AS&E Students
Arts and Sciences, Engineering, SMFA at Tufts
TUFTS.EDU
AS&E Students
Arts and Sciences, Engineering, SMFA at Tufts
Academic Advising and Undergraduate Studies

Graduating Early

All undergraduate students at Tufts University have an academic residency requirement (as explained in the Tufts Bulletin) that they must complete a specific number of full-time semesters of study:

  • Students entering Tufts as first-year students must complete at least 8 full-time semesters of study to graduate;
  • transfer students must complete at least 4 full-time semesters of study; and
  • Tufts/NEC Combined Degree students must complete at least 10 full-time semesters of study.
  • Exception: Students in the Resumed Education for Adult Learners (REAL) Program do not have an academic residency requirement. 

Most students fulfill the academic residency requirement by simply pursuing full-time study for the number of semesters required, whether at Tufts, on an approved Tufts study abroad program, on an approved external study abroad program, or at another approved domestic institution. 

Accelerated Pathways to Graduate in Less than 8 Full-time Semesters

There are two pathways for students to graduate early and/or be part-time in their Senior year by meeting their academic residency requirement early:

  • A student can take five (5) credit-bearing pre-matriculation course equivalencies and/or Tufts summer courses that total at least 17 credits and apply these credits towards the substitution of one semester of academic residency, allowing them to graduate one semester early or drop down to part-time enrollment during their Senior year.
  • A student can take nine (9) credit-bearing pre-matriculation course equivalences and/or Tufts summer courses that total at least 32 credits and apply these credits towards the substitution of the final two semesters of the academic residency requirement to graduate a full year early or drop down to part-time enrollment during their Senior year.

Important Notes:

  • There are no exceptions to the criteria in the pathways above. Students must meet both the minimum number of courses and the minimum number of credits to be permitted to substitute these courses for semesters of academic residency.
  • Transfer coursework completed during the summer term is not permitted to contribute toward a student’s academic residency requirement; only Tufts summer courses count towards this pathway.
  • These pathways do not apply to transfer students; all transfer students must complete a minimum of 4 full-time semesters of academic residency.

Summer Coursework at Tufts

If you are considering summer coursework at Tufts, please be mindful of any limits to online coursework. 

  • Arts & Sciences BA/BS students are limited to a maximum of 15 credits of online coursework.
  • Arts & Sciences BFA and Combined Degree (BA/BS + BFA) students are limited to a maximum of 2 online courses that can be used to satisfy non-studio requirements.
  • Engineering students have no online coursework limits.

Residency Requirement FAQs

  • If you would like to review your status regarding the academic residency requirement, do the following:

    1. Review the academic residency requirement policy.
    2. If you plan to use pre-matriculation and/or Tufts summer credits to substitute one or two semesters of academic residency, be sure to review your unofficial transcript to confirm how many pre-matriculation courses and credits are posted. Your transcript is accessible in SIS. 

  • A full-time semester is defined by an initial enrollment at the start of a fall or spring semester of a minimum of 12 credits, and further, an attempt to pursue at least 12 credits. If a student drops and/or withdrawals from courses such that their term credit total is below 12 credits, the semester will still count as full-time enrollment, and the semester will still count as a semester of academic residency

  • Only fall and spring semesters can count toward a student’s academic residency requirement. 

  • No. Pursuing additional semester credits beyond a student’s maximum limit for any fall or spring semester does not contribute to additional progress toward a student’s academic residency requirement.

  • If you wish to enroll part-time after completing the academic residency requirement, you must submit the Part-Time Semester Petition form to your Advising Dean. This form must be submitted in advance of any semester in which you plan to enroll part-time; students are not eligible to apply for part-time status after the start of the semester in which they intend to be part-time. The final deadline is the day before the first day of classes for the semester in which you plan to be part-time. This is a firm deadline with no exceptions granted. You can reference official academic deadlines on the Tufts academic calendar.

  • There are multiple options for students who have successfully completed the entirety of their 8-semester academic residency requirement early. Students with remaining degree requirements have the option to: 

    • pursue part-time enrollment in their final semester
    • pursue part-time enrollment in their penultimate semester (the semester before their final one), with the requirement of pursuing full-time enrollment in their final semester
    • split their final (8th) semester of academic residency into two consecutive part-time semesters; students must enroll in a minimum of 12 credits “split” between the two semesters
     
    Students who have fulfilled all their degree requirements early, including the residency requirement, are not required to enroll in any further semester.

    If you are a student athlete competing in a varsity sport at Tufts, an international student on an F-1 visa, an ROTC student, and/or a student who receives financial aid, it is your responsibility to connect with the appropriate Tufts office to discuss your eligibility to pursue part-time enrollment.

  • If you are an athlete competing in a varsity sport at Tufts, an international student on an F-1 visa, an ROTC student, and/or a student who receives financial aid, it is your responsibility to connect with the appropriate Tufts office to discuss your eligibility to pursue part-time enrollment. Athletes must contact Mallory Skaggs; international students must contact the International Center; ROTC students should contact their unit's Commanding Officer and Dean Jennifer Stephan; and students who receive financial aid should connect with their financial aid coordinator. We strongly recommend that you connect with the above designated office as far in advance as possible.