All you need to know about Tufts University

Tufts University is popular for its research and educational programs

Tufts University is a privately run research university in Medford, Massachusetts, near the border with Somerville. Founded in 1852, Christian universalists who wanted to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning established Tufts College.

Tufts was a small liberal arts college in New England until the 1970s. It evolved into a large research university offering several doctorates. It has the classification as a ‘Research I university,’ which indicates the highest level of research activity in the university. Tufts university is a member of the Association of American Universities, which is an elite group of 64 North American research universities.

The university is well-known for its internationalism, study abroad programs, and emphasis on active citizenship and public service in all disciplines.

Tufts University-an overview

Founded in 1852, people and students consider Tufts as one of the top universities in the United States. Renowned for its rigorous and innovative research and educational programs, Tufts has a global reputation for academic excellence and for preparing students to be leaders in various professions.

Tufts has the designation of an ‘R1’ research university with ‘very high research activity’ by the Carnegie Foundation based on the breadth of the basic and clinical research conducted in its eight schools.

Tufts has extensive and well-regarded liberal arts, sciences, and engineering programs that attract outstanding students from all over the world with the highest academic standing and achievement. More than 98 percent of enrolling students intend to continue their education after earning a bachelor’s degree. Tufts has a strong international component in all of its schools. Approximately half of all Tufts undergraduates take coursework outside the United States to add a strong international dimension to their field of study. Tufts believes there is an inextricable link between teaching and research, and it encourages students to conduct their own research and scholarship.

Tufts emphasizes the importance of learning and research in the service of society, and civic engagement, spearheaded by the Tisch College of Civic Life, is integrated into almost every aspect and endeavor at the University.

Campus of Tufts University

Medford and Somerville campus of Tufts University

Tufts’ main campus is on Walnut Hill in Medford and Somerville, about 5 miles (8.0 km) from Boston, on the site of Charles Tufts’ original farm. All undergraduates in Arts & Sciences and Engineering attend this campus, as do the graduate programs at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and all graduate programs in Arts & Sciences and Engineering. While most of the campus is located in Medford, the Somerville line intersects it, causing parts of the lower campus to be located in Somerville and giving rise to the terms ‘Uphill’ and ‘Downhill.’

Boston campus

The School of Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, and Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy are all housed on the Tufts Boston Health Science campus, located in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood. Next to Tufts Medical Center, a 451-bed academic medical institution is built.

Tufts Medical Center physicians are all full-time clinical faculty members at Tufts School of Medicine.

Tufts University’s School of the Museum of Fine Arts is located on the Tufts Boston Fine Arts campus in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood, next to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Grafton campus

The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine is located on a 634-acre (2.57 km2) campus in Grafton, Massachusetts, west of Boston. The school runs the Ambulatory Farm Clinic in Woodstock, Connecticut, and the Tufts Laboratory at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

Talloires campus

Tufts has a satellite campus in Talloires, France, at the Tufts European Center, an 11th-century Benedictine priory. Donald MacJannet and his wife Charlotte purchased the priory in 1958 and used it as a summer campsite for several years before donating the campus to Tufts in 1978. Every year, the center hosts a variety of summer study programs with students living with local families. During the month of July, American high school students can participate in the Tufts Summit Program.

Tufts in Talloires is a 6-week program for Tufts undergraduate students that runs from mid-May to the end of June.

Furthermore, Tufts in Annecy offers a 4-week program for French language learners.

The site is frequently the site of international conferences and summits, most notably the Talloires Declaration, which brought together 22 universities to pursue a sustainable goal.

The National Association of Branch Campus Administrators named the Talloires campus one of the best branch campuses.

Courses

Tufts University has over 90 undergraduate and 160 graduate programs across ten schools in Boston and Talloires, France. The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is the country’s oldest graduate school of international relations. The School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University is the largest, and it includes both the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, which is affiliated with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Through its Gordon Institute, the School of Engineering emphasizes entrepreneurship and maintains close ties with the original college.

Popular programs at Tufts include

Arts and Humanities 

• Bachelor of Arts in Arabic
• Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology
• Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies
• Bachelor of Arts in Art History
• Bachelor of Arts in Child Study and Human
• Bachelor of Arts in Chinese

Engineering and Technology 

• Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science – Computer Science Concentration
• Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science – Engineering Psychology Concentration
• Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering (BSCHE)
• Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE)
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering (BSCPE)
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Life Sciences and Medicine 

• Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
• Bachelor of Arts in Biotechnology
• Bachelor of Arts in Community Health
• Bachelor of Arts in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
• Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science – Anthropology
• Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science – Biomedical Engineering

Natural Sciences 

• Bachelor of Arts in Geological
• Bachelor of Arts in Geological Sciences
• Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics
• Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science – Geological Sciences Concentration
• Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science – Mathematics Concentration
• Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science – Physics Concentration

Social Sciences and Management 

• Bachelor of Arts in American Studies
• Bachelor of Arts in East European Studies Concentration
• Bachelor of Arts in Economics
• Bachelor of Arts in Film and Media Studies
• Bachelor of Arts in German Studies
• Bachelor of Arts in Greek and Latin Studies

Rankings of Tufts University

• QS World University Rankings- 312
• QS WUR Ranking by Subject- 171-180
• Graduate Employability Ranking- 351
• US UNI (universities)- 36

Alumni

Tufts’ notable alumni include Nobel laureates, governors, billionaires, heads of state, Emmy and Academy Award winners, senators, representatives, and members of the National Academy. Marshall, Fulbright, Truman, Rhodes, and Goldwater scholars are also among them. Many graduates are CEOs or founders of Fortune 500 companies.

Some of the notable alumni of Tufts University

• Eugene Fama, Nobel Prize-winning economist (BA 1960)
• Roderick MacKinnon, Nobel Prize in Chemistry recipient (MD 1982)
• Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia and recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize (MA, 1981)
• Victor McKusick, geneticist, known as the father of medical genetics (COL, 1943)
• Peter Gallagher, American actor, musician, and writer (BA,1977)
• Shashi Tharoor, former Under-Secretary-General at the United Nations (MA, 1976; Ph.D., 1978)

Key takeaways

• Tufts University faculty and students collaborate as active global citizens. It is a close-knit community with the resources of a major research university, welcoming campuses near big-city opportunities, and a global network of accomplished alumni.
• Tufts has 3 campuses- Medford and Somerville and Boston and Grafton. The university also has one satellite campus in Talloires in, France.
• Tufts University provides over 90 undergraduate and 160 graduate programs across ten schools in Boston and Talloires, France. The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is the oldest graduate school of international relations in the US. 

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FAQs

Q1. Is Tufts University an Ivy League school?

Ans- Tufts is not an Ivy League school, but it offers a top-tier education on par with the best in the country. Many schools claim to be Ivy-equivalent, but Tufts has the academic programs and reputation to support their claims.

Q2. What GPA do you need to get into Tufts?

Ans- Tufts University’s admissions process is quite selective. To be considered for admission to Tufts University, you must have a GPA of 4.04 or higher.

Q3. What SAT score do you need for Tufts?

Ans- The school has extremely high SAT and ACT admission requirements. Tufts typically accepts students with SAT/ACT scores in the top 4% (SAT 1380/1530, ACT 32/35).