“Looking back, I would absolutely do Civic Semester again, no questions asked. Spending my first semester of college in a non-academic setting, while still learning and growing among my peers was the rest that I needed after high school. It provided me with new perspectives that I still apply to my classes at Tufts.”
-Ann Yancey '23, Tufts Civic Semester Participant
Welcome to Tufts! Over the next four years you will have access to so many opportunities for new and exciting experiences that will allow you to learn and grow. Tufts Civic Semester, one of Tufts’ most unique programs, is available only to first semester students. Combining academic coursework with experiential learning to provide a transformational first-semester focused on community engagement and social justice, Civic Semester is an incredible way to begin your Tufts journey.
Based in either Urubamba, Peru or the Southwestern United States, Civic Semester students join a small cohort of 10-12 peers to create a living and learning community engaging deeply with important social issues through Tufts coursework and supporting and learning from local community organizations. With programming focused on building a civic identity and skills for promoting equity and justice, Civic Semester participants return to the Tufts campus with a deep friendships, a stronger sense of self, and a clearer understanding of how they want to have an impact during their time at Tufts and beyond. Program costs are covered by tuition and fees, and applicants to the program can utilize their Tufts financial aid package.
Through coursework that begins in the summer and goes through the fall semester, Civic Semester students take a full course load of academics and experience small classes where they get to know Tufts faculty on a deeper level. All Civic Semester participants take two Civic Studies courses forming the academic foundation for the in-person experience, with additional academics complimenting program themes in that location. In the US, the program focuses on issues of environmental sustainability, indigenous sovereignty and immigrant rights, and students take two environmental studies courses alongside Latinx history to gain nuanced understanding of these complex issues. In Peru, themes of community health, arts and culture and environment and agriculture are combined with two Spanish classes and Latin American Civilization to provide students with the language, history and cultural knowledge to be able to fully experience Peru.
To learn more about our 2022 programs and locations, please click on the program options below.
Southwestern United States |
Peru |
Application Process
Interested students can complete the Tufts Civic Semester application from their Tufts applicant portal. Due to degree restrictions, only incoming students in the School of Arts & Sciences, not including BFA and SMFA combined degree students and participants in the BLAST program, are eligible to apply. International students are able to participate in Civic Semester.
Our application will open for admitted Tufts students in March, and we will review applications on a rolling basis until our final deadline of May 13, 2022. Interested students are encouraged to apply early. The application asks students to submit a few brief paragraphs to share more about themselves and their interest in the program. Finalists are invited to participate in online interviews. Neither an application nor acceptance to Tufts Civic Semester represents a binding commitment, and we invite all interested students to apply.
Learn More
Visit the Tisch College Civic Semester website, read Fellow blog posts, or contact firstyearglobal@tufts.edu for more information!