Did you throw your hat in the ring to join Tufts University via one of the private research university’s two Early Decision rounds? Or are you doing your due diligence by researching your odds? Applying Early Decision to Tufts is one of the most strategic decisions you can make as you navigate the elite college admissions process (assuming Tufts is your top college choice).

We’re still awaiting the data for the ED round recently conducted at Tufts for the Class of 2030. But we can still review the historical data to put these figures into context whenever they arrive. For admission to Tufts’ Class of 2029, 10.5% of the roughly 33,000 applicants were accepted. We don’t know the specific spread of these applicants who were admitted through ED I or ED II versus Regular Decision, but we can still make some educated guesses as to the combined Early Decision acceptance rate.

Tufts University Hasn’t Released Recent Data on Early Decision Admission

Usually, the Common Data Set, a federally mandated repository of college admissions data, would supply us with all the answers our hearts could desire. However, searching out Early Decision data in Tufts’ Common Data Sets draws a blank for most recent cycles. We can make a reasonable estimate that the ED I and II acceptance rates are likely considerably higher — especially considering that the most recent data available to us for the Class of 2022 has the combined ED I and II acceptance rate at a reasonable 42.31%. Compare this to Tufts’ 14.6% overall acceptance rate during this same year. Let’s take a closer look at the rest of the data:

Tufts’ Early Decision Admissions Statistics Over 20+ Years

Here’s the breakdown of Early Decision application cycles at Tufts from the Class of 2030 through the Class of 2015:

Tufts University Class Year	Number of Early Decision Applications (Combined ED I and ED II)	Number of Early Decision Acceptances (Combined ED I and ED II)	Early Decision Acceptance Rate (Combined ED I and ED II)
Class of 2030	Not Released	Not Released	Not Released
Class of 2029	Not Released	Not Released	Not Released
Class of 2028	Not Released	Not Released	Not Released
Class of 2027	Not Released	Not Released	Not Released
Class of 2026	Not Released	Not Released	Not Released
Class of 2025	Not Released	Not Released	Not Released
Class of 2024	Not Released	Not Released	Not Released
Class of 2023	Not Released	Not Released	Not Released
Class of 2022	2,262	957	42.31%
Class of 2021	Not Released	Not Released	Not Released
Class of 2020	Not Released	Not Released	Not Released
Class of 2019	1,839	721	39.2%
Class of 2018	1,720	671	39.01%
Class of 2017	1,572	560	35.62%
Class of 2016	1,384	546	39.45%

Breakdown of the Tufts Class of 2030 Early Decision Admits

In the midst of a data drought on the Class of 2030, the best we can do to contextualize the most recent admission cycle is to review the data we do have. But since we don’t know much about the Early Decision admits to the Tufts Class of 2029, we can turn to the data released on the cohort as a whole (including Regular Decision admits) to get a greater sense of the students joining Tufts next year according to reporting by TuftsNow:

“55 percent of all admitted students attended public high schools.

11 percent are the first in their family to go to college.

About 15 percent of admitted students (or 1 out of every 7 admitted students) will qualify for a federal Pell Grant, a percentage that has grown in recent years as Tufts strengthens its commitment to enrolling and supporting students from low-income backgrounds.

90 students are residents of Tufts’ host communities — Medford, Somerville, Boston, and Grafton­­­­­­­­­­­­.

All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and Mariana Islands are represented.

The top 10 states for admitted students are Massachusetts, New York, California, New Jersey, Connecticut, Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida, Maryland, Illinois. Of admitted students from the U.S., 15 percent hail from the South and Southwest and 20 percent from the West.

International students—foreign nationals who are not U.S. citizens — comprise 11 percent of the class, coming from more than 70 countries.

The 10 most common countries of residence outside of the U.S. are: China, India, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and Kenya.”

Okay, so the Tufts 2029 admits are a varied, diverse, and cosmopolitan group. And even though we might not know much about the Early Decision admits in particular, we don’t need direct data to claim that the ED admits this year were accepted at a far higher rate than those who chose to wait until the RD round. And why? Because Tufts admissions officers prize applicants who demonstrate interest (despite what they might claim to the contrary!), and the most efficient way to convey your interest in a college is to sign a binding contract to attend. It’s common sense! 

Ivy Coach’s Assistance for Deferred and Rejected Tufts Applicants 

We’re very proud of Ivy Coach’s students who earned admission to the Tufts Class of 2030. If you’ve found this post, you’re likely seeking guidance as you deal with a deferral or rejection from Tufts. First of all, we want to assure you that this process isn’t over yet. Turning to Ivy Coach to help with a deferral increases your odds of admission four times over.

Contact us today to schedule a complimentary consultation and discover your next steps. For deferred candidates, we offer a PostMortem application review and assistance in crafting a powerful Letter of Continued Interest to Tufts. For rejected candidates, we provide a PostMortem application review. Once your Early-round application is evaluated and rerouted to a more competitive strategy, your Regular Decision applicants become our focus. Our team of former elite college admissions officers is here to help guide you through this process. Don’t lose hope!