Diversity remains a priority as Tufts admissions reviews ED applications

This year, Tufts Office of Undergraduate Admissions received a record number of applications for the School of Arts and Sciences — close to 23,100 — a 1.5% increase from last year’s record-setting pool of 22,725.Tufts Admissions received more than 2,550 applications for both rounds of Early Decision (ED), marking a 2.4% increase in ED applications from last year. The Bachelor of Fine Arts program at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts, part of the School of Arts and Sciences, saw the greatest increase in applications, rising by about 19% from 416 applications last year. 

“It’s too soon to know how many will be admitted in Early Decision, or what the demographics of the ED cohort will look like,” Joseph "JT" Duck, dean of admissions, said in an email.

Duck said that, though students from all U.S. states are in the application pool, the university has seen high numbers of applications in both ED and regular-decision rounds from students in Massachusetts, New York, California, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida and Texas. Applications from students without U.S. citizenship increased by 12% this year.

“Applications from students of color continue to grow at a faster pace than our overall applicant pool, and account for nearly 50% of this year’s domestic applicants,” Duck said. 

Last year, former Dean of Admissions Karen Richardson also noted that she was pleased with an increase in applications from domestic students of color. 

Although the admissions department is still in early stages of review, Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Provost Rob Mack said the preliminary numbers are encouraging.

“We look forward to learning more about the make-up of the enrolled class, which will become clearer this spring,” Mack said.

The admissions office is working toward a mid-February decision release date for ED2 applications, which were due Jan. 1. The office continues to evaluate applications holistically and in context, according to Duck. Candidates who were deferred in either ED round will be notified by April 1, according to the Tufts Admissions website. 

Last year, Tufts accepted its largest class yet, admitting 14.6% of applicants in total — for ED and regular-decision rounds. 

Hannah Bray, a first-year from Austin, Texas, who applied ED, says she applied to Tufts because she loved the inclusive community she felt the moment she stepped on campus. 

“And I saw a corgi on my tour, so I knew,” Bray said in an electronic message.