40 out of every 100 students receive some form of grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. That is a minority—compared with similar schools, Tufts falls in the quartile where grant or scholarship aid reaches fewer students. Among those who receive it, the annual average is $51,336. But that high average is not your offer: when the letter arrives, what matters is how much your family would have to pay out of pocket, not the size of the advertised discount.
Only 12 out of every 100 students receive Pell Grants, the federal aid for low-income families. Do not assume that aid will be available. Before applying, request a list of available grants and scholarships, who qualifies, and the deadline for each application.
And here is a figure worth emphasizing calmly: only 19 out of every 100 Tufts undergraduate students received a federal student loan last year. Most students here did not borrow. Among those who did, the average was $4,920 for the year—low compared with similar schools, among those whose students rely least on federal loans.
Do not misunderstand this: the fact that most students did not take out federal loans does not mean that all of them managed without difficulty. The data do not show whether grants, work, family savings, or another kind of debt covered the cost. And that average of $4,920 is for only one year, only for the student, and does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes end up signing for, credit cards, or bank debt. Nor is it the total debt with which someone graduates—that would require adding all four years, and that number is not in this report.
Tufts also offers a prepaid tuition plan and an installment payment plan, in case either helps organize the family budget.
Campus Life, Athletics, and Support
Tufts has its own housing, but no student is required to live in it—the university reported that there is no universal requirement. Its reported maximum capacity is 4,210 spaces. The existence of housing does not guarantee that a bed will be available for your child: request the year’s rate, the housing application deadline, and whether your child is guaranteed a place or placed on a waiting list, all in writing. Meal plans are also available, with a fixed number of meals per week under the largest plan.
Regarding ROTC: Tufts indicated that opportunities are available in all three branches—Army, Navy, and Air Force. Indicating all three is uncommon: of the 3,012 universities in the national directory, only 135 do so. But that designation does not say whether each program is offered specifically on this campus, how many places are available, or whether scholarships are offered. Ask about each branch separately.
In athletics, Tufts competes and is affiliated with the NCAA. The data do not identify current teams, seasons, or divisions. If your child plays a sport, contact the coach for that sport directly and ask whether there is room, what division the team competes in, and whether that sport offers scholarships.
The university offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, although in practice fewer than 1 out of every 100 undergraduate students take their entire course load that way. Confirm in writing whether that format is available for your child’s exact degree program.
The library has employed staff, physical and digital collections, and interlibrary lending. Among the support services the institution reports are combined academic and career counseling, employment services, support for veterans and military service members, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, and a webpage dedicated to services for students with disabilities.
Those Who Stay, Those Who Graduate
Here, Tufts reports high numbers, and it is worth understanding them precisely.
Of the cohort that entered in the fall of 2022, 96 out of every 100 met the official retention criterion: they were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. That is a high figure compared with similar schools—Tufts is among those that retain the largest share of their cohort. But that number combines two different outcomes and does not tell you which applied to whom or what happened to the 4 out of every 100 who were not included.
Of those who entered bachelor’s-degree programs in 2017, 93 out of every 100 graduated within six years—1,314 of 1,407 students. By four years, the figure was already 86 out of every 100, just seven points lower. Compared with similar schools, Tufts is among those with the highest graduation rates.
At eight years, counting a broader cohort that includes students who entered with prior college experience, 94 out of every 100 had earned a Tufts degree or certificate. The same calculation, done separately for students with Pell Grants, produces exactly the same result: 94 out of every 100. The fact that the results match does not mean the path was the same for everyone.
Now for the part I do not want to get lost among so many high numbers: none of this is a promise for your child. It is what happened to a specific cohort at this school during those years. What is within your control is making sure your child enters with credits in order and knows, from the first semester, who the academic advisor is and when registration opens for the courses required by the degree program.
What You Decide, What Your Child Decides, What the University Decides
It is your child’s responsibility to write the essay, choose courses, decide what to study, and build the record Tufts will review. It is the university’s responsibility to admit, deny, and offer—or not offer—the aid that determines your actual price. Your role is different: understand the family’s finances, request the financial aid letter in writing, compare net price rather than sticker price, and provide support without carrying alone a process that your child should not have to carry alone either.
Tufts is a large, highly selective university that is expensive on paper and, for some families, surprisingly affordable once actual aid is included. Neither of those things is false; they are different truths that coexist at the same school. You now understand this piece of the puzzle precisely. Put it together with what your child wants to study, what your child has accomplished so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay. The plan comes from that combination—not from a single number.
Source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) data from the United States Department of Education, corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, depending on the indicator. Best College Aid does not represent Tufts University or the United States government; this article organizes public information to help families understand it.