Application Requirements and Policies

• Application Fee or Fee Waiver
• Academic Records
• Letters of Recommendation
• Personal Statement
• Resume/Curriculum Vitae
• Graduate Record Examination (if required)
• Evidence of English Proficiency for Non-Native Speakers of English (if required)

Some degree programs require additional documents. Please refer to the instructions in the online application to ensure you submit all required documents.

The application fee of $85 is payable through the online application by credit card or e-check (drawn on a US bank). The application fee is not refundable, even if submitted after the application deadline. Your credit card or e-check statement is your receipt. No action can be taken on your application until this fee has been received. Separate applications, including fees, are required if you apply to more than one graduate program at Tufts University. Please note: a maximum of two applications are allowed to be submitted for one admissions cycle and must be degree programs in two separate departments.

The application fee is waived for: current Tufts undergraduate and graduate students; students in Tufts certificate programs applying to a degree program; AmeriCorps and Peace Corps volunteers and alumni; City Year and Teach For America Corp members and alumni; currently applying GEM fellows; current Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers (IRT) fellows, current Leadership Alliance Members, and current McNair Scholars. Gordon Institute MSEM and MSIM applicants who attend an information session will be granted a fee waiver.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers an application fee waiver for current seniors at NESCAC schools: Amherst College, Bates College, Bowdoin College, Colby College, Connecticut College, Hamilton College, Middlebury College, Trinity College, Tufts University, Wesleyan University, and Williams College. Recent Tufts graduates (those who graduated within three years) receive fee waivers and other benefits from the Return to Tufts program. Current Tufts students interested in GSAS programs are also encourage to review the benefits (including fee waivers) of the Fifth Year Master's program.

The School of Engineering offers an application fee waiver to those applying to a MS degree program in engineering if currently enrolled as a junior or senior at Lafayette College, Olin College, Smith College, Union College, or Wellesley College. Tufts alumni and alumni of these institutions are also eligible for a waiver if they are applying to a MS degree program within the School of Engineering.

If the application fee will present a financial hardship, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions.

Applicants must list all institutions degree-granting or non-degree granting on their application and upload transcripts from each institution. The transcripts must be uploaded in English and have the applicant's name, institution name, courses taken for credit, and grades received. If your course is currently in progress, a grade does not need to be listed. Applicants may submit unofficial copies of their transcripts for application review. Please note that an institution indicating a Bachelor’s or equivalent degree must be listed on the application.

For enrolling students:

Enrolling students must request the final and official transcripts from the listed institutions to be sent to the Office of Graduate Admissions. For a transcript to be considered final and official, it must be sent directly from the attended institution and contain your name, the type of degree awarded, and the date that it was conferred. If your coursework at an institution did not result in a degree, please ensure all your courses have grades listed. Additionally, if your transcript is not in English, you are required to submit a certified translation to our office. Many of our students utilize WES.

Transcripts uploaded to the online application or emailed directly by the student will not satisfy our requirements. Final and official transcripts can be sent electronically via a transcript service, through email, or it can be physically mailed to our office. The Office of Graduate Admissions highly recommends electronic delivery methods. Students who do not submit final and official transcripts will have a hold placed on their account. This may result in not being allowed to enroll in future terms. Questions about the enrolling student transcript requirement should be sent to GradAdmissions.Transcripts@tufts.edu.

Most programs will require three letters of recommendation. Current Tufts students, Tufts certificate students applying for a degree program, applicants to the engineering management program, and Studio Art Post-Baccalaureate applicants are required to submit two letters. One letter of recommendation is required for certificate programs. Letters of recommendation should be submitted through the online system. If that is not possible, you may have your recommenders submit their letters to the Office of Graduate Admissions, 2 The Green, Bendetson Hall, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155. We are able to accept recommendation letters for up to two weeks after the application deadline has passed.

Applicants are required to upload a personal statement describing your reasons for wanting to pursue graduate study at Tufts in the program to which you are applying. Please limit your personal statement to a maximum of five pages (2,500 words). Refer to the Requirements and Deadlines document to determine if the program to which you are applying has specific prompts.

Your current résumé or CV including dates of your educational history, employment, academic honors, scholarships, publications and other activities should be uploaded as part of your completed application.

A number of our programs are currently waiving the GRE requirement. Please review the application instructions carefully. If required, you can register online at www.gre.org, and the Tufts University code number is 3901. Student copies or photocopies of GRE scores are not accepted, so please remember to designate Tufts as one of your score recipients. To ensure timely score reporting, we suggest that you take the GRE at least one month prior to the application deadline for your program. GRE scores are only reviewed if required by the program to which you are applying. Please check the requirements and deadlines document carefully to see whether you are required to submit GRE scores.

Scores can take five to ten business days to arrive to us after you have sent them. We are able to accept official scores for up to two weeks after the application deadline has passed.

Applicants who are not native speakers of English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Duolingo English Test. Please note: student copies or photocopies of TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo scores are not accepted at any point in the admissions process.

We strongly prefer that official scores are sent to us by the test provider electronically. Please see the below instructions to send scores electronically:

• Duolingo English Test: Select the option Tufts University – Graduate Programs in Arts, Sciences and Engineering
• IELTS: Select “Account Name”: Tufts University – Arts, Sciences and Engineering
• TOEFL: Select institution code 3901. There is no department code required. All scores sent to institution code 3901 are sent to our office.

Scores can take five to ten business days to arrive to us after you have sent them. We are able to accept official scores for up to two weeks after the application deadline has passed.

If an applicant satisfies one or more of the following conditions, s/he is not required to provide a TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo score, unless stated otherwise by the department:

• Citizenship of Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, Guyana, an Anglophone country of Africa, or an English-speaking country of the Caribbean
• A college or university degree earned in the United States, in one of the countries listed above, or from an institution with English as the medium of instruction prior to submission of this application
• Current enrollment as a full-time student in a degree-granting program in the United States or at an English-speaking school.  The student must have successfully completed two consecutive full-time academic years of college or university work prior to the date of anticipated enrollment at Tufts University

Some degree programs require additional documents such as a writing sample, supplemental essay, or portfolio. Please be sure to refer to the instructions in the online application to ensure you are submitting all requirements for the program to which you are applying.

Writing Sample

If your program requires a writing sample, please upload the document in the appropriate section of the online application. Refer to the Requirements and Deadlines document to determine if the program to which you are applying has specific prompts.

Digital Portfolio

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences applicants should refer to their program requirements to review whether a digital portfolio is required to apply to their program.

All applicants to the MFA and Post-Baccalaureate programs are required to submit a visual art portfolio consisting 10-20 images of recent work and/or up to 10 minutes of time-based work. See additional MFA and Post-Bacc portfolio guidelines here. 

School of Engineering degree applicants may upload a video presentation (2 minutes maximum) of your own design, product or research conducted, to demonstrate to the admissions committee your interest and skill sets. This video essay is optional but recommended. Non-native English speakers are encouraged to submit a digital portfolio to demonstrate English language skills.

Since graduate admissions are both limited and competitive, it is to your advantage to apply early and to ensure that all required materials are received before the deadline. Late applications will be reviewed only when openings remain after all on-time applications have been considered. Financial aid for late applicants is very limited.

It is important that all material submitted in support of your application be accurate. Any information that is determined to be erroneous or incomplete may cause a student's association with Tufts to be immediately terminated.