Apply to a First-Year Global Program Now by Clicking Here!
***We are carefully monitoring the ways in which COVID-19 may impact both First-Year Global Programs for Fall 2020. A final decision will be made on April 28 regarding whether First-Year Global Programs will proceed for Fall 2020. All interviews and information sessions will be on hold until then. If you have any questions, please email firstyearglobal@tufts.edu.
Some of the most profound educational experiences take place outside of the classroom. Tufts is proud to offer two unique global opportunities for incoming students to combine academics, a social impact internship, foreign language learning, and cultural immersion in six incredible locations around the world.
The Tufts Civic Semester is an international take on your first semester of college. Spend August on the Tufts campus for introductory coursework before departing for Peru or Senegal alongside fellow Tufts students. There you’ll combine language classes with part-time work at a community organization, and you’ll return to campus in the spring with a semester’s worth of academic credit and memories to last a lifetime.
The Tufts 1+4 Bridge Year is a gap year built into your Tufts experience. Spend a year with other Tufts students in Brazil, Ecuador, India, or Uruguay immersed in a new culture and language while you support the work of a local community through a full-time internship. You’ll learn more about yourself and the world before returning to campus as a first-year student.
Watch the Tufts 1+4 video and read below to learn more about these programs!
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“Doing a Global Program was pivotal in my time at Tufts. It really made me consider how to take my interest in biochemistry and apply it more broadly. Living abroad taught me that I could challenge myself and not be afraid to be uncomfortable in new situations, and really propelled me to take on opportunities during college that I otherwise may not have.” – Tufts Senior and First-Year Global Program Alumnus Steven Schwab
Application Process
All students admitted to Tufts University are eligible to apply for a First-Year Global Program. Due to degree restrictions, only students admitted to the School of Arts & Sciences are eligible to apply to the Tufts Civic Semester. BFA and SMFA combined degree students as well as BLAST participants are also ineligible to apply to the Civic Semester.
Students can apply through their Tufts online application status page by May 15th! Finalists will be invited to participate in a brief online interview. Neither an application nor acceptance to a First-Year Global Program represents a binding commitment, and we invite all interested students to apply.
Financial Support
Tufts is committed to making both First-Year Global Programs accessible to all students.
The Tufts Civic Semester is a student’s first semester of college, and as such all costs are covered by tuition funds. Applicants to the program are eligible to utilize their Tufts financial aid package.
Need-based financial support is available to any Tufts 1+4 Bridge Year applicant who needs help defraying the costs of the program, including full funding to all students who qualify for Tufts financial aid.
Learn More
Visit the First-Year Global Programs website, read Fellow blog posts, or contact firstyearglobal@tufts.edu for more information or to be connected to a current or past program participant!