Tufts University Pre-College Programs Leadership for Social Change

In Tufts' sample schedule, weekdays run from 9am to 5pm. You start with a half-hour cohort check-in, then spend two and a half hours with Tufts faculty on a theme such as "The Power of Neighborhood," "Education for Whom?" or "From Fighting Environmental Racism to a Just Transition," before lunch from noon to 1pm.

Afternoons vary. Three are visits to community organizations and one includes a conversation with a Somerville city councilor, while the second week shifts toward final project work, with cohort reflection sessions closing several days. The last Friday ends at 2pm after final presentations and a closing ceremony that parents are invited to. Tufts calls this a sample and says it may change.

Evenings and weekends are run by the residential staff, with evening social events and weekend trips around Boston. Past trips across Tufts' pre-college programs have included the Museum of Fine Arts, Duck Boat tours and Crane Beach. Breakfast runs from 7 to 9am and dinner from 5 to 8pm at the Dewick-MacPhie dining hall.

You can apply if you're entering grades 10 to 12, will be at least 15 when the program starts and won't be older than 19 by its last day. You'll also need a laptop. If English isn't your first language, Tufts asks for a TOEFL iBT score of 100, IELTS 6.5, PTE 68 or Duolingo 120, or a transcript showing at least a year in good standing at an all-English school. Homeschooled students are welcome, and a parent who taught you can write the recommendation.

Tufts doesn't publish an acceptance rate or cohort size. It reviews each application as a whole on a rolling basis and calls admission competitive. It says your transcript and recommendation letter matter most, so pick a teacher, coach or mentor who can speak in detail about your background and curiosity. Tufts may also ask for more information or a short interview, and it notes that programs often fill before the final deadline.

The program costs $5,750. That covers a bed in a double room in a Tufts dorm, three meals a day (brunch and dinner on Sundays), all program activities and excursions, bedding and towels, 24-hour residential care and a staff-accompanied airport transfer if you arrive in the set window. Tufts runs this program as residential only, even though its program page also shows a commuter fee.

On top of that you'll pay your travel to and from Boston, spending money and laundry at $1.50 a cycle. Every student needs U.S.-based health insurance, and if you can't show proof, Tufts adds a plan for $55.16. Missing vaccination records can add a $55.00 fee.

Once admitted, you pay a $550 deposit within 10 days (Tufts counts weekends and holidays), and it goes toward the fee. The balance is due by 15 May 2027. If you withdraw in writing by 11:59pm ET that day, tuition may be refunded, but the deposit never is. After that nothing comes back, and a visa delay or denial doesn't count as a reason for a refund.

Tufts has limited need-based aid, typically covering 75% to 100% of the fee, and makes decisions twice a month from February. International students aren't eligible. If you can only go with aid, Tufts suggests waiting for the decision before paying the deposit, though your place could fill in the meantime and you'd be waitlisted.

You leave with 1 Tufts credit, graded pass/fail, and you can request an official Tufts transcript that shows it. You'll also have presented a group research poster on a social issue at the closing ceremony, and Tufts says you'll design an individual action plan for an issue in your own community.

The credit is worth only what the next school decides. Tufts can't guarantee that another college will accept it or that your high school will count it, so check with them first. If you later enroll at Tufts, the course has to stay on your record. The program is also separate from Tufts undergraduate admissions, and taking part doesn't lead to a place at Tufts. Tufts also notes that conduct reports from the program can be seen by its admissions offices.

Residential staff include a director, senior staff and one resident advisor for every 10 students. Counselors check in with students several times a day and go with them on off-campus trips. Halls are divided by gender and age, you need a Tufts ID card to get into the building, and every room locks. Curfew is 11pm in your room Sunday to Thursday and midnight on Friday and Saturday, with earlier times for being back in the hall. Breaking curfew can get you sent home with no refund.

You can't leave campus without a staff member or explicit parental permission given through Tufts' official process, and you have to use the buddy system in free time. Tufts University Police are on duty 24 hours a day, and Tufts says it makes reasonable efforts to run background checks on staff and give them Title IX training. Staff handle routine medical needs, while emergencies go to on-campus or hospital care and your emergency contact is told. Any medical bills go to the family. On arrival day, staff meet students at Logan Airport, North Station and South Station. The full rules are in Tufts' policies.

You apply through Tufts' pre-college application portal.

1. 1

   From 14 December 2026, fill in the online application for Leadership for Social Change, with your personal and parent details, a recommender's contact and a 250-word statement of interest answering Tufts' prompt.

2. 2

   Give the contact details of an official at your high school, who will be emailed instructions for uploading your transcript.

3. 3

   Tufts then emails your parent or guardian for permission and your recommender for the letter, and review only starts once both and your transcript have arrived.

4. 4

   Get everything in by 1 May 2027, and expect a decision within about 10 business days of your file being complete.

5. 5

   If you're admitted, pay the $550 deposit within 10 days to hold your place, and if you want aid, tick the box in the application and complete the aid form in your student portal.

6. 6

   Pay the balance by 15 May 2027 and finish the enrollment forms, including health, vaccination and insurance records, by 1 June 2027, or Tufts withdraws you automatically.