U.S. Military Veterans Benefits
This page contains information for students who are eligible to receive U.S. military veterans benefits. We recommend that service members speak with their Educational Services Officer (ESO) or counselor within their Military Service prior to enrolling at Tufts.
Tufts policy will allow an individual to attend or participate in a program of education if the Chapter 31 or Chapter 33 Beneficiary provides the school with a “Certificate of Eligibility (COE)." Tufts will not impose a late fee, denial of access to facilities, or other penalty against a veteran or eligible dependent due to a late payment of tuition and/or fees from VA.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
GI Bill Payment Rates
You can find post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) Payment Rates on the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs website.
Yellow Ribbon Scholarship
The current Yellow Ribbon Scholarship award at Tufts is $5,000 annually for students enrolled in the Friedman School, the Fletcher School, the School of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Engineering. You can find additional information about the Yellow Ribbon Program on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website.
Estimating Your Total Costs
You can use the GI Bill Comparison Tool to estimate your benefits based on your specific school’s costs.
Federal Student Loan Information
The most recent Cohort Default Rate (CDR) of Tufts University is 1.6%. The corresponding National CDR is 10.8% for students who graduated in 2015.
For the Class of 2018, 33% of undergraduates borrowed student loans for their education. For additional information regarding financial aid and student loans, please refer to the loans section of this site.
For additional information regarding financial aid and student loans, please refer to the loans section of this site.
Tuition Refund Policy
If you need to withdraw from Tufts during the course of a semester because of involuntary activation, you should contact the appropriate Veteran’s Point of Contact at your school to determine your refund.
Point of Contact
- Associate Director of Financial Aid Shaun Thomas is the point of contact for BA, BS, BFA, and Combined Degree undergraduate students
- Associate Director of Financial Aid Paula Bernal Bromley is the point of contact for AS&E and SMFA graduate and post-bacc students.
- Associate Director of Veterans Affairs Nora McMillan is the point of contact for Fletcher graduate students.
Refund Policy for Tuition Assistance Funds
Tufts will
(a) Return any TA Program funds directly to the Military Service, not to the Service member.
(b) Up to the start date, return all (100 percent) TA funds to the appropriate Military Service when the Service member does not:
(i) Begin attendance at the institution; or
(ii) Start a course, regardless of whether the student starts other courses.
(c) Return any TA funds paid for a course that is cancelled by the educational institution.
(d) Returns any unearned TA funds on a proportional basis through at least the 60 percent portion of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending. In instances when a Service member stops attending due to a military service obligation, Tufts will work with the affected Service member to identify solutions that will not result in a student debt for the returned portion.
Readmission Policy
Tufts will promptly readmit a service member with the same academic status as he/she had when last attending the school or accepted for admission to the school. This requirement applies to any student who cannot attend school due to military service.
The student must notify the school of his military service and intention to return to school as follows: the student (or an appropriate officer of the armed forces or official of the Department of Defense) must give oral or written notice of such service to the school as far in advance as is reasonable under the circumstances. This notice does not have to indicate whether the student intends to return to the school and may not be subject to any rule of timeliness. Alternatively, at the time of readmission, the student may submit an attestation of military service that necessitated the student’s absence from the school. No notice is required if precluded by military necessity, such as service in operations that are classified or would be compromised by such notice.
Notice of intent to return to school. The student must also give oral or written notice of her intent to return to the school within three years after the completion of the period of service. A student who is hospitalized or convalescing due to an illness or injury incurred or aggravated during the performance of service must notify the school within two years after the end of the period needed for recovery from the illness or injury. A student who fails to apply for readmission within these periods does not automatically forfeit eligibility for readmission but is subject to the school's established leave of absence policy and general practices.
The student must contact the Student Services department at studentservices@tufts.edu or 617-627-2000 to provide notification of service and notification of intent to return.
Tufts will promptly readmit the student into the next class or classes in the program beginning after he provides notice of intent to reenroll, unless he requests a later date or unusual circumstances require the school to admit him at a later date. Tufts will admit the student with the same academic status, which means
- To the same program to which the student was last admitted or, if that exact program is no longer offered, the program that is most similar to that program, unless he/she chooses a different program;
- At the same enrollment status, unless the student wants to enroll at a different enrollment status;
- With the same number of credit hours or clock hours previously completed, unless the student is readmitted to a different program to which the completed credit hours or clock hours are not transferable, and with the same academic standing (e.g., with the same satisfactory academic progress status) the student previously had.