Tufts received 1,536 transfer applicants for admission in the fall of 2023, and admitted 196 students for an acceptance rate of only 12.8%. They only accept transfers for fall start, but provide a fair amount of information about what they look for in transfer applicants, and how to stand out should you choose to apply. In this post we’ll distill what you need to know if you’re considering applying to Tufts as a transfer, and dig into the crucial pieces of the application that you must ace if you want to be part of that small pool of accepted applicants.
First, Tufts accepts transfers for three undergraduate colleges: the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts. While they don’t have a minimum GPA to apply, they do require applicants be in good academic and disciplinary standing at an accredited two- or four-year institution. Realistically, you do need to be an exceptional student, though, to truly be considered for admission by Tufts. There are also completed coursework requirements if you’re aiming for an Engineering program.
College grades are super important, so you should be striving for top marks, but your high school grades are still crucial, too. A year, or even two, of strong performance in college doesn’t supersede an average, or below average, high school track record. This is why you need to be a strong Tufts applicant today, but also you need to have been strong in the past, too, even if you weren’t ‘Tufts strong.’
And you can apply to Tufts if you were rejected in the past, but remember that the reasons they rejected you previously will still be there, so you need to do a lot to overcome them. Essays can assist with the narrative side of that, but your college transcript and recommendations will do equally heavy lifting.
Below, we’ll break down the essay side of the equation.
Deciding to transfer is a big moment, but it’s also just the beginning. Each year, we help students transfer into their dream school. Learn More.
As a transfer applicant, you submit your application to a specific school within Tufts. The School of Arts and Sciences, The School of Engineering, the BFA in Studio Art, or the combined 5-year degree program. Whichever school you apply to, specifying what you want to study in extremely important as a transfer. Tufts is looking to fill gaps in their program left by students who are leaving, or from students switching majors. Transferring is not a meritocracy. The best students don’t necessarily get in — it’s the best students who fit their needs.
Now, you may be tempted to try to tell them what they want to hear in the name of getting in. However, that is a really bad idea. You can’t guess what gaps they have to fill, and you don’t want to get into Tufts on an academic track that you may not want to pursue.
And remember, if you want to study engineering you must review the required courses you need to have completed before getting to Tufts. There are no required courses to apply for transfer to the School of Arts and Sciences or for an art program.
THE ESSAYS
The School of Arts and Sciences, The School of Engineering
Please provide a statement that addresses your reasons for transferring to Tufts University and the objectives you hope to achieve. (2000-3000 characters)
This is the most important essay in your application to Tufts as a transfer. The rest are important, and you can certainly tank your application by phoning them in, but this is where you make the case for yourself as a potential transfer in the most direct and narrative way. After all, there must be a reason why you want to switch schools — what is it?
That is a bit of a trick question on our part, though. Tufts wants to know why you want to transfer, but they aren’t looking for a dramatic saga of your woes at your current school. They want to finish this essay feeling excited to welcome you in, not nervous you may cause problems given your track record. This may sound obvious, but we frequently hear from students who have drafted essays they are super proud of but that we find, at best, problematic.
To avoid this, start your drafting with where you want to get to rather than where you are today. Then, track back. How does going to Tufts get you to where you want to be — and how does your current school, well, not? Ideally, this means identifying an academic program that is crucial to your growth that Tufts offers but your current school doesn’t (or, at least, doesn’t have a robust program in).
If you’ve struggled socially at your current school, that’s most often best left out. What is relevant is what you are seeking at Tufts, not running away from at your current school. Tell them this store, and make them want to be part of realizing your future.
Please complete the following statement: "I am applying to Tufts because…" (250-500 characters)
Ok, so you sort of answered this already above, but the power of this supplement is how concise it is. You only have 500 characters, maximum, to use, and that offers an opportunity to have some fun. Whereas the prompt above is best answered by academics, this one is best responded to with a social, community-centric response. Share a tradition at Tufts that inspires you, and tie yourself into the community through how you may get involved with it.
Please use one of the short-answer prompts below to tell us more about yourself, your interests, and your experiences. We care about the ways in which your interests and experiences and will contribute to the Tufts community. Your response must be between (1200-1500 characters.)
Here there are three options, and there are no bad choices. However, there is one that is best for you. So, let’s break them down.
It’s cool to love learning. What excites your intellectual curiosity, and why?
This supplement prompt is amazing because it lets you completely be yourself, without having to validate the desire to transfer or make excuses for where you are right now. If you pick this prompt, go all in. Pick something that is relevant to your prospective major (i.e., not random), but from a super zoomed in perspective, and write a story about that thing, and how you engage with it, that makes you genuinely excited.
When the application reader finishes with this essay, they should feel as excited as you are about what sparks your curiosity.
How have the environments or experiences of your upbringing – your family, home, neighborhood, or community – shaped the person you are today?
This prompt offers an opportunity to share a piece of your background that may not otherwise come up in your application. For some students, this feels very important. Perhaps there is something that you would have focused on in a core Common App essay, but that doesn’t come up in the transfer app, which doesn’t have that main ‘everyone gets this’ essay. If this is the case, picking this prompt may be an obvious choice.
We challenge you, though, to seriously consider the first or the third instead. What has made you who you are is important, but who you will become and how you positively impact those around you is, perhaps, even more so.
Using a specific example or two, tell us about a way that you contributed to building a collaborative and/or inclusive community.
Tufts cares about community. They also know that transfer students can pose a bit of a risk to their carefully curated campus. Regardless of college or university, transfer students often experience a sense of separate from their class. After missing out on first-year orientation, seminars, and introductory courses, transfers typically have to put in extra effort to build meaningful relationships with their peers. This prompt invites you to show them how you’ve already done that before, and illustrate to them through an example or two how you would be able to use the skills you’ve honed to benefit the Tufts community.
But how do you pull it off? Story. Story is, as always, your best friend in a college application — transfer or not. We encourage students to focus on one story, and to only add another if it is a sub-story under or within your primary narrative.
Most importantly, don’t make yourself the hero of the story. This prompt is all about being collaborative, so if you put yourself all alone at the center that sort of works against you. Instead, cast yourself as the protagonist but with strong supporting characters.
The BFA in Studio Art, The Combined 5-Year Degree Program
Please provide a statement that addresses your reasons for transferring to Tufts University and the objectives you hope to achieve. (2000-3000 characters)
This is the same prompt as for The School of Arts and Sciences and The School of Engineering, and you should follow the same guidance — so scroll up for a second if you skipped down to here!
Art has the power to disrupt our preconceptions, shape public discourse, and imagine new ways of being in the world. What are the ideas you’d like to explore in your work? (1200-1500 characters)
This prompt is insanely fun, but it also plays to what can be an artist’s worst impulse — at least in terms of a transfer application. Namely, ego. You can, and surely will, explore big ideas with your work, but we recommend students ground those intentions in the daily to make them feel rooted and realistic. So, if you are interested in issues of food insecurity, for example, focus close to home for this prompt and reference things you’re already doing that connect to the idea.
Maybe start with a piece you are working on right now as a way into an idea, or a piece by another artist that you’ve found inspiring and moving. Whatever way you take into the essay, keep the phrase ‘writing the visual’ in mind. You’re writing about art without a picture, and that’s a challenge, so bring your work and inspiration to life through investing a large portion of the character count into helping the reader see what you are illustrating.
Please complete the following statement: "I am applying to SMFA at Tufts because…" (250-500 characters)
This supplement is short, sweet, and demanding. You’ve already said why you want to go to Tufts, and that response should have been heavily focused on academics. So, what goes here? Community. Focus your response on the community SMFA offers, including how you’d contribute as a member of it. Consider including specific community groups, clubs, or opportunities.
Applying to Tufts as a transfer is a big undertaking, but it also can come with an enormous pay-off. Remember to put in the time, far in advance of the deadline, to augment your application through academics and engagement. Then, hit it out of the park with your writing. With that, we can help.
If you want your ideal transfer strategy, contact us.