Graduate Student Orientation
2025 GSAS Orientation Schedule
The schedule below is for incoming Graduate School of Arts and Sciences students. If you are an incoming School of Engineering graduate student, please visit the SOE Orientation webpage.
Additional events will be posted to this page so please check back for updates. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at gsas@tufts.edu.
Tufts Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) Mandatory Training
Complete by Monday, August 18, 2025
MANDATORY - Tufts Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) provides a 5-module asynchronous training about the University’s Non-Discrimination Policy, Sexual Misconduct Policy, affirmative consent, affirmative consent, reporting, and resources & support for all students. Students are required to complete all 5 modules by Monday, August 18, 2025. Students who do not complete this mandatory training in full will have a hold on their record in SIS which will prevent course registration (adds and drops).
A Canvas course invitation will be sent to your Tufts email beginning July 7th. You may log into the Canvas Learning system here.
Your Enrolling Checklist will be updated 1-2 days after completing the Canvas course. Questions should be directed to OEOtraining@tufts.edu.
Beginning Your Partnership with Career Services
Wednesday, August 6, 2025 | 12 - 1 pm (Eastern)
Career Services holds 1:1 advising for master’s and PhD students and offers programming and workshops to all students within GSAS. In this session, you will learn how you can utilize Career Services and build a partnership with them throughout your time at Tufts.
GSAS Incoming Student Orientation (Virtual)
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 | 9:30 - 11:00 am
Join us for this opportunity to meet with some campus partners to help position yourself for the best start to your graduate career. All new GSAS students are encouraged to attend.
GSAS Teaching Assistant (TA) Orientation (Virtual)
Friday, August 22 and Monday, August 25, 2025 | 10 - 11:30 am (Eastern)
The GSAS TA Orientation sessions will take place on Friday, August 22nd and Monday, August 25th. These will be two different sessions with important information and resources for teaching assistants. All incoming students who are holding a Teaching Assistantship, as well as returning students who are holding their first Teaching Assistantship and have not attended TA orientation in the past should attend.
GSAS PhD Students Only
Monday, August 25 and Wednesday, August 27, 2025 | 11:30 am
These sessions are specifically for GSAS PhD students who are holding a TA or RA appointment during the 2025-2026 Academic Year and will provide an opportunity for you to learn more about your SEIU Graduate Student Union. Union stewards will be available to answer any questions you have about your role as a graduate assistant. This meeting will be held on Zoom, no registration necessary.
GSAS Research Assistant (RA) Orientation (Virtual)
Wednesday, August 27, 2025 | 10 - 11:30 am (Eastern)
This orientation will include important information and resources for research assistants. All incoming students who are holding a Research Assistantship, as well as returning students who are holding their first Research Assistantship and have not attended RA orientation in the past should attend.
International Graduate Student Orientation
Thursday, August 28, 2025 | 8:30 am - 1:45 pm (Eastern) - in person
The International Graduate Student Orientation will introduce introduce incoming international students to Tufts International Center staff. You will meet other incoming international graduate students, learn about your student visa and how to maintain your immigration status while studying at Tufts, and explore campus resources. There will be lunch following the orientation session. For more information, please email internationalcenter@tufts.edu
What grad students wish they knew about the library sooner: a Tisch Library Information Session
Friday, August 29, 2025 | 10:00 - 10:30 am (Eastern) | Virtual
Join us for an introduction to library services and how we can work together during your time at Tufts, and for time to ask us questions. We’ll be highlighting things that grad students told us in previous surveys that they wished they knew about the library earlier in their time at Tufts, to ensure you know about them from the very beginning! All new GSAS students are encouraged to attend. The Zoom link will be shared with all registrants prior to the session.
Tours of Tisch Library
Monday, September 8, 2025 | 12:00 - 12:30 pm (Eastern) - in person
Wednesday, September 10, 2025 | 2:00 - 2:30 pm (Eastern) - in person
Join Tisch Library staff for an introduction to their spaces and services and ask staff any questions you have about the library. Tours will leave from the Tisch Library lobby. Please arrive a few minutes before the departure time of the tour. Returning graduate students are also encouraged to join us for a tour. All graduate students are welcome.
Resource Fair & Welcome Picnic
Thursday, September 11, 2025 | 4 - 6 pm | Location: Aidekman Arts Center
Graduate students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, SMFA, and School of Engineering are invited to a Resource Fair and Welcome Picnic on the Medford Campus. At this event, students will have the opportunity to engage with the many departments and offices across Tufts. Join us for swag, food, and so much more. No RSVP required.
Recordings
New Student Checklist Panel (Virtual)
The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences hosted a New Student Checklist Panel in April. At this session, the panelists presented and answered questions to prepare incoming students for graduate school this fall. If you missed the session, the meeting was recorded and the recording and slides are available in Box. (You will need to login with your Tufts username and password.) Questions? Email gsas@tufts.edu.
Health Insurance for Graduate Students
Students attending universities in Massachusetts must have health insurance that meet MA State requirements. All full-time students are automatically enrolled in the student health insurance with United Healthcare Student Resources unless proof of comparable coverage is furnished.
Have questions about the health insurance policy for graduate students? Email studenthealthinsurance@tufts.edu.
View Slides View Recording of Session on Health Insurance
Financial Aid 101
The Financial Aid Office is hosted Financial Aid 101 sessions to provide an overview of loan options and billing at Tufts. These webinars were open to international and domestic Master's, PhD, and Post-Baccalaureate incoming GSAS students. The session covered Federal Unsubsidized loans, Federal Grad PLUS loans, and private loans.
The slides from the session are available here.
You will be able to schedule a follow-up meeting with our Graduate Financial Aid Counselor afterward to discuss your specific situation.
Additional Resources
- If you haven’t done so already, review the New Graduate Student Checklist for GSAS students and explore the Admitted Students section of our website.
- Students are invited to our Canvas Page. You may access this page by using your Tufts UTLN to log in. This page includes the links to the previous orientations, resources, discussion boards, and more.
- If you have additional questions, please reach out to gsas@tufts.edu.