Frequently Asked Questions

Unfortunately, Tufts Global Education has made the difficult decision to cancel all abroad programs for both Summer and Fall 2020, including all external program approvals. Many countries are imposing strict travel restrictions, suspending visa application processing, and the potential impacts on travelers’ ability to return to the US were all contributing factors in making this decision. Tufts felt this was the right decision to ensure the health and safety of all students

Please see the Tufts Global Education's Study Abroad COVID-19 FAQ for more information.

Tufts has not set a specific deadline for returning to full on-campus operations. Instead, the university intends to take a phased approach, which can generally be described as follows:

• Phase 0 – Stay-at-Home Advisory (essential employees only)
• Phase 1 – Limited Access (essential employees plus limited staff to support certain labs and clinics)
• Phase 2 – Preparation for Hybrid Reopening* (Phase 1 staff plus necessary support staff)
• Phase 3 – Hybrid Reopening* (Phase 2 staff plus additional support staff)
• Phase 4 – New Normal (all staff)

*Hybrid Reopening may include a combination of online and in-person academic and extracurricular activities.

Tufts plans to phase in the return of staff over time in a coordinated process to prioritize appropriate social distancing, availability of PPE (personal protective equipment), hygiene protocols, symptom screening, testing capabilities for COVID-19, and contact tracing.

All members of the Tufts community will be given advance notice of when they will be expected to return to work on campus.

No one should report to work on campus unless and until they have been explicitly cleared to do so by their school or department leadership.

Tufts will expand on-site staffing based on an assessment of mission-critical operations, ability to control and manage specific work environments, and necessity of accessing on-site resources. Return-to-campus decisions, once approved, will be issued by your respective dean, vice president, or division leader.

Tufts University is closely monitoring the ongoing situation regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its impact on the start of the fall semester as well as Undergraduate Orientation. While we continue to plan for an on-campus fall semester, no decision about when students may come or return to campus has been made. Our priority is the health and safety of our community, and our decisions will be made in consultation with local and state health authorities. As soon as decisions are made, they will be communicated to students and families so everyone can plan accordingly.

We are committed to providing a welcoming and informative Orientation for incoming students, and look forward to getting to know each of you this fall. As of now, all 2020-2021 academic dates and deadlines on the Academic Calendar remain as scheduled. For additional information and  updates on Undergraduate Orientation please visit https://students.tufts.edu/orientation

All Tufts Dining locations are closed on the Medford, Somerville, and SMFA campuses this summer except for Dewick2GO, a new concept located in the Dewick-MacPhie Dining Center.

Dewick2GO, located in Dewick-MacPhie Dining Center on the Medford Somerville campus, is the only campus location open this summer and is serving takeout food prepared to order 7 days a week.  Dewick2GO is a new concept designed to meet the summertime needs of the limited campus population, following current physical distancing and other public health guidelines. Dewick2GO accepts meal plans, JumboCash, cash and credit cards.

Breakfast is served Monday-Friday (9 a.m – 10 a.m.). Brunch (10 a.m. – 3 p.m.) and Dinner (4 p.m. – 7 p.m.) are served every day. Mealtimes no longer must be reserved. Quick service coffee, bagels, and the popular hot egg breakfast sandwiches are available. Familiar favorites including burgers, wraps, panini, and smoothies will be joined by new daily menu items. There are many a la carte items to choose from as well.

At Dewick2GO, we strive to have something for everyone. Look for our freshly made salads and hot daily entrée specials (during Brunch and Dinner) prepared with local produce and seasonal ingredients. Daily specials will be tweeted from @TuftsDining on Twitter. View the NEW menus and daily specials on our menus section of the Tufts Dining website, and find out what locations are open and hours on the Tufts Dining homepage.

Boston Health Sciences and Grafton campus cafes are open with limited service.

Food for Thought Café on the Health Sciences campus in Boston remains open Monday – Friday, 7a.m. – 3p.m.

Elms Café on the Cummings School campus in Grafton is open Monday – Friday from 11a.m. – 1p.m.

Please remember current Massachusetts residents are officially ordered to wear face coverings outside their homes as part of the ongoing effort to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A decision about whether to hold classes on campus or online this fall has not yet been made. As soon as one has been made, Tufts leadership will communicate to students and their families, so they can plan accordingly. As you know, we are monitoring the situation carefully and the health and safety of our students is our top priority.

All 2020-2021 academic dates and deadlines on the Academic Calendar will continue as scheduled. 

• Fall 2020 course registration will begin April 6. Undergraduate students should consult their Advisors during the Advising Period (March 25 - April 3) via email, phone, or video conference to plan their fall schedules and release registration holds. Graduate students should consult with their departments regarding advising and course registration for Fall 2020.
• The registration period for Fall 2020 will remain open into late August. (Previously, registration closed on April 17 and re-opened in June.)
• The deadlines for taking a medical leave of absence also remain unaffected.

The Office of Undergraduate Education will remain open throughout Spring 2020 with normal hours. Undergraduate students may make appointments with their Advising Dean, Senior Academic Advisor, and/or Academic Resource Advisor, as well as department Advisors, Pre-Health Advisors, and Scholar Development staff. Appointments are continuing via phone or video conference. 

Graduate students should consult with their program faculty and department administrators.

If you have been in close contact with someone who has been identified as having a potential or positive COVID-19 diagnosis, please email covid19@tufts.edu immediately.

Please provide the following information in your e-mail to covid19@tufts.edu if it is available to you:

• First name
• Last name
• Affiliation (student, faculty, staff)
• Dept./School
• Symptoms (if any) and any known contact with someone who has either tested positive for COVID-19 or is exhibiting symptoms
• Date of onset of first symptoms
• If you’ve been tested (yes/no)
• Results of the test, if any
• Date of email

It would be helpful to understand how you received that information and any details that would help us follow up.

• If you believe you have been exposed and are a student at Tufts, please contact our Health Service at 617-627-3350 and we can offer guidance.
• If you are a staff or faculty member, please contact your physician for guidance and alert your supervisor.
• See the CDC's recommendations for self-isolation.

If you test negative for COVID-19, but live in a household with someone who tests positive, it would be recommended that you quarantine for 14 days following your last close contact with the person who is positive. If household members are not able to avoid close contact with one another, the exposed person will need to quarantine for 14 days after the sick person is cleared by their health care professional.

Tufts endorses the guidelines set by the State of Massachusetts that people should shelter at home except for essential activities, such as buying groceries, or unless they are essential workers.

When going outside the home for essential activities, we also endorse following the CDC's recent recommendations that individuals should wear a cloth face coverings. For more on the CDC recommendations, please visit this page.

The City of Somerville has issued an emergency order mandating face coverings in public; violators will be subject to a fine of $300. The order will remain in effect until notice is given that it is no longer necessary, or the Board of Health declares that a Public Health Emergency no longer exists. A similar order exists in the City of Medford, but violators are not subject to a fine. Tufts University police officers will take notice of anyone not following these orders on campus.

We understand that COVID-19 has brought on many new stresses for students. Students are now doing work remotely, often in settings that aren’t optimal for studying; and may now be distanced from support networks and in addition to curricular obligations, students may be worried about the financial and health impacts that the pandemic has on family and friends. We want to make sure students are aware of the ongoing mental health support and wellness activities to help during these times.

Boston Campus students in all programs can continue to access Counseling services now available remotely through ¬Talk One2One. The phone number to access this service is 1-800-756-3124. This is both a 24-hour emergency helpline as well as a way to access the mental health counselors assigned to the Boston campus for ongoing counseling.

The University Chaplaincy continues to be available to all members of the Tufts community for emotional and spiritual support, to talk about grief and loss, or generally to be a listening ear. Please e-mail chaplaincy@tufts.edu to be connected with a chaplain by phone, Zoom, or WebEx.

Student Wellness Programs remain in full swing during this period of remote learning. Please see the weekly Wellness Newsletter or contact our campus wellness advisor, Snaggs at Sharon.snaggs@tufts.edu or 617-636-2700.

Students who were in care with a counseling and/or psychiatric provider at Counseling and Mental Health: You and your current clinician should be in touch by phone or through the Medicat Secure Health Portal to arrange a call or video chat to discuss how to proceed.

Initiating Counseling: CMHS is not able to initiate care with students remotely. Students who are not in the local area who are seeking to initiate counseling can access telemental health care through iHope or BetterHelp, or through area resources near their locations.  If you are having trouble securing care and would like assistance with the process, you may call CMHScat 617-627-3360 and tell the front desk you are seeking remote referral help.

The Mayer Campus Center is closed until further notice. Dewick Dining is offering "Dewick to Go" seven days a week. The Office for Campus Life staff can be contacted at ocl@tufts.edu or 617-627-3212.

The Tufts Bookstore is temporarily closed in response to the COVID-19 situation. The bookstore's website offer free ground shipping on all orders.

All indoor athletics facilities will be closed as of March 12. 

To discourage organized games and contact sports that could hasten the spread of COVID-19, the university’s athletic fields, including the Ellis Oval, will be closed effective April 3. In accordance with City of Somerville guidelines, the playground on Powder House Boulevard has been closed as well. The vast majority of our Medford/Somerville campus, including the academic quad, the President’s Lawn, the Triangle Park (corner of Powder House Boulevard and College Avenue) and Fletcher Field (corner of Professor’s Row and Curtis Street), will remain open for walks and passive use.

Most Tufts Library spaces are closed until further notice. All libraries will maintain virtual resources and business operations to support academic continuity for distance learning.

Tisch, Lilly, & SMFA Libraries:

Library staff are available to provide virtual assistance to help faculty and students access online resources and services. We have expanded hours for remote research support, and offer consultations with subject experts and Digital Design Studio staff.

Scan & Deliver is on hold to comply with Governor Baker’s directive to close physical workplaces. This service will resume once it is safe for library staff to return to campus.

Tufts community members with checked-out materials should be assured that we understand this is an extraordinary situation. Overdue fines are suspended for all items, including interlibrary loan materials. Due dates for all borrowed items are extended past the start of the fall semester.

Hirsh Health Sciences Library:

The Hirsh Health Sciences Library will remain open for study, with no on-site services. It should not be used for group meetings per overall event protocol. Librarians are available for consultations and assistance. More information can be found here.

Ginn Library:

Ginn Library staff will provide virtual reference assistance, fulfill online requests, and provide limited Scan & Deliver. Please check the Fletcher COVID-19 page for updates and information. Scan & Deliver is on hold to comply with Governor Baker’s directive to close physical workplaces.

Webster Family Library:

The Vet Library is closed. Please contact library staff for assistance and questions.

Digital Collections and Archives (DCA):

The DCA Reading Room is closed until further notice. We are evaluating the situation weekly and will provide status updates on the DCA website.

DCA staff will be working remotely. We will respond to questions and research inquires to the best of our ability using digital resources, including all content in the Tufts Digital Library. We are available for archival research consultations and University records management advice via phone, WebEx, or Zoom. Please contact us at archives@tufts.edu or via the DCA website with questions.