How to Apply to Psychology at Tufts University: Apply to Arts and Sciences, Declare a BA or BS in Psychology After Entry, and Requirements and Timeline for Chinese, Canadian High School and Transfer Students

At Tufts University, psychology is taught by the Department of Psychology in the School of Arts and Sciences, and majors can choose a BA or BS. You apply to a school and are considered only for that school; you declare the psychology major after entry. Here is what you need to know for fall 2027 entry, based on Tufts’ official information, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver), and transfer students.

1. Which school, and choosing a major

• Choose one of three schools: Arts and Sciences, Engineering, or the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA), or the five-year BFA + BA/BS combined degree. For psychology, apply to Arts and Sciences. Enrolled students can take classes across all three schools.
• Declaring: to declare a psychology department major, you first submit a Faculty Advisor Request Form; the department assigns an advisor and asks you to allow up to two weeks. The admissions and department pages do not state when you must declare.
• Five majors: Psychology, Biopsychology, Clinical Psychology, Cognitive and Brain Science, and Human Factors Psychology (formerly Engineering Psychology). Students in one of these may not double major in another. There is no psychology minor.

2. Psychology (BA/BS) major requirements

• Eleven courses of at least 3 semester-hour credits:
  • Introduction to Psychology (PSY 1);
  • one 10-level course (developmental, psychopathology, social, personality, or industrial and organizational psychology);
  • one 20-level course (emotion, physiological psychology, animal learning and cognition, perception, cognitive psychology or human neuropsychology);
  • two required labs: Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences (PSY 31 or an approved alternative) and Experimental Psychology (PSY 32, which must be taken at Tufts);
  • two advanced psychology courses above 100, two more psychology courses, and two approved advanced courses in related fields.
• Grades: the department has no minimum grade for courses counting toward the major beyond passing; major courses normally may not be taken pass-fail.
• Credit for PSY 1: AP Psychology 4 or 5, IB Higher Level 6 or 7, or an A or B in A-level Psychology earns PSY 1 credit. AP Statistics does not substitute for PSY 31.
• Honors thesis: the major rules let honors thesis students count independent study (PSY 199), and students can do research in faculty and graduate student labs.

3. Application plans and deadlines

• Early Decision I (binding): deadline November 2, 2026, notification mid-December.
• Early Decision II (binding): deadline January 4, 2027, notification early February.
• Regular Decision: deadline January 4, 2027, notification by April 1.
• Tufts accepts the Common App, Scoir (Coalition) and QuestBridge, with no preference.

4. Standardized testing

• Test optional: first-year and transfer applicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores, and Tufts does not assume unsubmitted scores are low. There is no minimum score.
• For international applicants who submit SAT or ACT, scores are interpreted in the context of their international background.

5. Students at high schools in China

• Evaluation: Tufts says it evaluates candidates primarily within the context of their national academic system.
• Transcripts: four years of internal results (three full years plus available current-year marks), official results of national exams taken so far, and predicted marks for pending exams.
• Gaokao: Tufts does not address the Gaokao specifically. It says predicted results are evaluated with earlier marks, offers are contingent on completing your curriculum in line with them, and significant drops in final marks risk probation or rescission.
• Translation: everything must arrive in English, and recommendations and transcripts cannot be translated by you or your family; English teachers or other school officials, professional translators or EducationUSA offices are acceptable.
• Interviews: Tufts accepts InitialView or Duolingo interviews to demonstrate English skills.
• English: see section 7.

6. Students at Canadian high schools

• English: students with at least three years in an English-instruction secondary school do not need an English test; students in ESOL classes may be asked for proof of proficiency.
• BC curriculum: Tufts publishes no separate grade requirement for Canadian or BC curricula.
• Process: deadlines and materials are the same as for other applicants.

7. English requirements

• Applicants whose primary language is not English and who have not attended an English-instruction school for three years must submit TOEFL, IELTS, PTE or Duolingo.
• Tufts has no minimums, but successful applicants generally have:
  • TOEFL 5.0+ for tests on or after January 21, 2026, or 100+ for earlier tests;
  • IELTS 7+, PTE Academic 68+, Duolingo 130+.
• TOEFL ITP Plus and IELTS Indicator are not accepted; English scores are not superscored, MyBest is not accepted, and all sections must be from one test date.
• Self-reported scores are accepted, with official scores required on enrollment.

8. Costs and financial aid

• 2026-27 costs (U.S. dollars, first-years on campus): tuition 74,862, housing 11,220, food 9,374, fees 1,696, total 97,152; books and personal expenses add about 2,846, and transportation varies. Fall 2027 costs have not been published.
• Need-based aid: Tufts meets 100% of demonstrated need for all admitted students regardless of citizenship and offers no merit scholarships. It also says it has a limited amount of funding for talented international students.
• Request aid when you apply:
  • indicate your intent on the admission application; international students who wait until after admission will not receive aid;
  • submit the free ISFAA or the CSS Profile when applying; admitted students must submit the CSS Profile within 5–7 days, with a fee waiver provided;
  • international citizens seeking need-based aid can have the application fee waived.
• ED and aid: international aid applicants can apply ED, and their package is the same as it would be in Regular Decision.

9. Transfer students

• Deadline: March 15, 2027, with decisions by mid-May; fall entry only.
• Eligibility: good academic and disciplinary standing; Tufts recommends at least one year of college by enrollment. You must spend at least two years at Tufts, so students with more than two years of full-time credit are discouraged. International students with two or more semesters at a home-country university can apply as transfers.
• Materials:
  • Common App for Transfer, a College Report from each college attended, and one academic evaluation from a college instructor or advisor;
  • secondary and college transcripts, and brief course descriptions;
  • a Mid-Term Report between March 15 and April 5;
  • English test scores if English is not your primary language and you have not had three years of English-instruction study;
  • a $75 application fee; SAT and ACT are optional.
• Credit: advising deans estimate credit at admission, and faculty formally evaluate it after enrollment. Only courses with C- or higher transfer, up to the equivalent of 60 credits, not automatically course for course.
• Aid: Tufts says financial aid is extremely limited for international transfer applicants.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Apply to Arts and Sciences by November 2 (ED I) or January 4 (ED II or RD)
• Four years of school results; translations by school staff or professional services
• English reference points: TOEFL 5.0, IELTS 7, Duolingo 130; consider an InitialView interview
• If you need aid, request it in your application

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• No English test after three years at an English-instruction school
• Same deadlines; testing optional

Transfer students:

• Apply by March 15, 2027, for fall; a full year of college is recommended
• Courses with C- or higher can transfer, up to 60 credits; aid for international transfers is extremely limited

Sources: Tufts University, Applying to Tufts and deadlines; SAT and ACT policy; Applying as an international student; International FAQs; Financial aid for international students; Applying for aid; Transfer applicants; Transfer of credit; 2026-27 cost of attendance; Psychology undergraduate programs; BA/BS in Psychology requirements. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures). Check Tufts for the latest details.