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

Academic Residency Requirement

For all undergraduate students, including Arts & Sciences, SMFA, and Engineering, the academic residency requirement (as explained in the Tufts Bulletin) states that a student must complete a specific number of full-time semesters of study:

  • Arts & Sciences BA/BS, BFA, Combined Degree BA/BS + BFA, and Engineering students must complete 8 full-time semesters of study;
  • Arts & Sciences BA/BS, BFA, Combined Degree BA/BS + BFA, and Engineering transfer students must complete 4 full-time semesters of study; and
  • Tufts/NEC Combined Degree students must complete 10 full-time semesters of study.
  • 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 or approved external study abroad program, or at another approved domestic institution. 

There is an opportunity for some students who may wish to graduate early and/or be part-time in their Senior year. (These opportunities do not apply to transfer students in any degree program; all transfer students must complete a minimum of 4 semesters of academic residency.) Please refer to the information below:

  • 5 credit-bearing pre-matriculation course equivalencies and/or Tufts summer courses that total at least 17 credits may be used to substitute one semester of academic residency, allowing a student to graduate one semester early or be part-time during their Senior year.
  • 9 credit-bearing pre-matriculation course equivalences and/or Tufts summer courses that total at least 32 credits may be used to substitute the final two semesters of the academic residency requirement to graduate a full year early.
  • There are no exceptions to the above, and this is firm: students must meet all criteria, both minimum number of courses and minimum number of credits, to be permitted to substitute 1-2 semesters of academic residency.
  • Please be aware that transfer coursework completed during the summer term is not permitted to contribute toward a student’s academic residency requirement.

If you are considering summer coursework at Tufts, please be mindful of any limits to online coursework. For Arts & Sciences BA/BS, students are limited to a maximum of 15 credits of online coursework. For BFA students 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. There are no online coursework limits for Engineering students.

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, then 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 always 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.