Tufts University Pre-College Programs
Medford, United States
About Tufts University Pre-College Programs
Tufts University Pre-College Programs is the high school branch of Tufts University College, the school Tufts founded in November 2018 to open its teaching to learners outside its degree programs. The team is based at University College's offices at 80 George Street in Medford, Massachusetts. Its summer programs last one to six weeks, and most let you choose between living on campus and commuting. You can take one of three main routes. The Tufts College Experience is a six-week program where you take 2 undergraduate courses for college credit, along with workshops and college tours. Tufts Dual Enrollment lets you take a single Tufts undergraduate course alongside Tufts students and earn high school and college credit at the same time. Summer intensives are shorter, mostly one to three weeks. They cover business, engineering and computer science, health and medicine, social impact, and studio art with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) at Tufts. Most intensives aren't for credit, though a few are. Tufts also lists a six-week Tufts Summer Research Experience and a one-week College Prep 101 for Neurodivergent Students. Classes meet in Tufts classrooms, studios and labs. Mini Med School and Mini Dental School are held at the Boston Health Sciences Campus. For Summer 2026, Tufts published tuition ranging from $2,750 for a one-week commuter program to $11,790 for the residential Tufts College Experience. Applications for Summer 2027 open on 14 December 2026.
Teaching style
Tufts builds its pre-college teaching around hands-on work in real Tufts classrooms, studios and labs. Depending on the program, you might run lab experiments, work through case studies, take part in debates, or make drawings, sculptures and animations in the SMFA studio intensive. Tufts says you'll leave with real work, such as labs, essays, projects and portfolios, that you can use in applications. It also says classes are small, but it doesn't give class sizes. In credit-bearing programs, you earn the same college credit as Tufts students taking the same courses, and you can request a transcript. Not every program is graded or for credit, so check each program page. The policies say you have to attend every meeting unless your instructor or program director says otherwise. Repeated attendance problems can lead to dismissal without a refund. University College also offers academic coaching for pre-college students. It covers time management, note-taking, exam preparation and the difference between high school and college expectations.
Reputation & Succeed take
Most of the reputation Tufts cites belongs to Tufts University as a whole, not to its pre-college programs. Tufts says the university ranks #16 in the country for long-term career success in LinkedIn Top Colleges 2025. It also says Money's Best Colleges 2025 recognized the university for high value. In Succeed's view, those rankings tell you about Tufts degrees rather than a two-week summer program. Tufts also lists press coverage of its pre-college work. The list includes a May 2023 US News & World Report article on pre-college summer programs, a December 2023 College Transitions Blog list of online summer programs, and Tufts Now stories on Mini Med School and on preparing neurodivergent students for campus life. The student quotes on its website and social media are chosen by Tufts. Tufts doesn't publish an acceptance rate and says rates vary by program.
Our take
In Succeed's view, Tufts Pre-College is most worth the money if you want real college credit or a long stretch of campus life. The six-week Tufts College Experience gives you 2 undergraduate courses for credit. Tufts Dual Enrollment puts you in a Tufts course alongside Tufts students. Both give you something concrete to show later, although each college decides for itself whether to accept the credit. The intensives are a different deal. Most aren't for credit, and in 2026 a two-week residential intensive cost $5,750 to $6,950 in tuition. That's a lot for a short look at a field. We'd suggest choosing one only if the subject really matters to you or if you qualify for a need-based scholarship. Tufts says those typically cover 75% to 100% of the program fee. Be realistic about admissions. Tufts says taking part doesn't result in or guarantee admission to any Tufts degree program. It also says conduct reports from these programs are accessible to Tufts admissions offices.
Who this provider suits
Who should choose them
This may suit you if you're at least 15, curious about college-level work, and want to try it on a real campus near Boston. It fits best if you want credit. The Tufts College Experience gives you 2 undergraduate courses over six weeks, and Tufts Dual Enrollment offers single courses for high school and college credit. It also suits students who want to test a specific career, such as medicine or dentistry through Mini Med School or Mini Dental School at the Boston Health Sciences Campus. Families who can show financial need should look closely, since many programs offer a limited number of need-based scholarships.
Who it may not suit
Who should skip it: students under 15, because Tufts doesn't register them unless a program says otherwise. Residential programs take only students over 15 and under 19. It's also a poor fit if you want credit from a short program, since most intensives aren't for credit. If you're an international student, note that only the Tufts College Experience is F-1 eligible. Tufts won't give a refund if a visa is delayed or denied. Tufts also says its pre-college programs don't specialize in serving students with disabilities or social-emotional challenges, though it reviews accommodation requests case by case. If your main goal is a better chance of getting into Tufts, Tufts says taking part doesn't result in or guarantee admission.
Contact
Frequently asked questions
Programs by Tufts University Pre-College Programs
Program
Business Essentials
Organized by Tufts University Pre-College Programs
Dates
26 Jul – 06 Aug 2027
Duration
2 weeks
ProgramClimate Resilience Institute
Organized by Tufts University Pre-College Programs
Dates
25 Jul – 06 Aug 2027
Duration
2 weeks
ProgramEngineering Design Lab
Organized by Tufts University Pre-College Programs
Dates
July to August 2027, 2 sessions
Duration
2 weeks
ProgramEngineering Investigations
Organized by Tufts University Pre-College Programs
Dates
July to August 2027, 2 sessions
Duration
2 weeks
ProgramEngineering of Music
Organized by Tufts University Pre-College Programs
Dates
11 Jul – 23 Jul 2027
Duration
2 weeks
ProgramEngineering with Artificial Intelligence
Organized by Tufts University Pre-College Programs
Dates
July to August 2027, 2 sessions
Duration
2 weeks
ProgramEntrepreneurship & Innovation Bootcamp
Organized by Tufts University Pre-College Programs
Dates
12 Jul – 23 Jul 2027
Duration
2 weeks
ProgramFinance Essentials
Organized by Tufts University Pre-College Programs
Dates
26 Jul – 30 Jul 2027
Duration
1 week (Monday to Friday)
ProgramInternational Relations Summer Intensive
Organized by Tufts University Pre-College Programs
Dates
26 Jul – 06 Aug 2027
Duration
2 weeks
ProgramLab Science Investigations - AMR Research
Organized by Tufts University Pre-College Programs
Dates
11 Jul – 23 Jul 2027
Location
Multiple locations
Duration
2 weeks
ProgramLeadership for Social Change
Organized by Tufts University Pre-College Programs
Dates
12 Jul – 23 Jul 2027
Duration
2 weeks
ProgramMarketing Essentials
Organized by Tufts University Pre-College Programs
Dates
26 Jul – 06 Aug 2027
Duration
2 weeks
ProgramMini Dental School
Organized by Tufts University Pre-College Programs
Dates
June to July 2027, 2 sessions
Location
Multiple locations
Duration
1 week (Session 1) or 2 weeks (Session 2)
ProgramMini Med School
Organized by Tufts University Pre-College Programs
Dates
June to July 2027, 3 sessions
Location
Multiple locations
Duration
1 week (Sessions 1 and 3), 2 weeks (Session 2)
