What makes Tufts different
- Across three schools. Students can study across Arts & Sciences, Engineering and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.
- Study elsewhere. More than 40% of undergraduates take part in semester- or year-long global programs.
- Civic life. Tisch College of Civic Life helps students take on community challenges.
What Tufts students study
The most common bachelor's degrees (class of 2024): computer science (177), econometrics and quantitative economics (148), biology (140), international relations and affairs (98), art/art studies (97) and experimental psychology (74). Source: IPEDS Completions, first majors only.
You may thrive at Tufts if…
- You want a research university that feels personal.
- You'd like to combine fields, such as engineering and art.
- You're interested in international relations, the sciences or civic work.
Worth asking about
- How does the Tufts Civic Semester work?
- How do students combine programs across schools?
How Tufts compares with similar universities
Tufts admitted 11.5% of applicants for fall 2024, near the middle of this group. See early decision, early action and test policies at all 19 universities.
FAQ
What is Tufts University's acceptance rate? 11.5% for fall 2024: 3,957 of 34,432 applicants were admitted.
Does Tufts have early decision? Yes. Tufts offers binding early decision in two rounds, Early Decision I and II. It leaves the early decision counts blank in its 2024–25 Common Data Set, so there's no published rate. Source
Does Tufts require the SAT or ACT? No. Tufts is test-optional for all undergraduate applicants. This applies to students applying in 2026–27 for fall 2027. Source
Does Tufts charge out-of-state tuition? No. Tufts is private, so published tuition and fees are the same for students from any state: $70,704 a year before aid. About 62% of first-year students came from outside Massachusetts.
How much is Tufts tuition per semester? About $35,352 a semester, half the published $70,704 a year, before aid.
Is Tufts an R1 university? Yes. In the 2025 Carnegie Classifications, Tufts University is an R1 university, the group with the highest research spending and doctoral degrees. What R1 means →
How many students go to Tufts? About 7,100 undergraduates (fall 2024).
What is Tufts known for? International relations, interdisciplinary study and its location near Boston.
How much does Tufts cost? Published tuition and fees are $70,704 a year before aid, and the total cost of attendance is $88,300. Students who received aid paid $35,123 a year on average.
Wondering if a mid-sized research university fits you?
Lens's assessments show whether you lean toward smaller or larger campuses, and why. Start with Lens →