Tufts University Pre-College Programs International Relations Summer Intensive

The program is built around four kinds of class: an intensive college-level language course, lectures from Tufts faculty, discussion groups led by an advanced classroom assistant and skills workshops in research, writing and analysis. In the discussion groups you learn to annotate academic texts, pick out their arguments and think through what the day's lecture means for people in different places. On top of that come a crisis simulation, where you test your negotiation and writing skills on a real-world problem, and field trips around the Boston area. Programming starts with an 8:45am check-in and ends no later than 6pm, but we couldn't find a detailed 2027 timetable in Tufts' published material.

The program opens on Monday 26 July 2027 with a required 9am orientation covering the schedule, policies and safety. It ends on Friday 6 August with a closing ceremony with guest speakers and student presenters. The ceremony finishes by 2pm, and parents are invited.

Residential students check in on Sunday 25 July 2027. Evenings and weekends are run by the residential staff, with activities such as ice cream socials and midnight pancakes. Weekend trips change from year to year, and past ones have included Crane Beach, Six Flags New England and Duck Boat tours. Commuters have no program on weekends, and no program staff supervise them outside program hours.

You need to be entering 11th or 12th grade in fall 2027, or graduating from high school in spring 2027, and you must be at least 15 when the program starts. Residential students also can't be older than 19 by the last day.

Tufts says most students finish the application in 30 to 45 minutes, but three parts come from other people. A school official uploads your transcript, a teacher, counselor or mentor sends a letter of recommendation, and a parent completes the permission form. Tufts won't start reviewing your application until all three arrive. You also write a statement of interest of up to 250 words and name your top two language courses from Beginning Arabic, Chinese or Russian and Intermediate French or Spanish. The intermediate courses are meant for students with at least a year of prior study, and you have to pass a placement exam to get in. Places in every course depend on space, so you may not get your first choice.

Tufts doesn't publish an acceptance rate. It looks at each application as a whole, says your transcript and recommendation are the best way to stand out, and usually sends a decision within 10 business days of receiving everything. If English isn't your first language, you'll need a TOEFL iBT score of 100, IELTS 6.5, PTE 68 or Duolingo 120, or at least a year at an all-English school.

Your main piece of work is an independent research paper on an international relations topic you choose, which you develop with Tufts library staff and your teaching assistants. Past titles include an analysis of the US decision to withdraw support from the WHO and a paper asking whether a negotiated agreement between India and China is possible. Tufts says some students use their paper as a writing sample in later applications.

The program carries 3 Tufts credits, graded pass/fail, and you can request an official Tufts transcript afterward. Whether those credits count anywhere else is up to the college you go on to attend, and Tufts can't promise your high school will accept them. If you later enroll at Tufts, the course stays on your record. Taking part doesn't lead to or guarantee admission to a Tufts degree program, because the program is separate from Tufts undergraduate admissions.

For summer 2027, living on campus costs $5,750 and commuting costs $4,225. Both prices cover classes, materials, excursions and the opening and closing events. The residential fee also covers a bed in a double room in a Tufts dorm, three meals a day, bedding and towels, round-the-clock residential staff and a staff-accompanied airport transfer during set arrival and departure windows. Commuters get lunch on weekdays only.

You also pay for your own travel to Boston and your spending money, plus laundry at $1.50 a cycle if you live on campus. Tufts charges $55.16 for health insurance if you can't show valid U.S.-based coverage and $55.00 if you can't prove you've had the required vaccinations, and any medical care is billed to you.

Once you're admitted, you pay a $550 deposit within 10 days to hold your place. It counts toward the fee but is never refunded. The balance is due by 15 May 2027, and Tufts doesn't offer a payment plan for summer charges. If you withdraw in writing by 11:59pm ET on 15 May 2027, the rest of the tuition may be refunded, but you get nothing back after that. A visa delay or refusal doesn't count as a reason for a refund.

Tufts has limited need-based scholarships for its pre-college programs and says they typically cover 75% to 100% of the fee. Awards go out twice a month from February, and international students aren't eligible. If you can't attend without aid, Tufts suggests waiting for your aid decision before paying the deposit, but it warns the program may fill in the meantime.

Residential students live in halls divided by gender and age, with one resident advisor for every ten students. Counselors check in with students several times a day and go along on off-campus trips. You need a Tufts ID card to get into the halls, and curfew is 11pm in your room from Sunday to Thursday and midnight on Friday and Saturday. Breaking curfew can get you sent home without a refund. In free time you must use the buddy system, and you can't leave campus without a staff member or official permission from a parent.

Tufts says it makes reasonable efforts to background-check staff and give them Title IX training. Tufts Health Services handles urgent care for a fee, and emergencies go to Boston hospitals. There's no on-site mental health counseling, though, so a student who sees a therapist should arrange to stay in touch with them during the program. On arrival day, staff meet students at Logan Airport, North Station and South Station and bring them to campus by shuttle.