Tufts Transfer Acceptance Rate and Requirements — 2024

December 15, 2023

tufts transfer acceptance rate, tufts university

Tufts University is now a full-fledged member of the single-digit club—schools that reject more than 9 of every 10 individuals who apply. While the Tufts transfer acceptance rate is often similar to the freshman figure, they have accepted as many as 300 applicants in recent cycles. In other words, gaining acceptance as a transfer student to this school is highly challenging, but not a one-in-a-million shot either. This blog will share the Tufts transfer acceptance rate as well as other essential pieces of information like the Tufts transfer deadline, the requirements for applicants, the Tufts University transfer decision date, and much more.

Tufts Transfer Acceptance Rate

Below we present the most current available Tufts University transfer acceptance rate as well as historical data.

For entry in the fall of 2022, 1,474 students applied for transfer admission, and 148 were successful. This means that the Tufts transfer acceptance rate is 10%. Broken down by gender, the acceptance rates are as follows:

  • Male transfer applicants: 7.7%
  • Female transfer applicants: 11%

For entry in the fall of 2021, there were 1,237 transfer applicants and 90 individuals were accepted. This means that the Tufts transfer acceptance rate was 7.3%.

When trying to get the complete picture of how difficult it is to transfer into a given school, it is important to also look at historical data. Some colleges have wild fluctuations in transfer acceptance rates from year to year. As you can see, this is very much the case at Tufts where acceptance rates have varied from 7% to 28% in recent years.

Historical transfer rates are as follows:

Year Acceptance Rate
2020 28.0%
2019 18.9%
2018 14.5%
2017 9.6%

Tufts Transfer Deadline

The Tufts transfer deadline for fall applicants is March 18. If applying to a BFA program, the visual art portfolio is due by March 20. Tufts does not allow for spring transfers.

Tufts Transfer Requirements

The Tufts transfer requirements are as follows:

  • Completed Common App for Transfer
  • Final high school transcript
  • Official college transcripts
  • Transfer Mid-Term Report
  • Brief description of college courses (can be from catalog pasted directly into MS Word)
  • SAT or ACT scores (optional through 2026)
  • College Report
  • One letter of recommendation from a college-level instructor
  • Supplemental materials, if required or recommended. For examples, applicants to BFA programs must complete a visual art portfolio, and prospective engineering students can complete a Maker Portfolio.

Tufts Transfer Acceptance Rate (Continued)

Students who have the best chance to gain admission to Tufts have done the following:

  • In the process of completing at least two full-time college semesters.
  • Earned exceptional grades in their first year at a community college or 4-year university.
  • Pursued relevant coursework for their academic major. For engineering, follow these guidelines. Prospective Arts and Sciences students will be evaluated on how much progress they have made toward major, language, and foundation/distribution requirements.

Tufts Transfer GPA

Straight from the Tufts admissions staff, there is no minimum GPA, but admitted students typically have a GPA of 3.0 to a 4.0. In our experience, Tufts transfer hopefuls should aim for a 3.75 or above to have the strongest chance possible. Additionally, according to admissions: “If you have only completed one year of college coursework, we may need to put greater emphasis on your high school transcript. If your high school transcript is not as strong as you would like it to be, superior performance in one or two years of college coursework will help us see your full potential.”

Tufts Transfer Writing Supplement

All transfer applicants must respond to the following:

  1. Please provide a statement that addresses your reasons for transferring to Tufts University and the objectives you hope to achieve. (2000-3000 characters)

Arts and Sciences & Engineering Applicants Only

  1. Please complete the following statement: “I am applying to Tufts because…” (250-500 characters)
  2. Please respond to one of the following three prompts in 1200-1500 characters:
  • It’s cool to love learning. What excites your intellectual curiosity and why?
  • 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.

Tufts Transfer Acceptance Rate (Continued)

SMFA Applicants Only

  1. Please use the short-answer prompt below to tell us more about yourself, your interests, and your experiences. We care about the ways in which your interests and experiences and will contribute to the Tufts community.Art has the power to disrupt our preconceptions, shape public discourse, and imagine new ways of being in the world. What are the ideas you’d like to explore in your work? (1200-1500 characters)
  2. Please complete the following statement: “I am applying to SMFA at Tufts because…” (250-500 characters)

Transfer Decision Date

The Tufts transfer decision date for fall decisions is in mid-May.

Final Thoughts – Tufts University Transfer Acceptance Rate

Although you do not need to specify a major at the time of application, prospective transfers must commit to joining either the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering, or a BFA program. According to Tufts, “We look for students who will be successful in their chosen discipline here, but also students who will engage in campus life.” Moreover, they’re interested in learning about your reasons for wanting to transfer to Tufts specifically. We’d recommend clearly demonstrating these factors in your application.

If you are 100% committed to leaving your current college, you’ll want to apply to other schools in addition to Tufts University. Even if you have a 4.0, admission into Tufts is far from a guarantee, so you’ll want to create a balanced list of institutions that include safety schools.

If you are looking for information on how to apply to Tufts as a first-year student, you may find the following blogs to be of interest:

Those searching for application info on other institutions may wish to visit our Dataverse pages/blogs:

 


bookmark