Regular admissions decisions for the Class of 2028 were released March 22, representing a 10% acceptance rate, on par with last year.

Students selected from the applicant pool, which exceeded 34,000, are “civic-minded, entrepreneurial, and deeply committed to collaborating with others,” said JT Duck, dean of admissions for the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering.

Duck noted that first-year applicants began high school in the fall of 2020, when virtual or hybrid modalities were required as part of COVID-19 health precautions. 

The pandemic went on to have a challenging ripple effect on their high school experience by limiting access to extracurricular activities and the students’ ability to get to know their classmates outside of Zoom, and by impacting their mental health, said Duck.

“But the resilience that students showed us, as they navigated these limitations, was remarkable,” he said. “The class we have admitted has a deep appreciation for learning and exploration.”

In line with the mission of Tufts, the Office of Admissions looks for strong academic records and intellectual curiosity. Also of interest are students who show promise in becoming active citizens of the world, and who are likely—as reflected in their experiences and interests in learning across differences—to have a profound impact on one another. 

Through their essays, students offered a window onto their lives. They shared what excited them intellectually, the ways in which they contributed to building an inclusive and collaborative environment in their schools, and how their communities shaped them, said Duck.

“It was clear from evaluating this year’s applications that we have admitted an impressive group of students who want to learn with and from their peers, and who are eager to use their education to positively transform the world,” said Duck.

Highlights of the Admitted Class of 2028 

Women comprise 56% of the class and men 41%, and 3% identify as non-binary or genderqueer, or preferred not to specify a gender identity. Women also make up 50% of students admitted to the School of Engineering.

Of those admitted from high schools with class rank, 92% are ranked in the top 10% of their class.

Of all admitted students, 55% attend public high schools or public charter high schools, with the remainder attending independent schools, religiously affiliated schools, or home schools. They come from more than 1,750 high schools, of which more than 350 have not been represented in an admitted student cohort in the past five years, if ever.

30 students were admitted via the Questbridge Match process in December, and more than 150 Questbridge-affiliated students were admitted in total. Altogether, admitted students worked with more than 90 different college-access organizations that support low-income students on their paths to college.

Students who are among the first generation in their family to attend college account for 11% of the class, and 36% of admitted students speak a language other than, or in addition to, English at home.

The class represents all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. Of students from the United States, 29% are from New England; 31% from the Mid-Atlantic; 17% from the West; 15% from the South and Southwest; and 6% from the Midwest.

80 students are residents of Tufts’ host communities (Medford, Somerville, Boston, and Grafton), and include students affiliated with local college-access organizations such as Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, Bottom Line, Breakthrough Greater Boston, Minds Matter Boston, SquashBusters, the Steppingstone Foundation, and Summer Search.

Of all admitted students, more than 400 are foreign nationals, representing 100-plus citizenships. The most represented countries are China, India, South Korea, Canada, Brazil, United Kingdom, Greece, Turkey, Australia, Japan, Thailand, Argentina, Rwanda, and Mexico.

Over two dozen students were admitted from seven of the United World College high schools around the world. In addition, international students worked with many different college access organizations, including the Tanzania Student Achievement Fund (TanSAF), Young Achievers Foundation Ghana, Sutton Trust, EdUSA, and Bridge2Rwanda, among several others.

More than 800 students applied to Tisch College of Civic Life’s Civic Semester program, taking place in Urubamba, Peru, and Chiang Mai, Thailand. Offers of admission were made to students who applied directly to the program, with the expectation that 24 students will enroll this fall.

Incoming undergraduates indicated their top areas of academic interest as biology, international relations, computer science, economics, biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, political science, interdisciplinary art, and psychology.

Tufts is in the fourth year of a six-year SAT/ACT test-optional pilot. Similar to previous years, about 50% of applicants, and 60% of admitted students, submitted scores for consideration. 

A small percentage of the applicant pool has been offered a place on the waitlist. The admissions office anticipates admitting some students from the waitlist in early May, depending on available space in the first-year class.

In April, the Tufts undergraduate admissions team will host three in-person Jumbo Days and a series of virtual events for admitted students called Jumbo Month. Admitted students have until May 1 to confirm their enrollment plans.