The Bulletin: Financial Information

Expenses and Policies

By registering at Tufts University, students acknowledge and agree that Tufts University reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify its educational, extracurricular, and other programs for its students at any time, including without limitation, its right to provide any of the educational and extracurricular programs remotely.  Tuition and mandatory fees have been set regardless of the method of instruction and will not be refunded in the event instruction or programs occur remotely for any part of the Academic Year for any reason. 

All undergraduate students (with the exception of those in the REAL program) are expected to carry a full course load unless they are granted a reduction as a result of serious, documented medical problems. The minimum full-time load is 12 semester hours; students will need to take an average of 15 semester hours each term to graduate on time. A typical first-year student in residence at Tufts during the 2026–2027 academic year may expect the following expenses:

Medical Insurance costs $4,976* for the year if the student is not covered by a comparable plan of their own. International students are required to be covered by the insurance plan through Tufts.

*The charges listed above are subject to change.

Per-Credit Tuition Billing

Undergraduate students who have been approved for part-time status (including R.E.A.L. students) by their Advising Dean or have entered a program being billed per credit will be billed tuition corresponding to the number of registered credits for the semester. Please refer to undergraduate residency requirement for details regarding eligibility. Students may request to be part-time in a given semester up until the day before the semester begins. The deadline is strictly enforced.

Students who are billed per credit should review the refund policy on the bursar’s website for details as they relate to tuition retained for dropped courses after the term status: https://students.tufts.edu/financial-services/billing/tuition-refund-policy/. Tuition refund percentages are applied for all adds and drops. This includes scenarios in which a student (or instructor through an enrollment correction form) is “swapping” enrollment. Swapping does not replace one course with another; the action refers to simultaneously dropping and adding two different courses and does not warrant a different refund consideration

Tuition

Tufts undergraduate tuition is a comprehensive fee that covers basic charges for instruction, costs of registration, most laboratory supplies, and other incidental items or services for the academic year.

Campus Housing

All first-year and sophomore students are required to live in university housing and to purchase a meal plan. Commuting students pay no residence hall fee and are not required to purchase a meal plan.

Food (Meal Plans)

Students select a meal plan or JumboCash in accordance with university requirements. Meal plans can be used in both dining centers, as well as four of the retail locations. JumboCash allows students to make purchases at all on-campus dining locations (Carmichael and Dewick-MacPhie Dining Centers, Hodgdon Food-on-the-Run, Hotung Café, Commons Marketplace, Kindlevan Café, SMFA Café on the SMFA campus, Tower Café at Tisch Library, Pax et Lox Glatt Kosher Deli, Mugar Café, and The Sink), as well as the bookstore, Campus Center Info Booth, vending machines, and on-campus washers and dryers. JumboCash can also be used to pay for printing and copying in campus libraries and computer centers. JumboCash may be used at 11 off-campus restaurants for dining in, take-out, or delivery (where available), in the Grubhub app, as well as at a drug store, two grocery stores, and two convenience stores (alcohol, tobacco products, lottery tickets, and gift cards excluded). Dining Services is located at 89 Curtis Street, Somerville. For more information, contact 617-627-3566, e-mail: tuftsdining@tufts.edu, visit the Tufts Dining website.

Student Health and Wellness (SHAW) Fee

The Student Health and Wellness (SHAW) Fee is a mandatory fee that supports services and programs that promote student health, well-being, and academic success. The fee helps fund medical care, counseling and mental health services, health promotion programs, and public health activities that support the health and well-being of the campus community.

The SHAW Fee is separate from the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). The SHAW Fee supports campus health and wellness services, while SHIP is a health insurance plan that helps students pay for covered medical expenses.

Additional charges may apply for laboratory testing, prescription medications, and services provided by specialty consultants.

More information about the SHAW Fee and the services it supports are available online.

More information about SHIP, including enrollment, benefits, and the waiver process is available online. 

Student Activity Fee

All students are required to pay the student activity fee, which is proposed by the student government. Accepted students must pay an enrollment deposit, which is applied to tuition for the first year.

Housing Charges

Room assignments are made for the full academic year. The campus housing room rates set by the Board of Trustees will appear on the resident student’s bill in two parts, identified as the housing commitment fee and the room charge. The housing commitment fee is nonrefundable at the time a student selects a room, has a proxy select a campus room on their behalf, or otherwise accepts a room assignment from Residential Life . The housing commitment fee is only refundable when:

1. the student is placed on required leave or withdrawal by the university, or
2. the student, subsequent to selecting a room, is admitted to a study abroad program. In such cases the student must file an electronic study abroad leave of absence form online via SIS. Students in both Tufts and non-Tufts study abroad programs must notify the Residential Life Office within ten (10) days of acceptance—no later than April 15 for fall semester housing cancellation and November 15 for spring semester housing cancellation. The room charge portion of a student’s bill will be equal to the room rate for the student’s assignment, less the $750 housing commitment fee.

Spring-only housing assignments are created and communicated to students no later than December 11. Once a spring-only room assigment has been selected by the student (or their proxy), or an assignment is created, the student is subject to the housing commitment fee.

Questions may be directed to Residential Life and Learning, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, 617-627-2000 or e-mail: studentservices@tufts.edu, or visit the website.

Payment of Bills

All currently enrolled students are billed electronically through the Tufts eBill system. Information on Tufts eBill can be found through the Tufts eBill system. Students are required to pay tuition, fees, room, and board prior to the start of each semester. Bills for the fall semester must be paid by the first week in August; spring semester bills are due and payable in early December. The amount billed is reduced by any financial aid awarded by or sent to the university on behalf of the student for the semester. Payment in full (after deduction for financial aid) must be made before each term either by check, e-payment, wire transfer or enrolling in the monthly payment plan. Detailed information abou the payment plan is sent to students in June.

Fall semester charges do not include those incurred for courses an applicant must take to become fully qualified for admission. Charges will not be reduced when courses are accepted for transfer credit.

All university charges are collected by Student Financial Services. Without waiting for receipt of a formal bill, payments for tuition, fees, room and board are to be made to Tufts on or before the due date for the semester. Checks should be made payable to the Trustees of Tufts College.

The following actions will take place should a student fail to meet their financial obligations to the university for outstanding student loans or balances on their student account: the student may be denied access to university dining services; will not be allowed to access library resources; will be denied registration privileges; and will be denied an on-campus room selection for an upcoming semester.

Late Payment of Tuition and Fees

Any student whose indebtedness to Tufts University remains unpaid after the designated payment due dates may be deprived of privileges by Tufts University. Reinstatement is possible only after all charges have been paid. Payments not made by the due date will be subject to account holds and monthly late fees as early as two weeks being past due, or sooner for short term courses and summer sessions. Past due balance holds will prevent participation in registration periods and may impact other services. Late fees will be calculated at a rate of 1.5%. This percentage will be charged on a monthly basis as long as an outstanding balance remains.

In compliance with S2248 PL 115-407 Section 103, veterans and eligible dependents who have notified Tufts that they are using VA educational benefits such as the Post 9/11 GI Bill® will not be imposed a late fee, be denied access to facilities, or receive another penalty due to a late payment of tuition and/or fees from the VA directly to Tufts. This applies if payments have not been received within 90 days of the beginning of the term and applies only to the amount of the expected VA payment.   

Additionally, students who leave Tufts University with an amount due on their student account and who fail to make acceptable payment arrangements to bring their account current, may be referred to a collection agency. 

It is understood that if Tufts University refers a delinquent account balance to a third party for collection, a collection fee may be assessed and will be due in full at the time of the referral to the third party.  The collection fee may be calculated at the maximum amount permitted by applicable law, but not to exceed 40% of the amount outstanding.  For purposes of this provision, the third party may be a debt collection company or an attorney.  If a lawsuit is filed to recover an outstanding balance, the student shall also be responsible for any costs associated with the lawsuit such as court costs or other applicable costs. It is also understood that a delinquent account may be reported to a national credit bureau.

Tuition Insurance

Students who take a medical leave of absence may be eligible for a partial tuition refund from the university based on when the leave occurs during the semester. Because tuition refunds decrease as the semester progresses, students and families may choose to purchase the Tuition Refund Plan (TRP), administered by A.W.G. Dewar, Inc. 

The Tuition Refund Plan is designed to supplement the university's tuition refund policy. If a student must take a medical leave due to a covered physical or mental health condition, the plan may provide reimbursement for eligible tuition charges not refunded by the university, subject to the terms and conditions of the policy.

For information about the university's tuition refund schedule, please visit Bursar's Tuition Refund Policy page. For more information about the Tuition Refund Plan, visit go.tufts.edu/tuitioninsurance.

Administrative/Financial Withdrawal

If a student’s account remains unsettled beyond the billing due date, subsequent bills will be issued reflecting monthly late payment charges. If the student’s account remains unsettled after the first day of classes, the student may be subject to withdrawal from the university for non-payment.

Students are strongly encouraged to communicate with Student Financial Services if they encounter financial difficulties so that the university may help identify possible solutions and alternatives for meeting individual needs.

Withdrawal/Leave Tuition Refund Policy

Students who elect to take a leave of absence or withdraw or who are required to withdraw will receive a tuition refund in accordance with the following schedule, based on the effective date of the leave.

Fall 2026 Semester

Spring 2026 Semester

The student is responsible for any unpaid charges and must make arrangements to pay this balance prior to leaving Tufts. Any outstanding balance will result in a hold until paid in full. 

Tuition refunds for students billed per credit will be prorated based on the number of registered credits and the effective date of the leave/withdrawal. Please visiting our Tuition Refund Policy website to review policy.

Campus Housing Charges

Campus housing charges will be refunded based on the above prorated tuition schedule for the semester. The date of withdrawal from housing will be based on the date that the room has been vacated and the room key returned to Residential Life. The housing commitment fee is nonrefundable.

Meal Plan Charge

Students wishing to cancel their meal plan after the cutoff date, the third Friday after classes begin, will be assessed 50 percent of the prorated refund amount.

Other Charges

Other fees and charges such as the health and wellness fee, the student activity fee, library, housing damage fees and traffic fine or parking citations are not refunded or prorated after the beginning of the academic year. If a student is enrolled in the optional medical insurance plan, both the charge and the plan benefits remain in place through the end of the contract period. A student enrolled for only one semester will be charged the full student activity fee and health and wellness fee.

Financial Aid

Information regarding Tufts student financial aid for Arts, Sciences, and Engineering students, as well as federal aid for the Fletcher school can be found on the Tufts University Financial Aid website. This information includes but is not limited to:

• student loan terms and conditions set forth by the University and the Federal Government additional details regarding the financial aid application process, types of aid, and how aid is awarded.
• links to the Tufts Net Price Calculator
• standards for satisfactory academic progress
• details on the return of Title IV refunds policy
• contact information for the financial aid office
• additional information about Tufts financial aid programs and policies

Students intending to use VA benefits such as the Post 9/11 GI Bill® must notify Student Services of their intention to use their benefit before the beginning of the term by providing a Certificate of Eligibility and a request for certification.

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.