Like You, the University Engages in Careful Planning and Budgeting to Keep Tuition As Affordable

April 12, 2016
We are writing to share with you Tufts’ undergraduate tuition and fees for the 2016-17 academic year.

Like you, the university engages in careful planning and budgeting to keep tuition as affordable as possible for our students and their families. Our goal is to keep cost increases as low as possible. Undergraduate tuition at Tufts will be $51,304 for the 2016-17 academic year, an increase of $1,784 over the current tuition of $49,520. Tuition, room, board, and fees will increase 3.6 percent to $65,996.

This increase is the lowest in the past four years. Our Board of Trustees approves tuition and fees only after lengthy and thoughtful discussion. We are deeply aware of the challenges college affordability poses for many families.

At Tufts we are working hard to slow operational expense growth and increase efficiencies wherever possible. Over the past two years, central administrative services across the university have been restructured to produce considerable savings. Efficiency and sustainability figure heavily in all renovations and new construction on the Medford/Somerville campus. The new Science and Engineering Complex will be one of the most energy-efficient buildings of its kind in the United States. A new central energy plant, scheduled to come online next fall, is projected to reduce energy costs for the campus by 20 percent. At the same time, we are building additional sources of revenue that will help us meet our operational expenses and build critical reserves. We hope these steps will help us to minimize tuition increases in the future.

Tufts remains committed to meeting the demonstrated financial need of students during all four years of undergraduate study. In the past five years, in large part thanks to the university’s Financial Aid Initiative, we have raised nearly $80 million for scholarships that will significantly reinforce our commitment to access and to building a diverse community of students. We continue to increase our financial aid budget every year to ensure that bright and talented students from all backgrounds can come to Tufts. Preserving access and diversity is fundamental to providing a richer experience for all our students.

The tuition you pay ensures that Tufts continues to be one of the finest universities in the world. We are aware that you have made deliberate choices and sacrifices so that your child can be here. Please know that as we steward our resources thoughtfully and strive to control costs, we will continue to provide the world-class education and personal support you and your student have come to expect from Tufts.

Sincerely,

James Glaser Jianmin Qu

Dean, School of Arts and Sciences Dean, School of Engineering