Tufts SAT and ACT Scores: Is Tufts Test Optional? (2026)

Tufts is test optional for students entering in fall 2027. Here are the SAT and ACT ranges Tufts publishes, the score it tells applicants to send, and the last test dates for Early Decision II and Regular Decision.

Yes, Tufts is test optional: its admissions office says "Tufts University is test-optional for all undergraduate applicants", and that covers the 2026-27 cycle, whose remaining application deadline is January 4, 2027 (Early Decision I closed November 2, 2026). Among first-years who enrolled in fall 2025 and submitted scores, the middle 50 percent scored 1460 to 1520 on the SAT and 33 to 35 on the ACT, according to Tufts' Common Data Set 2025-2026. Tufts also does something most colleges do not: it names a score. It encourages applicants with scores of 1300 or higher on the SAT, or 28 or higher on the ACT, to include them.

This guide covers both sets of numbers Tufts publishes (enrolled students and admitted students, kept apart), how to decide whether to submit, and which fall test dates still count for each application round.

Tufts SAT and ACT Scores of Enrolled First-Years

The Common Data Set (CDS) is the standard report colleges file every year. Section C9 lists the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile scores of first-years who actually enrolled and submitted a test. Tufts' most recent one is the Common Data Set 2025-2026, which describes the students who entered in fall 2025 (the Class of 2029).

Only part of the class sent scores: 42 percent of enrolled first-years (749 students) submitted the SAT and 16 percent (279 students) submitted the ACT. So these ranges describe the students who chose to send a test, and those tend to be the stronger testers. They are not a floor for everyone at Tufts.

Section percentiles do not add up to the total percentiles, because the student at the 25th percentile in Math is not the same student at the 25th percentile overall. Read the total line for the total score and the section lines for each section.

Tufts Scores of Admitted Students (Class of 2029)

Tufts' own Profile of the Class of 2029 reports a different population: students who were admitted with scores, not the ones who enrolled. Keep the two apart: here the admitted SAT section ranges run a little higher than the enrolled ones, and the ACT range is the same.

The full range matters as much as the middle. Tufts admitted students who submitted scores as low as a 1240 SAT or a 26 ACT, which tells you a score below the middle 50 does not end an application. The same profile says about half of all applicants for the Class of 2029 submitted SAT or ACT scores. For the next class, Tufts reported that more than half of applicants submitted scores in a January 2026 announcement.

How Hard Is It to Get Into Tufts?

Tufts received 33,415 first-year applications for the Class of 2029 and made 3,613 offers of admission, an admission rate of 10.8 percent (both the profile and the CDS give these counts). The CDS adds the Early Decision figures for the same class: 3,344 Early Decision applications and 1,071 Early Decision admits. That works out to about 32 percent by our arithmetic, though Early Decision pools differ from the regular pool in ways a single rate cannot show. Tufts also offered 3,061 students a place on the waiting list and admitted 71 of them.

Applications keep rising. Tufts said in January 2026 that it had more than 36,000 first-year applicants for the Class of 2030, its most ever.

Should You Send Your SAT or ACT Score to Tufts?

Tufts answers this more directly than most colleges. Its testing page says it generally encourages applicants with 1300 or higher on the SAT, or 28 or higher on the ACT, to include those scores. It adds that scores below the admitted middle 50 "can provide some evidence of academic preparation," and that it will not assume a missing score is low.

Put Tufts' guidance next to the numbers and a simple reading follows. This is our suggestion, not a Tufts rule:

• 1460+ SAT or 33+ ACT: send it. You are at or above the 25th percentile of enrolled submitters.
• 1300 to 1450 SAT or 28 to 32 ACT: Tufts' own guidance points toward sending. You sit below the middle of the class but inside the range of admitted students, and Tufts says such scores still count as evidence.
• Below 1300 SAT or 28 ACT: most students in this range are better served by applying without scores and letting the transcript carry the academic case.

Decide before you click submit. Tufts asks in the application whether you want scores included, and once you submit, that answer cannot be changed. If you are still weighing it, our guide to deciding whether to submit SAT scores walks through the trade-off, and these score pages show where the thresholds sit nationally: Is 1300 a good SAT score? and Is a 28 a good ACT score?

How Tufts Reads Your Scores

• Superscoring: for the SAT, Tufts reviews your highest Reading and Writing and highest Math scores across all sittings. For the ACT, it uses your highest section scores and calculates a superscore composite. Our ACT superscore guide explains how that composite is built.
• ACT Science and Writing: Tufts does not require the ACT Science score (it is optional to send) and does not review the ACT writing section.
• Self-reporting: you can self-report scores on the Common Application, Coalition Application or QuestBridge Application. If you enroll, Tufts requires official scores to verify them.
• Codes: Tufts' SAT code is 3901 and its ACT code is 1922.

Tufts Deadlines and the Last Test Dates That Count

Tufts lists three first-year rounds: two binding Early Decision rounds and Regular Decision. Dates come from Tufts' checklist and deadlines page and its testing page.

What that means this month:

• If you applied Early Decision I and chose to include scores, the November 7 SAT is the last one Tufts considers for that round. College Board releases those scores on November 20, the same day Tufts' self-reported score deadline falls, so Tufts advises sending them straight from College Board (code 3901) rather than waiting to self-report.
• If you are applying Early Decision II or Regular Decision, the December 5 SAT (register by November 20, late registration to November 24, scores December 18) and the December 12 ACT (regular registration extended to November 9, late registration with a fee to November 29, initial scores December 17 online and December 22 on paper, per ACT) are your last chances. Tufts advises sending scores directly when you sit for a test that close to the deadline. See our SAT test dates page and our 7-week plan for the December 5 SAT.
• If Tufts was not your Early Decision I school, Early Decision II is your binding option at Tufts. Our Early Decision 2 guide covers how ED II works across colleges.

Early Decision at Tufts is binding: if admitted, you have agreed to enroll. A deferred ED applicant is reviewed again with Regular Decision, and the commitment no longer binds.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tufts SAT and ACT Scores

Is Tufts test optional for 2026-27?

Yes. Tufts' testing page says the university is test-optional for all undergraduate applicants, and that is the policy for this 2026-27 cycle, whose deadlines run from November 2, 2026 to January 4, 2027 for fall 2027 entry. You choose in the application whether your scores are considered.

What SAT score do you need for Tufts?

There is no minimum. Enrolled fall 2025 first-years who submitted the SAT had a middle 50 percent of 1460 to 1520, with a median of 1500. Tufts encourages applicants with a 1300 or higher to send their scores.

What ACT score do you need for Tufts?

There is no minimum either. Enrolled fall 2025 first-years who submitted the ACT had a middle 50 percent of 33 to 35. Tufts encourages applicants with a 28 or higher to send their scores, and admitted Class of 2029 students who submitted ranged from 26 to 36.

Does Tufts superscore the SAT and ACT?

Yes. Tufts reviews your highest SAT section scores from all sittings, and for the ACT it takes your highest section scores and calculates a superscore composite.

Can I change my test-optional choice after applying to Tufts?

No. Tufts asks before you submit whether you want scores included, and once the application is submitted, that answer cannot be changed.

What is Tufts' acceptance rate?

Tufts admitted 10.8 percent of first-year applicants for the Class of 2029: 3,613 offers from 33,415 applications.

If you are aiming at Tufts' 1300 or 28 threshold, or at its middle 50, steady practice on your weakest section moves the number more than another full test every weekend. Larry Learns has 30,000+ SAT and ACT practice questions on web, iPhone and Android, a score estimate that tracks your progress, and 3 free quizzes a day. Try a free practice quiz, or create a free account to keep your streak going through December. For the plan to reach the top of Tufts' range, see how to get a 1500 on the SAT.