What SAT or ACT score do you need for Tufts?

As of November 2026: Tufts is test-optional for all undergraduate applicants entering in fall 2027, and the middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored 1460 to 1550. On the ACT, the middle half of senders scored 33 to 35.

Tufts is test-optional for fall 2027. Here are the SAT and ACT bands, who sends a score, the odds, the cost, and what we tell families to do next.

By Nick Standlea, Test Prep Gurus. Figures may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.

Tufts is test-optional for fall 2027. Tufts is test-optional for all undergraduate applicants, so your child chooses whether to send a score. That includes high school seniors in the 2026-2027 school year.

The middle half of SAT senders scored 1460 to 1550. Among enrolled first-years in the fall 2023 class who sent an SAT, the middle half scored from 1460 to 1550. On the ACT, the middle half scored from 33 to 35.

Tufts admitted 10.1 percent of applicants in fall 2023. Of 34,003 applicants, 3,434 were admitted. For fall 2025, early decision admitted 32.03 percent, while the overall rate was 10.82 percent.

Does Tufts require the SAT or ACT?

The testing policy as Tufts states it on its own admissions page.

College	Policy	Applies to	In the college's words	Source
Tufts University	optional	all undergraduate applicants (current cycle, fall 2027)	Tufts University is test-optional for all undergraduate applicants.	Source

Optional means your child chooses whether to send a score.

Tufts: score bands, who sends a score, how many get in, what it costs

Score bands, sending shares, applicants and admits are for the fall 2023 class. Prices are from the College Scorecard.

Measure	Value
applicants, fall 2023	34003
admits, fall 2023	3434
admit rate, percent	10.1
SAT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	1460
SAT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	1550
ACT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	33
ACT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	35
share of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT, percent	36
share who sent an ACT, percent	18
application fee, dollars	75
full price of a year, dollars	88300
average net price after aid, dollars	39998

Bands describe enrolled first-years who sent that test in the fall 2023 class.

Tufts: early decision versus the overall rate

Early decision figures, with both early rounds combined, for students who started in fall 2025.

Cycle	ED applicants	ED admits	ED rate, percent	All applicants	All admits	Overall rate, percent	Source
fall 2025 entrants (CDS 2025-26)	3,344	1,071	32.03	33,395	3,612	10.82	Source

Early decision is a binding promise to attend if admitted.

Does Tufts require the SAT or ACT?

No, Tufts does not require the SAT or ACT for fall 2027; it is test-optional for all undergraduate applicants. Its own admissions page puts it plainly: "Tufts University is test-optional for all undergraduate applicants."

That covers high school seniors in the 2026-2027 school year, who apply this year and start college in fall 2027. Test-optional means your child chooses whether to send an SAT or ACT score. An application can go in with a score or without one.

We tell families not to treat optional as a reason to skip the test. Optional is a choice, and a choice is easier to make with a real score in hand.

What SAT score do enrolled first-years at Tufts carry?

The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored between 1460 and 1550. These are students from the fall 2023 class, the most recent federal numbers.

Read the band this way. A quarter of those students scored below 1460, and a quarter scored above 1550. The rest sat inside the band. So the band is not a line your child must cross. It shows where the middle of the group landed.

Keep in mind who is in the band. It counts only students who enrolled and chose to send an SAT. Students who did not send a score are not in it.

What ACT score do enrolled first-years at Tufts carry?

The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an ACT scored between 33 and 35. That is the same fall 2023 class.

A quarter of those ACT senders scored below 33, and a quarter scored above 35. Each point on the ACT covers more ground than a point on the SAT, so a narrow ACT band is normal.

Some students do much better on one test than the other. We see it with our students every year. That is why we have every student sit a full mock SAT and a full mock ACT before choosing which test to prepare for.

How many Tufts students send a test score?

In the fall 2023 class, 36 percent of enrolled first-years sent an SAT and 18 percent sent an ACT. Some students send both tests, so the two shares can overlap.

So sending a score is common at Tufts, but it is not universal. The share that sends a score tells you what other families chose. It does not tell you what your child should do.

The more useful question is where your child's own score falls against the band. That is the number we help our students build and then judge.

Should my child send a score to Tufts?

Send the score if it sits inside or above the 1460 to 1550 SAT band or the 33 to 35 ACT band. If your child's score sits below the band, think hard before sending it.

At a selective test-optional college like Tufts, we tell families it is nearly always good to have a score, because a strong score bolsters the odds of getting in and most merit scholarships are keyed to one. Having a score and sending a score are separate steps. Your child can test first and decide later.

If the score lands just under the band, we often suggest another round of focused prep and a retake before giving up on sending. A higher score on a later sitting gives your child a better choice at deadline time.

How hard is it to get into Tufts?

Tufts admitted 10.1 percent of applicants for fall 2023, with 3,434 admits out of 34,003 applicants. For students who started in fall 2025, Tufts reported 33,395 applicants, 3,612 admits and an overall rate of 10.82 percent.

Early decision, with both rounds combined, admitted 1,071 of 3,344 applicants for fall 2025, a rate of 32.03 percent. Early decision is a binding promise to attend if admitted.

We tell families not to read the higher early rate as a shortcut. Our rule is to apply early decision only when Tufts is your child's clear first choice and your family has already checked the cost.

What does it cost to apply to and attend Tufts?

The application fee at Tufts is $75. The full price of a year is $88,300, and the average net price after aid is $39,998.

The average net price is what families paid on average after grants and aid. Your own number can be higher or lower, depending on income and assets.

Tufts publishes a net price calculator, as every US college must. We tell families to run it with their own tax returns before the application goes in, so cost is not a surprise later.

What should we do this month?

This month, have your child sit a full-length mock SAT and a full-length mock ACT, then compare each result with the 1460 to 1550 SAT band and the 33 to 35 ACT band. Test Prep Gurus gives a free mock SAT and a free mock ACT. Sign up at https://www.prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step or call us at 949.229.5359.

If a mock lands inside or above the band, pick that test and plan a date. If it lands below, plan the prep first. Our rule is 6 to 12 weeks of prep before a test date that counts.

Prepare for the whole test every sitting. We do not plan for a student to fix one section on one date and a different section on the next. Each sitting should be a full, real attempt at the best score your child can earn.

Questions parents ask

Does Tufts require the SAT or ACT?
No, Tufts does not require the SAT or ACT for fall 2027; it is test-optional for all undergraduate applicants.

What SAT score do Tufts students have?
The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored between 1460 and 1550.

What ACT score do Tufts students have?
The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an ACT scored between 33 and 35.

Should my child send a score that is below the Tufts band?
If your child's score sits below the band, think hard before sending it.

What is the Tufts acceptance rate?
Tufts admitted 10.1 percent of applicants for fall 2023, with 3,434 admits out of 34,003 applicants.

How much does Tufts cost?
The full price of a year is $88,300, and the average net price after aid is $39,998.

Ready to plan the next test date? Free mock SAT and free mock ACT at Test Prep Gurus, then a plan built on the result: prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step or 949.229.5359.

Method and sources: The policy is the one Tufts states on its own admissions page for all undergraduate applicants in the current cycle, for fall 2027. The SAT and ACT bands, sending shares, applicants and admits describe the fall 2023 class in the latest federal IPEDS release, and the bands cover only enrolled first-years who sent that test. Early decision figures come from the Tufts Common Data Set for students who started in fall 2025. Prices come from the College Scorecard and are averages, not any one family's bill.