Applying to Tufts as a Transfer Applicant

Tufts University welcomes applications for transfer admission to the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts. Our only entry point for transfer students is the fall semester. The number of incoming transfer students in a given year varies.

Transfer Application Timeline

• Transfer Application due: March 18
• Visual Art Portfolio due (required only for BFA and BFA+BA/BS applicants): March 20
• Transfer applications reviewed and evaluated by the Admissions Committee: April-May
• Transfer admissions decisions will be released by mid-May. Applicants will be notified of the release date via email.

Who is eligible for Transfer Admission?

A transfer student is any student who has matriculated at another college or university. To be eligible for transfer consideration at Tufts, students must be in good academic and disciplinary standing at an accredited two- or four-year institution. For any questions about transfer eligibility or the application process, please contact Tufts by email at transfer.admissions@tufts.edu.

To be a successful candidate for transfer admission at Tufts, we recommend completing at least one year of college study by the time of enrollment at Tufts. Successful applicants to the School of Engineering must meet a designated level of coursework to be considered for admission, which can be reviewed here.

In order to earn an undergraduate degree from Tufts, students must be fully enrolled members of the Tufts community for at least two years. Therefore, students who have already earned more than two years’ worth of full-time college credit are discouraged from applying to Tufts.

Students who have taken classes at a college or university but have not enrolled as a degree-seeking student are eligible to apply as a first-year applicant.

Prospective students who are 24 years or older, a veteran, currently serving in the armed forces, a parent, or married may be eligible for our Resumed Education for Adult Learning (REAL) program which has different application requirements. More details are available here.

Application Process and Requirements

Candidates for transfer admission apply online using the Common Application for Transfer, which includes the Tufts short-answer questions. If you have any questions about the transfer application process, please contact Tufts at transfer.admissions@tufts.edu. Supporting materials, including completed College Reports, college transcripts, and secondary school transcripts, may be emailed by a college or school official to transfer.admissions@tufts.edu.

We are looking for students to articulate their maturity and growth since entering college in their applications. Accordingly, if you are re-applying to Tufts University, we expect a new set of essays that reflect who you are now.

A complete transfer application must be submitted by March 18 and must include the following items:

1. The Common Application, which includes the Transfer application and Tufts short-answer questions
2. Transfer College Report from each college you have attended, available via the Common Application
3. One academic evaluation from a college-level instructor or advisor via the Common Application website 
   • For BFA and Combined Degree students, we require one college-level studio art instructor evaluation and one college-level non-studio art academic evaluation.
4. All secondary school transcripts
5. Official college transcripts
6. Brief descriptions of your past and current college courses
   • You may copy course catalog descriptions from your institution’s course catalog and paste them into a Word document. Label this document with your full name and date of birth, and email it to transfer.admissions@tufts.edu. 
7. A list of courses in progress, if not listed on college transcript, on Transfer College Report
8. English proficiency test scores, required only for applicants whose primary language is not English, unless they have been enrolled in an institution or institutions where English is the language of instruction for at least three years. Students enrolled in ESOL classes during secondary school or college may be asked for proof of proficiency. Click here for additional information. 
9. Transfer Mid-Term Report form, available via the Common Application, which includes a spring mid-semester update from each of your current professors. Instructors should provide a written or digital signature for each course grade. This report should be prepared and uploaded using your Tufts applicant status portal between March 18 and April 4. 
   • If your current institution uses a trimester or quarter calendar, finalized winter term grades may satisfy the mid-term report requirement.
10. Visual art portfolio, required only for all students applying to the BFA or Combined Degree (BFA+BA/BS) programs. A visual art portfolio should consist of 15-20 images and/or up to 10 minutes of time-based work. The ideal portfolio will demonstrate your conceptual development while highlighting your technical abilities. We encourage you to submit work that you believe to be the strongest representation of your skills and experiences to date, regardless of medium. You will upload your visual art portfolio after submitting your application by logging in to your Tufts applicant portal. The visual arts portfolio submission deadline for transfer applicants is March 20. Find more information and resources about portfolio guidelines here.   
11. $75 application fee or fee waiver request

Please note: Tufts does not offer mid-year or January admission. Sophomore and junior transfer candidates are considered only for fall enrollment.

Please also note: Applying for financial aid is a separate process with its own required documents.

These additions to the application are optional, meaning they are not required:

• Standardized Test Scores: Tufts is extending its current test-optional policy to include students applying for fall 2024, 2025, and 2026, giving applicants a choice about whether or not to submit SAT or ACT scores to be considered with their application. If applicants would like us to consider their SAT/ACT results as one component of their candidacy, we will do so in a nuanced and contextual way. If students choose not to submit SAT/ACT results, we will evaluate their candidacy in a nuanced and contextual way without scores. Our holistic, committee-based approach to application review provides us with the flexibility to evaluate academic and extracurricular accomplishments within a student’s individual context. We do not require SAT Subject Tests, the SAT Essay, or the writing section of the ACT, and we will not consider them in our process. Tufts accepts self-reported testing on the Common Application when students are applying. Students who are admitted and choose to enroll at Tufts will be required to send their official scores from the testing agency. 
• Supplemental Arts or Maker Portfolio: As the application checklist indicates above, the visual art portfolio is required for students applying to the BFA or Combined Degree BFA+BA/BS programs at SMFA at Tufts. Students applying to the School of Arts and Sciences or the School of Engineering may submit an optional arts or maker portfolio to highlight talent in studio art, drama, dance, music, or engineering. After submitting your application, you will receive a link to your applicant portal. Submit your portfolio by selecting the “Digital Portfolio” tab in your Tufts applicant status portal, choosing a portfolio category from the drop-down menu, and uploading your media. Information about the optional Maker Portfolio can be found here.