Resumed Education for Adult Learning (REAL)

The REAL program is designed for individuals who are:

24 years of age or older,
Parents,
Married,
Currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, or
Veterans

Prospective transfer candidates who with these experiences should apply to Tufts as a REAL candidate. REAL applicants must be invested in earning their bachelor’s degree on a full-time basis and have some college experience within the last five years.

The power of the REAL program lies in the support its students receive. Beginning with the admissions process and continuing through graduation, REAL students benefit from guidance specifically tailored for adult learners.

Fall 2026 Application Due: March 16, 2026

A complete application consists of the following materials:

Common Application for Transfer (select student status: REAL Program) with Tufts short-answer questions
All official college transcript(s)
Two letters of recommendation from academic sources
- Additional letters of recommendation are welcomed, if appropriate
$75 application fee
- If the application fee poses a hardship for you and your family, please contact real.admissions@tufts.edu or call (617) 627-3170

While we do not require standardized testing such as the SAT or ACT for REAL applicants, we do recommend submitting English proficiency test scores (TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test) if English is not your primary language and/or you have not lived or studied in an English-speaking context for three or more years.

If you are currently enrolled in college courses, we encourage you to submit the College Report and Transfer Mid-Term Report.

All application materials are submitted online via the Common Application website, including transcripts and letters of recommendation. If there are any supplemental materials that cannot be submitted through the Common Application (such as additional transcripts or recommendations), those materials should be emailed to real.admissions@tufts.edu or mailed directly to:

Attention: REAL Program
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Tufts University
Bendetson Hall
2 The Green
Medford, MA 02155-7057

If you have any questions about Tufts University and the REAL Program, please contact us by email at real.admissions@tufts.edu or by phone at (617) 627-3170.

Application Review Process

Academic Background: Each applicant’s academic profile is considered in the context of their personal history and their specific passions and goals. The admission committee is looking for strong academic achievement as well as evidence of the potential for success at Tufts.

Personal Qualities: Every individual has special skills, talents, interests and experiences. The admission committee seeks to glean these from your written statements and letters of recommendation.

Application Deadline and Notification Date

Application Deadline: March 16, 2026
Notification: Early May

Financial Aid Deadlines and Information

Financial Aid Materials Deadline: Mid-April 2026

Tufts offers need-based financial aid to eligible REAL students and meets 100% of demonstrated need for all eligible students who are admitted to the REAL program. Students who are seeking financial aid must submit:

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), for US citizens, permanent residents, and eligible non-citizens. Tufts' Federal School Code is 002219.
CSS Profile, administered by the College Board. Tufts’ CSS code is 3901.
Student (and spouse, if married) 2024 federal tax returns, signed, with all pages, schedules, and W-2s, uploaded to College Board's Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC)

There is no financial aid available for international citizens in the REAL program. If you have specific questions about financial aid at Tufts University, please contact Financial Services directly.

Degree Requirements

The liberal arts and engineering programs at Tufts provide students with both depth and breadth in their education. In liberal arts, a typical degree represents the completion of 120 semester hour units or SHUs (where a typical course is equal to 3 or 4 SHUs) fulfilling the following requirements:

Foundation Requirements: two semesters of college writing, three semesters of a language other than English, three additional semesters of a language other than English or three culture courses, one course designated as world civilizations
Distribution Requirements: two courses each in the areas of humanities, fine arts, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics
Concentration (major): eight to ten courses in the department of the major and two or three courses in a field related to the major

Engineering students must complete 120 semester hour units. About 25% are devoted to math and sciences and another 20% to engineering sciences and other foundation courses. The major requirements take up about 35% of the curriculum, and students are encouraged to choose the remaining 20% from courses in the liberal arts.

For more information about degree requirements or transfer of credits, please visit the Tufts Bulletin.