The Tufts Daily
GRAPHIC BY EMMA SELESNICK
UNIVERSITY
Tufts turns out for eclipse
Tufts’ cost of attendance reaches record-breaking $92,167 for upcoming academic year Estelle Anderson
Executive Investigative Editor
Tufts’ total cost of attendance has broken the $90,000 barrier for the 2024–2025 academic year, reflecting the rising costs of higher education across the country. For incoming undergraduate students at Tufts, the new price of attendance is approximately $92,167 — a figure that includes tuition, hous-
ing and personal expenses such as books and supplies. Tufts will continue to meet 100% of students’ demonstrated financial need, meaning many undergraduates will not actually pay the full “sticker price.” According to James Hurley, vice president for finance and treasurer, the university has earmarked more than $125 million for undergraduate financial aid in the 2025 fiscal year, repre-
senting a 4.7% increase from this past fiscal year. “The first thing to understand is, just like with cars, there’s a sticker price and there’s what you pay,” Professor of Economics Jeffrey Zabel explained. “What you pay is much, much less than the sticker price. … It’s very important to understand what the net price is, and that certainly has not been
Tufts accepts 10% of applicants to Class of 2028 University News Editor
Originally published April 2. Tufts University accepted 10% of applicants to the undergraduate Class of 2028, the admissions office announced shortly after spring break. This year’s acceptance rate rose just half a percent above the record low acceptance rate set last year, just 9.5%. Dean of Admissions JT Duck commented on Tufts’ attitude toward acceptance rates. “We do not focus on what the admit rate of the class will be - rather, we focus on recruiting an outstanding pool of candidates, and then admitting and enrolling a class from that pool that best aligns with the mission of the University,” Duck wrote in an email to the Daily. “Part of that process includes working toward specific enrollment goals by undergraduate school and program.” 4 FEATURES
TUSC flings students into spring
This admissions cycle saw over 34,400 applications, which marks a 1% increase over the number of applications seen last year. This year represents Tufts’ fourth of a six-year test-optional pilot. Despite this and around half of all applicants opting to submit test scores, 60% of accepted students included scores with their applications. These statistics are consistent with the past three years of test optional admissions. “We understand that applicants have different access to test preparation, and even to test sites close to home, and that test scores do not always reflect an applicant’s academic potential,” Duck wrote. “Our test optional pilot gives us the opportunity to enroll several cohorts of students, not all of whom submitted scores with their application, and then look at relevant data to determine what role testing should play in 6 ARTS & POP CULTURE
Countless concerts within Charlie Card commutes page 7
Polls open for TCU elections
the future of our undergraduate admission process.” Women make up 56% of accepted students, with men 41% and 3% students who identify as nonbinary, genderqueer or prefer not to specify a gender identity. Women also comprise 50% of the class entering the School of Engineering, which is down from last year’s 52% and the year prior’s 55%. 55% of the class currently attend public high schools or public charter schools, while 92% of students ranked among their high school peers are within the top 10% of their graduating classes. Admissions accepted more than 150 QuestBridge-affiliated students to the Class of 2028, including 30 students through the QuestBridge National Match process. Having ranked their preference of partnered universities, these 30 students were chosen by Tufts to attend with a full-ride scholarship offered through the see ADMISSIONS, page 3
see TCU, page 3
Thirty-nine candidates are vying for Senate seats, leaving eight of 44 positions open and three contested.
see COST, page 3
UNIVERSITY
Anna Fattaey
By Matthew Sage see ECLIPSE, page 3
UNIVERSITY
Here’s what to know about Fiona Hill, 2024 Commencement speaker Carly Cohen
University News Editor
Fiona Hill, a former adviser to three U.S. presidents and the current chancellor of Durham University, will deliver the commencement address to the Class of 2024. University President Sunil Kumar announced Hill as the speaker on March 27. Hill served as an adviser to presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. In 2022, she was appointed chancellor of Durham University in the United Kingdom, a position she still currently holds. “We’re honored to have Fiona Hill as this year’s commencement speaker. Her long and distinguished record of public service is in keeping with Tufts’ mission of civic engagement, and her personal story of the transformative power of high12 SPORTS
9 OPINION
Editorial: Jumb-dos and Jumb-don’ts
Follow Fleischer onto field
er education resonates with the Tufts community,” Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations at Tufts, wrote in an email to the Daily. In addition to working as a presidential adviser, Hill was the senior director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council between 2017–19. She received a master’s in Soviet studies and a Ph.D in history at Harvard University and holds a master’s in modern history and Russian from St. Andrews University in Scotland. Hill made national headlines in 2019 when she served as a key witness during Trump’s first impeachment hearing. In her testimony to a U.S. House of Representatives panel, Hill suggested that Trump had ulterior motives in urging Ukraine to see COMMENCEMENT, page 3 news
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