Frequently Asked Questions

Face masks or face coverings must be worn by all students, faculty, staff and visitors in the presence of others when on campus, in common workspaces, meeting rooms, classrooms, dormitories, dining facilities and other shared spaces. The only exception to this is when an individual is alone in an office, in your own dormitory bedroom or greater than 6 feet from anyone else when outside.

The City of Somerville requires face masks be worn whenever anyone is in any public space—indoors or outside—regardless of the person's ability to socially distance; non-compliance is subject to a $300 fine by the city. 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.

Individuals who believe it is unsafe to wear a mask or face covering due to a medical condition or disability, or other protected reason should consult with their supervisor, HR business partner or dean's office. A good option for the hearing impaired who rely on lip reading and facial queues: https://www.theclearmask.com/.

Disposable masks will be provided by Tufts in all of its buildings for use by students and employees.

Cloth face coverings may also be worn, but will not be provided by the university. Cloth face coverings should only be worn for one day at a time, and must be properly laundered before use again. The fabric design or pattern for cloth face coverings should be appropriate for the workplace and classroom. See the CDC's guidelines on the use of cloth face coverings.

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

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.

Please visit the Tufts International Center website for visa and immigration updates for the Fall 2020 semester. You can also contact your school’s International Center student advisor (full list available here). Please note that the International Center is currently issuing I-20s for students who are planning to be on campus for Fall 2020; students who are starting remotely from their home countries or deferring to a future term will be contacted by the International Center about their I-20 later this summer.  

Yes, we will be asking students to limit their travel and time away from campus during the fall semester.

Student health and wellness is of utmost concern, as is the health of our greater community outside the boundaries of our campuses. To support a healthy community on campus, all students returning to the Medford/Somerville or SMFA campuses will be required to participate in COVID-19 testing as coordinated by the Student Health Center.  

This applies to students living on-campus and those in off-campus apartments and other housing in the surrounding area who plan to attend classes at least partially in person and engage in person with others or using facilities, such as libraries, on the Tufts campuses.

With the goal of reducing exposure and mitigating the risk of community spread, the university strongly advises students to refrain from extended personal travel once they return to campus in the fall and until they return home or move elsewhere after the semester has concluded. Extended personal travel is defined as leaving the confines of the campus community overnight or engaging in any activity off campus (such as refraining from physical distancing, not wearing a mask, etc.) that would put you at risk for COVID-19 exposure.  

This advisory is in place for the health of our entire community, since reducing the number of individual exposures is an important to reducing further community spread and protecting those who are vulnerable to complications and death from COVID-19. Students should recognize that traveling during their time on campus may put their fellow students and other community members at risk.  

At the same time, we understand and acknowledge that there may be circumstances in which a student needs to travel or participate in activities (including protests and demonstrations) that may take them off campus.  

Each student needs to balance their own risk tolerance for these things, being mindful that their decisions will impact the health and well-being of those around them. 

Any Tufts student who tests positive for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus responsible for COVID-19) will be asked to identify their close contacts. Contact tracing will be carried out in cooperation with local public health departments. Individuals who may have been exposed to someone who has the virus will be notified and provided information and resources for self-quarantining. There will not be a campus-wide notification every time there is a positive test result for a member of our community (which includes students, faculty, and staff).

Courses and seminars for continuing students will be taught remotely. GSBS will delay matriculation of first-year PhD and Masters in Pharmacology students on the Boston campus until January 2021. Read more about plans for fall on the GSBS website.

First- and second-year students at the School of Medicine will be on campus for clinical experiences, and third- and fourth-year medical students will be on clinical rotation. Many Public Health & Professional Degree programs will be remote in the fall. Read more about plans for fall on the School of Medicine's website.

First- and second-year students at the School of Dental Medicine will have remote education in the fall with clinical experiences shifted to spring. Some advanced students may be back for hands-on and clinical education in the fall. The Dental School will update their site as information becomes available.

This fall, all courses at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy will be offered remotely. We currently intend to offer our spring semester in a hybrid form with both residential and remote offerings. Read more about plans for fall on The Fletcher School's website.

On the Grafton campus, Cummings School will offer online and in-person instruction for veterinary, masters, and PhD students. Read more on Cummings School's website.

The studio arts curriculum offered by SMFA at Tufts has been completely redesigned by the faculty to mix in-depth virtual instruction with options for graduate students to receive supplies and equipment at home or to access studios and facilities in person to complete coursework. Find more information in the Fall 2020 Campus Guide for AS&E students.