More selective than 90% of Massachusetts colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $88,300. College Scorecard.
Higher than 91% of Massachusetts colleges we cover and 98% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 78% of Massachusetts colleges we cover and 94% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Tufts University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 34,003 applicants, Tufts University admitted 3,444 and 1,739 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1470–1560 on the SAT or 33–35 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Tufts University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Tufts University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Tufts University took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Massachusetts. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $11,284 | $46,264 | 1.1 years |
| $30–48k | $9,811 | $40,225 | under 1 year |
| $48–75k | $14,923 | $61,184 | 1.4 years |
| $75–110k | $23,311 | $95,575 | 2.2 years |
| $110k+ | $58,570 | $240,137 | 5.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (86% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($83,214) minus $39,880 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $43,334 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Tufts University majors, earnings & careers
Tufts University offers 60 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 16
- Engineering · 12
- Science & Math · 12
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 9
- Arts & Design · 4
- Technology & Computing · 3
- Health & Medicine · 2
- Business & Finance · 1
- Education · 1
Highest-earning majors at Tufts University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $156,343 | $15,500 |
| Cognitive Science | $130,801 | $18,000 |
| Economics | $123,809 | $17,850 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $101,196 | $16,500 |
| Civil Engineering | $88,924 | — |
| Psychology (Research) | $79,571 | $15,875 |
| Political Science | $78,180 | $17,725 |
| International Relations | $77,998 | $16,375 |
Quick list of all 60 majors
- Anthropology—
- Applied Mathematics—
- Archeology—
- Architectural Engineering—
- Architecture—
- Area Studies$69,037
- Astronomy and Astrophysics—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$76,782
- Biomedical Engineering—
- Biopsychology—
- Biotechnology—
- Chemical Engineering—
- Chemistry—
- Civil Engineering$88,924
- Classics—
- Cognitive Science$130,801
- Computational Science—
- Computer Engineering—
- Computer Science$156,343
- Cultural Studies / Critical Theory and Analysis—
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics$123,809
- Education—
- Electrical Engineering—
- Engineering—
- Engineering Physics—
- Engineering Science—
- English$69,475
- Environmental Engineering—
- Environmental Science / Conservation$77,753
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography$59,960
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- History$65,540
- Human Computer Interaction—
- Human Development and Family Studies—
- International Relations$77,998
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Mathematics—
- Mechanical Engineering$101,196
- Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Nutrition Science—
- Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$78,180
- Psychology (Clinical / Counseling)—
- Psychology (Research)$79,571
- Public Health$75,448
- Religious Studies—
- Science, Technology and Society—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Sociology$61,719
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$70,767
- Studio Art$41,365
- Theatre—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Computer Science → Software developer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Biology → Biological technician
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Boston
Overall prices in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,383. Housing costs 48% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 49 inches of rain a year, 49 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: hurricane (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Middlesex County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Middlesex County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Tufts University with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Massachusetts by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tufts University | 11% | $39,998 | 94% | $83,214 | This school |
| Harvard University | 4% | $19,066 | 98% | $101,817 | |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 5% | $20,111 | 96% | $143,372 | |
| Boston College | 16% | $41,704 | 91% | $103,937 | |
| Babson College | 17% | $40,514 | 93% | $123,938 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Tufts University would cost you $20,932 more per year than Harvard University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Tufts University, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$9,028).
- Harvard University gives aided families $18,172 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Massachusetts resident | Tufts University | Harvard University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $70,704 | $61,676 | +$9,028 |
| Books & supplies | $1,000 | $1,000 | $0 |
| Housing & meals | $17,660 | $20,374 | −$2,714 |
| Personal & travel | $1,796 | $6,255 | −$4,459 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,860 | −$3,765 | +$905 |
| Sticker price | $88,300 | $85,540 | +$2,760 |
| Average grants | −$48,302 | −$66,474 | +$18,172 |
| You pay | $39,998 | $19,066 | +$20,932 |
“+” means Tufts University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Tufts University
What is the Tufts University acceptance rate?
Tufts University accepts 11% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 3,444 of 34,003 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1470–1560 on the SAT or 33–35 on the ACT.
How much does Tufts University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $88,300 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $39,998 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $11,284 and families earning $110k+ pay $58,570.
How much do Tufts University graduates earn?
Former Tufts University students earn a median $83,214 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Tufts University graduation rate?
94% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 96% return for their second year.
How long does a Tufts University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Tufts University costs about $61,184 after grants ($14,923 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $83,214 ten years after starting, $43,334 more than high school graduates in Massachusetts ($39,880), so the cost is repaid in 1.4 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Tufts University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/tufts-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).