Something I think would be interesting to discuss. Tufts’ acceptance rate has been stagnant these past few years, but mid 50% test scores continue to increase along with endowment. Applicant numbers are increasing slowly, but the school is building new dorms as well as a new academic building. Which schools do you believe will be Tufts’ peers within a decade?
According to the most recent common data set, Tufts recorded the highest six-year graduation rate (93.2%) and freshmen retention rate (96.5%). 70% of classes at Tufts are now with fewer than 20 students, up from 67% last year. Admissions selectivity has been on par with Georgetown, Notre Dame, Wash U, Middlebury, and Williams for many years. With rapidly increasing endowment ($1.8B this year) and various initiatives that separates Tufts apart from others, the future for Tufts appears to be promising (not to mention, various construction projects you brought up!)
Furthermore, with its unique academic programs – EPIIC, Experimental college, Tisch scholar program, CIVIC, Fletcher, SMFA, you name it – and inclusive community, Tufts will continue to attract some of the brightest students and most renowned professors in the country. Also, Boston is boooming!
Some significant challenges remain for Tufts, however. In the long run, Tufts University’s primary goal should be going need-blind admissions and fostering a socioeconomically diverse community (recently stumbled upon the alarming NY Times article). Its endowment should definitely grow up to $2.5+ Billion in the future to compete against other highly regarded institutions. The administration should also work on strengthening its national & international reputation – no more incidents like the recent “top 10%” mistake – by paying closer attention to various ranking metrics, while maintaining its unique, core educational philosophies (student-centered research university that combines both liberal arts & national university models).
After all, I truly believe that Tufts is one of a kind for its own merits, regardless of how much other schools’ acceptance rates drop in comparison to Tufts. As of now, I would consider Georgetown as its closest peer school, even though Georgetown has a better nationwide name recognition.
tbh…in addition to admit rate staying stagnant…I don’t even think Tufts’ average SAT scores have increased.
The admitted average was "738 math and 727 reading"or a 1465 in 2016, the last year dean of admissions Lee Coffin was on the committee. Now it is “1467” on the NEW SCALE and it’s widely known that new SAT scores are inflated to be about 20-30 points higher than the actual old score. So, if it still old, the admitted SAT average is very likely several dozen points lower than 1467 and very likely lower than 2016’s 1465. This indicates that Tufts’ change in selectivity is lagging behind peers such as USC or Georgetown, which are rapidly becoming more selective.
But again, what can SAT scores and admit rates say about a college? Nothing much except to be used for certain “useless” ranking methodologies like US News which really aren’t useless because many parents and prospective students do base their college decisions, sadly, off of these rankings.
However, what really matters for Tufts in the end is undergraduate teaching quality, alumni accomplishments, and career/internship opportunities.
@Dawala282 the mean SAT score is now 1470, and that’s accounting for athletes. In all likelihood, the median SAT score for Tufts students is 1500+.
In addition, the mean ACT score is now a 33, up from the 32 average of previous years.
@Dawala282 With the recent acquisition of SMFA that accepts 80~90% of applicants, the incoming freshmen’s “admitted SAT” average fails to capture Tufts University’s selectivity accurately.
Considering that SMFA’s yield rate hovers only around 15-20%, it makes sense that Tufts incoming freshman’s “enrolled SAT” score has not been as heavily influenced (please note that the class of 2021’s enrolled SAT average was about 35-40 points higher than the admitted average, which was higher than those of Vanderbilt, Georgetown, USC and Emory.) That’s why Tufts has recorded a higher “enrolled SAT” than “accepted SAT” since the integration of SMFA.
Also, Tufts University’s acceptance rate has stagnated largely due to its strict subject test requirement for engineering and arts/science students. It’s important to note that beginning with this year’s admissions cycle, Tufts no longer requires two SAT subject tests, thus the school will draw in more applicants. I am expecting Tufts’ admit rate will go below 14% next fall, as SMFA’s popularity has been catching up, along with the elimination of subject test requirements. Also, Tufts University’s ranking in Forbes/US News will be fixed this fall, for the admissions resumed the practice of providing “top 10%” information.
@aegis400
Hopefully. I guess we can only pray lol