Tufts admissions announced its highest number of applicants to the School of Engineering, a lower number of applicants to the School of Arts and Sciences and a slight decrease in undergraduate applicants in its current admissions cycle for the incoming Class of 2029. Tufts reportedly received over 33,400 applicants this year.
The Class of 2029 will mark the second admissions cycle since the 2023 Supreme Court case, Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, overruled affirmative action. The end of affirmative action means that race is no longer considered in admissions, shifting how many universities approach the admissions process.
In a statement to the Daily, Dean of Admissions JT Duck recalled that the enrolled Class of 2028, the first admissions cycle after the overturning of affirmative action, saw a decrease in students who identified as Black, Indigenous or multiracial. The admissions office is currently unable to determine the racial or ethnic composition of the applicant pool or enrolling class, according to Duck.
“Tufts has never been more racially and ethnically diverse than it is now, given several years of enrolling first-year classes where about half of enrolling US students identify as students of color,” Duck wrote in a statement to the Daily. “We do not know what will happen in year two under this policy.”
Apart from the impact of the end of affirmative action on Tufts admissions, the university saw shifts in the number of applicants. The Class of 2029 admissions pool saw the highest number of applicants to the School of Engineering, with roughly 7,600 applicants, up from 7,500 applicants last year.
Though the class size did increase, the admissions team has yet to report whether the percentage of women within the School of Engineering has continued to decline, having dropped from a 52% majority in the Class of 2027 to a 48% minority in the Class of 2028. While the School of Engineering saw an increase in applicants, the School of Arts and Sciences saw a decrease in applicants, contributing to the university’s overall decrease in applicants from 34,400 for the Class of 2028 to 33,400 for the Class of 2029. The number of applicants to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts remained about the same.
The Class of 2029 also marks the most first-generation applicants Tufts has seen in its history. Tufts additionally reported to have its largest QuestBridge Match applicant pool and had an increase in the number of applicants from public or charter schools from 57% for the Class of 2027 to 61% of applicants for the Class of 2029.
The international reach of Tufts has also remained strong, with 26% of the initial Class of 2029 applicant pool being made up of international students.
“The Tufts Admissions team traveled to more than 30 US states, and more than 30 countries, in support of recruiting applicants to the Class of 2029,” Duck wrote.
Duck commented on Tufts’ effort to reach communities in the U.S. South and Southwest.
“This year, we placed one of our most experienced admissions officers into a regional position in Southern California in order to expand our recruitment there, as well as in Hawaii and Arizona,” he wrote.
The Class of 2029 applicant pool has also seen the second-highest number of applicants from local Somerville and Medford high schools, second only to the roughly 100 local applicants for the Class of 2028.
“We continue to recruit heavily right here in Somerville, Medford, and metro Boston - there is enormous talent all around us,” Duck wrote.
As Tufts Admissions concludes the early decision process, they begin looking to the future. Namely, the SAT/ACT test-optional policy, which is in the fifth year of a six-year pilot program. Half of the Class of 2029’s applicants have applied without test scores, a trend which has only increased since the Class of 2026 — the second class admitted with test-optional admissions — had 44% of applicants apply test-optional.
“We have a meaningful amount of data to assess,” Duck wrote. “It is too soon to know what role the SAT/ACT will play in our undergraduate selection process after next year, but we will announce a decision once one has been made.”
