Class of 2021 matriculates, receives record-breaking financial aid

University President Anthony Monaco will welcome incoming first-year and transfer students during today's matriculation ceremony on The Green. The incoming class is composed of 1,414 students from 44 countries and 45 states.

From the record-breaking pool of 21,101 applications, yield on admission offers this year was 45.2 percent.

The newly matriculated group of students is one of the university's most diverse in history, according to a university press release. Almost 32 percent of domestic members of the class of 2021 identify as students of color, compared to 29 percent of students who matriculated in the class of 2020. Additionally, 4.2 percent of incoming students identify as black, 5.8 percent identify as two or more races, 8.2 percent identify as Hispanic and 13.5 percent identify as Asian. The class includes 163 first-generation college students.

The university awarded members of the incoming class a total of $21.9 million in need-based grants, up from $19.3 million last year. This increase has come along with a 3.61-percent tuition and fee increase from the last academic year.

The class also includes 51 students enrolling in the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts (SMFA). These students applied through the regular Tufts admissions process for the first time since the university’s 2016 acquisition of the school.

In addition to those matriculating today, Tufts’ 1+4 Fellowship program, a gap-year community service program through the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, enrolled 24 students who will matriculate at Tufts following their fellowships abroad, in New York City and in Washington D.C.

Dean of Admissions and Enrollment Karen Richardson commended the incoming class for its accomplishments and potential.

“Students in the class of 2021 are both highly qualified academically and extremely diverse in their backgrounds and interests, bringing intangibles that will make the Tufts community stronger and more vibrant,” she stated in the press release. “As our admissions team reviewed their applications, we were struck by these students’ unique aptitude for creativity and collaboration.”