Situated just five miles outside of Boston, the campus of Tufts University has long been a destination point for high-achieving teens in the Northeastern United States. However, as with many other prestigious institutions over the last few decades, Tufts has seen a consistently climbing number of applications and a commensurate decline in acceptance rates. Between 1990 and 2000, Tufts experienced 87% growth in the number of annual applicants. From 2001 to 2022, the number of applications rose from approximately 12,000 to almost 35,000 in this current cycle.
Given the highly selective nature of Tufts, applicants need to be well-informed and understand the level of competition at this university. Toward that aim, this article will touch upon:
- Tufts acceptance rate
- Tufts Early Decision acceptance rate
- SAT, ACT, and class rank of accepted Tufts applicants
- Admissions trends from the Class of 2028
- The demographics of current Tufts undergraduates
- Tufts’ yield rate
- How Tufts’ admissions officers evaluate candidates
- Tips for applying to Tufts
- Tufts University essay prompts
- How to assess whether applying to Tufts is even worth the $85 application fee (for you)
Let’s begin with an examination of the most recent admissions data.
Tufts Acceptance Rate – 2024
After receiving approximately 34,400 applicants in the 2023-24 cycle, the Tufts acceptance rate was 10%, just a touch lower than last year.
Historical Tufts acceptance rates are as follows:
| Applicants | Admits | Acceptance Rate | |
| Class of 2027 | 34,003 | 3,444 | 10.1% |
| Class of 2026 | 34,881 | 3,381 | 9.7% |
| Class of 2025 | 31,198 | 3,566 | 11.4% |
Tufts Early Decision Acceptance Rate
This university offers an Early Decision 1 deadline of November 1 and an Early Decision 2 deadline of January 4. Tufts does not report current early decision admissions data, but we do know some of the peripheral statistics. For instance, ED applications for the Class of 2025 were up 19% from the previous cycle. Furthermore, in the past few years, the total number applying ED was in the neighborhood of 2,000-2,500 individuals. It’s a solid bet that applying ED (I or II) yields a substantial advantage—however, the true degree of that edge is unknown.
What class rank do you need to get accepted to Tufts?
95% of students who enrolled in the Class of 2027 earned a place in the top quarter of their graduating class, with 82% of that group hailing from the top decile.
What is the minimum SAT or ACT score for Tufts?
Although Tufts is test-optional, nearly 60% of students submitted test scores in the 2023-24 cycle. Of those who enrolled, the mid-50% SAT score was 1470-1530 and the mid-50% ACT score was 33-35.
Admissions Trends & Notes — Class of 2028
- 60% of accepted applicants submitted test scores, consistent with previous years.
- 56% of admitted students were women, 41% were men, and 3% were nonbinary.
- In that vein, 50% of those accepted into the School of Engineering for the Class of 2028 were women (down slightly from previous years).
- 55% of admitted students hailed from public high schools.
- 92% were in the top 10% of their graduating class.
- International students came from 100 different countries, while domestic students came from all 50 states.
Who Actually Gets Into Tufts University?
Let’s now look at the demographics of the Tufts Class of 2027.
Class of 2027 freshmen came from the following regions:
- New England: 28%
- Mid-Atlantic: 26%
- Western: 16%
- South/Southwest: 10%
- Midwest: 5%
- International: 15%
As at any highly selective university, competition is toughest among those hailing from states with endless streams of qualified applicants (see above). If you hail from a less-populated state like West Virginia, Montana, or Arkansas, your location is more likely to provide a boost to your admissions chances.
Looking at ethnic identity, the breakdown of members of the Class of 2027 was:
- Asian: 20%
- Hispanic: 11%
- Black or African American: 7%
- White: 47%
- Two or More Races: 11%
Tufts University Acceptance Rate 2024 (Continued)
2023-24 freshmen enrolled as follows:
- School of Arts & Sciences: 74%
- School of Engineering: 16%
- School of the Museum of Fine Arts (BFA): 4%
- School of the Museum of Fine Arts (Combined Degree): 5%
Last year’s freshman cohort attended the following types of high schools:
- Public: 53%
- Independent/Religious/Parochial: 46%
Yield Rate
Next, let’s look at Tufts University’s yield rate—the percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted—is 50%. For comparison, many other top private universities have slightly higher yield rates, such as Northwestern and Duke.
How Tufts Rates Applicants
There are six factors that Tufts ranks as being “very important” to their admissions process: rigor of secondary school record, GPA, class rank, the essays, recommendations, and character/personal characteristics. Extracurricular activities and talent/ability are designated as “important.” Considered factors are: standardized test scores, the admissions interview, first-generation status, legacy status, geographical residence, ethnicity, volunteer work, work experience, and the level of demonstrated interest.
Tufts University Acceptance Rate 2024 (Continued)
In the words of the admissions office: “Make sure to take the time to truly look over your extracurricular and awards section to add in any additional details or activities that you have been involved with. Tufts and many other schools (not all, but many) will not evaluate your resume as a part of your application.” They also warn: “Don’t let the college application process consume your life at the expense of your other responsibilities. When your schedule feels jam-packed, I encourage you to prioritize your academic success in your senior year courses – this will pay off most in the application process.”
Tips for Applying to Tufts
If you plan on joining the roughly 34,000 aspiring Jumbos for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:
- The test-optional policy at Tufts University is in effect for at least the next two application cycles.
- On the Common Application, you are required to list the School/Program to which you are applying. This can be a) the School of Arts and Sciences b) the School of Engineering c) the BFA program d) BFA+BA/BS Combined Degree or e) 5-year Combined Degree with the New England Conservatory.
- Tufts does not offer on-campus interviews with admission staff; however, first-year applicants can request an optional evaluative interview with an alumni member of the Tufts Admissions Network.
- Tufts does weigh “demonstrated interest” in the admissions process. Therefore, it will be noted whether or not you made a campus visit (in non-pandemic times), contacted an admissions officer, etc.
Tufts University Acceptance Rate 2024 (Continued)
- Make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the supplemental short-answer essays required by Tufts. In the 2023-24 cycle, the prompts were as follows:
We will ask all applicants to complete this sentence in 100 words or less:
“I am applying to Tufts because…”
All SMFA applicants respond to this instead:
Please complete the following statement: “I am applying to SMFA at Tufts because…” (50-100 words)
School of Arts and Sciences & School of Engineering Applicants
Choose 1 of 3 (250 words):
- It’s cool to love learning. What excites your intellectual curiosity?
- How have the environments or experiences of your upbringing – your family, home, neighborhood, or community – shaped the person you are today?
- Using a specific example or two, tell us about a way that you contributed to building a collaborative and/or inclusive community.
For detailed advice on each prompt, visit our blog entitled: Tufts University Essay Prompts and Tips.
Should I apply to Tufts?
Even more than in previous years, gaining acceptance into Tufts requires, for most applicants, an A/A- average in a full roster of the most rigorous courses available to you as well as extracurricular involvement/talents and SAT/ACT scores that exceed the 95th percentile. Remember, even though there is room for those who take advantage of the newly adopted test-optional policy, the median SAT score for one recent class was 1500.
Tufts University Acceptance Rate 2024 — Final Thoughts
With such a competitive admissions process, all students need to make sure that they, in conjunction with a counselor, formulate an appropriate college list, containing a complement of “target” and “safety” schools. Hopefully, your dream of entering the next Tufts freshman class becomes a reality, but, in the event that things don’t unfold as hoped, you’ll still end up at an institution with comparable attributes and opportunities.
Ready to start crafting your college applications? Be sure to review the following resources:
- Should You Start College Applications in the Summer?
- What is Demonstrated Interest?
- Do Colleges Look at Social Media?
- College Fair Advice for High School Students
- How to Complete the Common App Activities List
- Common App Essay Prompts
- 25 Inspiring College Essay Topic Ideas
- Should I Complete Optional College Essays?
