Neubauer Scholars Program

The Neubauer Scholarship is offered to a select group of incoming students who demonstrate exceptional academic and personal promise and whose applications reflect the capacity for “transforming intellectual leadership” in an academic field. Scholars are selected for the program when they are admitted to Tufts.

Founded in 2000 by Tufts’ Trustee Emeritus Joseph Neubauer, E63, and Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer, the program was established to encourage intellectually gifted students who have initiative, curiosity, and drive to become engaged scholars and campus leaders at Tufts. The program intends to enhance students’ critical thinking skills and help them mature into future leaders in their chosen professions. The Neubauer Scholars Program is currently overseen by the Dean of Arts and Sciences along with a team of people from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Undergraduate Education, the Office of Admissions, and University Advancement. Together, the Neubauer Scholars Program team develops and oversees the program, monitoring student progress from their first year to their last, and eventually as alumni partners for future Neubauer Scholars.

Program Summary

The scholarship award includes two financial components. First, the need-based student loan portion of the student’s financial aid award is replaced with a scholarship grant. In other words, Neubauer Scholars graduate from Tufts debt-free. This allows students to continue their advanced education in graduate or professional school without the burden of heavy undergraduate loan repayments. Second, scholars receive a stipend available for research and other educational activities to help enrich their intellectual experiences over the course of their time at Tufts.

In their first year, Neubauer Scholars are advised by a faculty member from the Neubauer Scholars Program team.

Students are also invited to take a special Neubauer Scholars First-year Seminar, which provides them with a unique opportunity to take a high-level critical thinking course taught by a renowned professor. This seminar can be on a variety of topics, but will always challenge them to think deeply, introduce the world of college scholarship, and help create bonds among those in the Neubauer program. Recent Neubauer First-year Seminars have included “Plato’s Republic” with Professor Ioannis Evrigenis, “Radical Thought” with Professor Brian Epstein and “The Political Theory of Leadership” with Professor Vickie Sullivan.

Program Expectations

Each Neubauer Scholar can work with Neubauer Scholars Program staff to determine how his or her stipend will be used. Neubauer Scholars may not use the entire stipend in the first or second year.

For their academic coursework, scholars are required to maintain a 3.3 cumulative GPA (a B+ average) in the School of Arts and Sciences and a 3.1 cumulative GPA in the School of Engineering.