President Sunil Kumar urged members of the Tufts undergraduate Class of 2028 and new transfer students on August 29 to let “pure, unbridled curiosity and excitement” be their “guiding light” over the next four years, and indeed, for their whole lives. 

“Satisfy that curiosity, live up to that excitement,” he said. “Fully indulge in your freedom to explore. New ideas and personal growth rarely come from within your comfort zone. I firmly believe in the value of so-called mistakes and failures. They help you discover deep truths about yourself and your calling.”

Being fearless in the face of new opportunities shaped Kumar’s warm welcome to students at the university’s matriculation ceremony held on the Academic Quad. 

Kumar made a case for trying out new experiences, both in and out of the classroom, in part by drawing his own personal response to landing in Urbana, Illinois, from Bangalore, India, to pursue a Ph.D. in electrical engineering.

“To say I felt out of place when I arrived would be an understatement,” he said. “My solution to this discomfort? I grew a ponytail, bought a 20-year-old Cadillac, and developed a taste for Midwestern food….  I immersed myself in discomfort rather than shying away from it.”

Importantly, he added, he did not try to fit in or be accepted. “Rather, I was trying to explore what it meant to be ‘American.’ I can’t quite put my finger on why, but I believe that this somewhat silly and superficial immersion made me a stronger person. And it was fun.”

Talking about the academic freedom found at Tufts, Kumar defined it as the “freedom to explore and advance any idea that will hold up to the scrutiny of peers, to critical review and debate, and to the standards of evidence in the field.”  

He told the students they are “free to and should engage in debating these issues with those who disagree with your position,” he said. “But exercising that freedom responsibly also matters. Your freedom cannot come at the expense of another student’s own freedoms. On a college campus, learning to live with opposing views, debating respectfully with each other without being disagreeable, and learning to listen rather than shouting each other down are life lessons that will remain forever valuable.”

To face the unknown and embrace uncertainty, Kumar granted, can be daunting. But “remember that you are not alone,” he said. “Tufts is a caring place full of helpful people who are committed to helping you thrive. Here at Tufts, seeking support is not a sign of failure or weakness, but a sign of strength and self-awareness.”

For the second year in a row, Kumar also announced a call for proposals for funding events that “have no purpose other than simply being fun.” Last year’s winning events were a screening of the Taylor Swift movie and an electronic dance music competition. “I can’t wait to see what you will cook up this year,” he said. 

In closing, Kumar reminded students that matriculation “marks the beginning of an exciting journey. I look forward to getting to know each of you during your time here, and I can’t wait to see what you will accomplish.”

A Diverse Learning Community

The incoming undergraduate Class of 2028 continues to reflect the diversity seen in society, though its composition has changed in light of recent changes in law. “Tufts University is proud of its diverse learning community that enriches the lives of all our students, faculty, and staff,” said JT Duck, dean of admissions and enrollment management for the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering. “Following the Supreme Court’s decision last June barring the use of race and/or ethnicity in and of itself as a factor in deciding whether to admit an applicant, we said then that we would, of course, respect the law, but the university’s vision of inclusive excellence continues to be mission critical and unwavering.”

“We now have our first entering class selected consistent with the Supreme Court’s guidance. Looking at the first-year undergraduate class, the percentage of U.S. students of color has dropped from roughly 50% last year to 44% this year. While still higher than our figure of 38% in 2019, it represents a disappointing drop,” he added.

Using the federal IPEDS reporting definitions for U.S. students, the number of incoming Hispanic/Latinx students rose from 10.5% to 11.6%, the number of Black or African American students dropped from 7.3% to 4.7%, and the number of incoming Asian American students dropped from 20.3% to 19.7%. The university also saw a decline in the enrollment of Indigenous students. The percentage of white students increased from 46.8% to 49.3%. Per IPEDS definitions, these figures do not account for students who identify as multiracial, the number of whom dropped from 11.4% to 8.0%. Also of note is that the number of incoming students who did not report their race more than doubled, from 3.3% to 6.7%.

“Last year, we took a number of steps to increase our outreach to students from a wide variety of backgrounds, including expanding our relationships with nonprofits and community organizations that work with underrepresented and low-income students; greatly expanding the applicant pool for our Voices of Tufts program that introduces high-school seniors to diversity and community at Tufts; stepping up our recruitment efforts in small towns and rural communities to get Tufts’ name known beyond urban centers,” said Duck. “We also have begun working with GEAR UP and TRIO advisors more closely to support their work with low-income and first-generation students on their paths through education and to university. But there is clearly more work to be done.”

“We will review our processes from this past year to learn what we could have done better, and we will develop strategies that, within the confines of the law, aim to adhere to our mission, values and vision of inclusive excellence for the entire community. Our commitment to this work has not wavered and will not waver,” Duck said.

The Class of 2028 by the Numbers

As reported in January, Tufts received more than 34,400 applications for admission to the Class of 2028. Highlights for the enrolled class include: 

• Women make up 55% of the overall class and men account for 41%.
• Women account for 48% of incoming students at the School of Engineering.
• 52% of all enrolling students attended public high school.
• 11.3% are the first in their family to go to college.
• Incoming first years attended more than 1,100 different high schools, including 300 that have not sent a student to Tufts in the last five years, if ever.
• 13.1% of the Class of 2028 are receiving Pell grants.

Where the Class Comes From 

• 42 students come from Tufts’ host communities—Medford, Somerville, Boston, and Grafton.
• The class represents 47 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The top 10 states for enrolling students are Massachusetts, New York, California, New Jersey, Connecticut, Texas, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Florida, and Illinois.
• The class includes the university’s largest first-year cohorts from both Texas and North Carolina, as Tufts becomes better known in the South and Southwest.
• For the first time, more than 30 enrolling first-years attended high school in Africa—a result of increasing outreach to schools on the continent. 
• International students—foreign nationals who are not U.S. citizens—represent 13.5% of the class and come from more than 60 countries. The most represented countries are China, India, Canada, South Korea, Brazil, Greece, United Kingdom, Rwanda, and Turkey.
• Boston-based organizations that have assisted enrolling students on their college pathways are Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, Bottom Line, Breakthrough Greater Boston, Minds Matter Boston, Summer Search, and Steppingstone Foundation. Other similar organizations with groups of enrolling students include Prep for Prep, Chicago Scholars, GEAR UP, Thrive Scholars, Matriculate, and TRIO.