Supplemental essays · 2026–27 application
Tufts University supplemental essays.
All 5 essay questions Tufts University asks this year, word for word, with the word limits and how to approach each one.
Checked against admissions.tufts.edu and the Common App application on October 17, 2026
What you write: Answer the first question and the one for your school.
The school-specific question appears in the Common App after you choose a Tufts school.
How you've engaged with Tufts
Please describe how you have learned about and engaged with Tufts during your college search process.
How to approach it
- Name things you could only find at this college: a class, a professor, a program, a tradition.
- Tie every detail to something true about you.
- Swap test: if another college’s name fits your sentence, it’s too general.
Arts & Sciences: a favorite assignment
Tell us about one of your favorite school assignments in the past two years. What was the assignment and why did you enjoy it?
School of Arts and Sciences applicants.
How to approach it
- Start with the moment the interest began.
- Show what you’ve already done about it: a class, a project, a book, a job.
- Say where you want to take it, even if you’re not sure yet.
Engineering: a project you built
Tell us about an engineering or science-related project that you have helped build, design, create, or iterate in the past two years. What was the project and what was your role?
School of Engineering applicants.
How to approach it
- Pick one activity, not your whole resume.
- Show one moment of what you actually did.
- Say why it matters to you, not only what it is.
SMFA (BFA): a piece in your portfolio
Tell us more about a specific piece in your portfolio. What were the ideas you intended to explore, and how did those ideas inform the process of making the piece?
BFA applicants to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.
How to approach it
- Take the question seriously enough to play with it.
- Let your answer show how you think.
- Keep it honest under the fun.
SMFA (combined degree): a piece in your portfolio
Tell us more about a specific piece in your portfolio. How did an academic course, project, or interest inspire the ideas that you explored in this piece? Or, how did making this piece influence your academic interests?
Combined BFA/BA or BFA/BS applicants.
How to approach it
- Take the question seriously enough to play with it.
- Let your answer show how you think.
- Keep it honest under the fun.
Want a mentor on your essays?
Clarity Prep members get a mentor who reads every draft with them, knows their whole application and checks in every week until it’s done.