Private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. The university has a campus in Downtown Boston that houses the medical, dental, and nutrition schools, as well as the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, affiliated with several medical centers in the area.

It was a small New England liberal arts college until its transformation into a larger research university in the 1970s. It is now classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity."

Tufts emphasizes active citizenship and public service in all its disciplines, and is known for its internationalism and study abroad programs.

Tufts has the country's oldest graduate school of international relations, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. The largest school is the School of Arts and Sciences, which includes both the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, which is affiliated with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The School of Engineering offers an entrepreneurial focus through its Gordon Institute and maintains close connections with the original college.

Admissions is highly selective.