2013–2014 The Bulletin - USS at Tufts - Tufts University

Undergraduate Policies >
General Undergraduate
Information
Undergraduate Policies
Residence Requirement
The university requires eight semesters of full-time
study for the baccalaureate degree. After matriculating
at Tufts, a student may spend no more than
two semesters of full-time study at other approved
institutions or on approved non-Tufts study abroad
programs. Transfer students must spend four
full-time semesters at Tufts or on Tufts study
abroad programs. All students must earn a minimum
number (17 for liberal arts; 19 for engineering)
of their required graduation credits (34 for
liberal arts; 38 for engineering) at Tufts or on Tufts
study abroad programs.
Students must be in full-time residence at Tufts
for the final two semesters. Enrolled students may
normally transfer courses only from accredited
four-year colleges and universities. Candidates for
combined bachelor’s degrees (liberal arts/engineering
combined degrees, and the programs with
New England Conservatory and the School of the
Museum of Fine Arts) must complete their
programs in no fewer than ten semesters. Enrolled
students may accelerate in the ways described
below.
Completion of a specified number of credits
does not in itself constitute an undergraduate
education. Students need time to reflect on and
absorb knowledge. Four years of full-time study in
an academic environment provide the opportunity
to explore a varied curriculum at a reasonable pace;
to interact with and learn from fellow students
representing a variety of national, ethnic, religious,
and racial backgrounds; to be enriched by study in a
foreign country; and to survey the cultural,
recreational, and educational opportunities of
Boston and New England.
Exceptions to the policy are rarely granted.
Petitions may be made on the basis of unanticipated
personal, family, or financial emergencies.
Graduation Dates
Tufts awards undergraduate degrees three times
during the year: May, August, and February. The
only commencement ceremony is held in May.
Advanced Standing
Once students have completed two full years at
Tufts, they may advance their standing if they meet
the following criteria. Students earning a total of
five credits from pre-matriculation credits and /or
Tufts summer session credits (including Tufts in
Talloires) will be eligible for one semester’s
advanced standing; students earning a total of nine
such credits will be eligible for two semesters’
advanced standing. Applying students must be in at
least their fourth semester, must have declared a
major, and must complete a Request for Advanced
Standing form, available online.
Students electing advanced standing are
expected to complete the stated degree requirements
with a minimum of thirty-four course credits
for the College of Liberal Arts and thirty-eight for
the School of Engineering, including credits
awarded in determining advanced standing. All will
include in their programs sufficient courses to meet
the requirements of their college or school.
Students electing advanced standing must
spend at least six semesters as full-time students.
Ordinarily, two years or four semesters of the
undergraduate’s course of study must be taken at
Tufts University’s home campus. Up to one year or
two semesters may be spent in a Tufts-related
program, either foreign or domestic.
Students electing advanced standing must do so
by the fall of their senior year.
Resumed Education for Adult Learners
(R.E.A.L.)
The Resumed Education for Adult Learners
program is open to students 24 years of age or older,
veterans, and students who are married or are
parents. This unique undergraduate program meets
the need for greater academic flexibility in the
education of older students. It is open to those who
have some college experience, with recent coursework
a requirement. The R.E.A.L. program is
particularly receptive to prospective students who
have assumed leadership roles in local community
affairs as well as to residents of Medford and
Somerville. Students in the program are enrolled in
regular undergraduate courses and pursue a course
of study leading to a college degree in liberal arts or
engineering, for which they are expected to fulfill
existing requirements. The R.E.A.L. program
admits students for both the fall and spring
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