Returning to Tufts

We are looking forward to seeing you and hearing about your experiences abroad! To facilitate a smooth transition back to Tufts, we have scheduled several events to take place at the beginning of the semester to help you transition back to life at Tufts.

Additionally, we have compiled a few resources for you that cover various aspects of the reentry experience, from reverse culture shock to how to highlight your experience abroad in your career search. For this and more, read on and check out our 'Life After Study Abroad' booklet.

Excited about your experience abroad? Share it with others. The best source of up-to-date and accurate study-abroad information is you. Be sure to submit feedback on your experience via the Qualtrics survey we sent in advance of your return to campus (please contact us if you need the link re-sent to you), and we hope that you will volunteer to get involved in some way. Complete the  'Get Involved' survey to let us know of your interest. We look forward to hearing about your experiences!

Course Registration

Here is how to register for your next semester at Tufts.

• The Registrar’s office will send an email to your Tufts account regarding course registration for the semester of your return, so you will want to monitor your Tufts email account while you are abroad.
   
• You may register online, through SIS. Course listings and registration instructions are located on the site. Although you should consult with your academic adviser regarding your course choices, no “academic adviser release” is required for students registering from abroad.

• If you are unable to register for courses yourself online through SIS at your assigned time, you may contact Student Services (studentservices@tufts.edu) to inquire about being registered by proxy at your assigned registration time. Please make sure to include in your email the details as to why you are unable to register yourself. 

It is your responsibility to contact the appropriate department if you need to register for high-demand courses. Remember that high-demand registration usually takes place a week before regular registration.

If there is a course (or courses) that you absolutely must take the following semester, you must make prior arrangements with the professor or department in question, explaining your situation and asking that a place be reserved for you in that course. Although admission to courses cannot be guaranteed, selecting courses or sections of large lecture courses that meet at less popular times, placing your name on a waiting list, and attending all classes during the add/drop period usually results in admission to otherwise full courses.

Since most students returning from study abroad are seniors, the chances of gaining admittance to courses are fairly good. However, it should be clearly understood that you may not be able to arrange precisely the schedule of courses that you would like, and you should take this fact into consideration in your decision to study abroad.

On-Campus Housing 

If you would like on-campus housing for the semester of your return to Tufts, please refer to the Office of Residential Life’s housing selection procedures, policies, and timeline.

Academic Credit from Abroad

If you have not yet submitted requests for either transfer-credit approval (non-Tufts programs) or course-equivalency/major-credit approval (Tufts Global Education programs), please refer to the section on Course Approval and follow the instructions.

Re-Orientation Program

We organize reorientation activities at the beginning of each semester to help ease the transition back to campus after studying abroad. You will find information about registration, advising, and credit from abroad at the reorientation academic advising session, and the reorientation dinner will enable you to connect with others also returning from abroad. We will send an email with the date and location of these meetings to your Tufts email account. You can also find these activities listed on our calendar of events.

All students who participated in Tufts Global Education programs will also be invited to “debriefing” meetings at the beginning of the semester of your return. These meetings will give you an opportunity to talk about your experience with the program with the Medford staff of Tufts Global Education. We use this information to assess what elements of our programs are working well, and which could use revision. We will email you with the date, time, and location of these meetings.

Program Evaluation

Don’t forget to complete a program evaluation. Your feedback helps us ensure that future students have a successful time abroad. We’d like to hear about your experience and what you thought of your study-abroad program. This information helps us assess and approve programs and also provides valuable information for other students as they research and select a program. Please follow the link to the Qualtrics survey that we provided via email to share your feedback.