Returning students (not incoming first-year students) may take a medical leave of absence to leave campus to receive treatment for a health concern. A medical leave of absence is also appropriate if a student finds it difficult to productively or safely manage the demands of their academics and co-curricular responsibilities due to their health concern. Students may learn more about a medical leave and request a medical leave through the Dean of Student Affairs Office.  

Returning students must have initiated a request through SIS for a personal leave of absence and must initiate a request by October 26 for the spring semester. The request will be sent to the student’s advising dean or graduate department, and is ordinarily approved.

Tufts students are being billed for student insurance as they have every year but may waive the university’s insurance if they have their own qualified, comprehensive plans.  

In prior years, many insurance plans provided insufficient coverage to allow the student to waive the university’s plan. For example, many international insurances or closed networks like Kaiser provided comprehensive insurance in a student’s home state or country but provided very little coverage elsewhere.  

This year, as some students remain at home, the university is able to provide greater flexibility in accepting student’s own qualified, comprehensive plans. For more information about insurance options, see http://go.tufts.edu/studenthealthinsurance. 

Yes, students are permitted to live on-campus even if their courses are all designated as virtual. We will strive to provide opportunities to live on campus for students requesting on-campus housing. 

Course delivery will vary by course.  

We plan to hold as many courses in-person or in a hybrid format as feasible, with many courses offering a virtual option. Many courses will be asynchronous (they can be taken at any time) but some will be synchronous (students must participate in real time). It is important to review your class schedule through the summer as offerings and mode of instruction may change. 

The delivery method of all courses in the School of Arts & Sciences and the School of Engineering are available in the Student Information System (SIS) now and may be updated throughout the summer.

All SMFA courses will be virtual.
 

You may either enroll full-time with intent to take all your classes remotely or, if you are a returning student, take a personal leave of absence.  

For new first-year students, you may either enroll full-time, with intent to take all of your classes remotely or request a gap year.   

Students enrolling full-time and remotely should be aware that most, but not all, courses will offer a virtual option. Please speak with your academic advisor if you have questions about your courses. 

We plan to hold as many courses in-person or in a hybrid format as feasible, with many courses offering a virtual option. It is important to review your class schedule through the summer as offerings and mode of instruction may change. 

Undergraduate students taking a leave of absence are allowed to spend a maximum of four semesters away from campus during completing their degrees. This includes personal leave, semesters of required withdrawal, or absences without formal leave. The limit of four semesters does not include study abroad, leave for domestic study elsewhere, leave for military or religious service, or medical leave.  

After an absence of a semester or longer, students must confer with the advising deans to return. A student who exceeds the limit of four semesters away from campus must apply for reinstatement.

If you were not in-person during the fall semester but would like to apply for campus housing, log into the housing portal in SIS to complete an application for spring 2021 housing. This application is due by November 9, 2020.

For students remaining at home and live with their families, financial aid is reduced to account for the reduced housing costs. This applies to all students who are remaining at home whether they are taking virtual courses or live close enough to campus that they are coming to campus to take classes in person. 

Students can either enroll full-time or part-time with the intent to take all of their classes remotely. For the School of Engineering, all graduate courses are available asynchronously and remotely. For the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, most, but not all, classes offer a remote option. The core introductory classes in most programs is available virtually. Students are encouraged to speak with their graduate director for further questions.

Yes, the student activity fee and the health service fee will be the same for all students. Even if you choose not to come to campus this fall, you will have access to health services and be able to participate in student activities. 

Yes. All students are charged the health fee. You may apply for a health insurance waiver if you have other insurance or you are a remote international student. Learn more about health insurance.

Generally, no. Sophomores who participate in the fall 2020 term in person will be expected to live in on campus housing. Our housing residency requirement is still in place for first- and second-year students.

There are usually only two exceptions to this policy: sincerely held religious beliefs that cannot be accommodated on campus (approved through the Office of Equal Opportunity) and disabilities that require a housing accommodation (approved through Student Accessibility Services).

For this year only, the Office of Residential Life and Learning has allowed a third exception: first- and second-year students may live off campus with their family at their permanent residence. However, living off campus with friends is still not permitted for first- and second-year students.

Students who choose to attend fully remotely (meaning they will not be permitted to come to campus at any time for any reason during the semester), are generally expected to live at their permanent address, and they will not be required to live on campus. Students who take a personal leave for the fall are also not required to live on campus. Sophomores who plan to return in person in spring 2021 following remote study or personal leave in fall 2020 must plan to live on campus or live at their family’s permanent residence during the spring semester.

If sophomores choose to attend remotely or to attend in person but live off campus with family during the fall semester, they may not be able to retain their housing assignment for the spring. While we will make every effort to accommodate all sophomores who wish to return to live on campus, at this time we cannot guarantee on campus housing for those who decide they want to be on campus only in the spring term. If Tufts is unable to provide on campus housing for sophomores returning in person for the spring from a semester on leave or living at home in the fall, we will consider exceptions to the residential policy for those specific situations. However, we do hope to provide housing in the spring for all who request it.

Securing on campus housing for all students who request it is a priority and we will continue to work on solutions to meet demand. When completing the Intent Form, students who choose to live with family or attend classes remotely were asked for their spring plans. We will reach out to those students in the fall to ask for their intent for the spring, and will provide them with housing updates.

Yes, you will need to register only for courses that are offered virtually. Please note that most, but not all, classes will offer a virtual option.