About Our Program
The Tufts program is uniquely positioned to accommodate a variety of health-related career goals. Students work with a health professions advisor to develop an individualized program of study chosen from a wide range of course offerings. This flexibility allows our students to pursue careers in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, osteopathic medicine, optometry, podiatry, or as a physician assistant or nurse practitioner.
Tufts also provides a variety of workshops specifically for Post-bacc Premed students — applying and interviewing for graduate programs, mock interviews, options for financing your education, and strategies for studying science. Students are totally integrated into the undergraduate campus and have access to all resources and programs. In addition, they may attend public lectures at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Schools of Medicine, Dental Medicine, and the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy (all located in Boston), and at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine (on our Grafton campus).
Once a student completes the prerequisite courses at Tufts, the Tufts Health Professions Recommendation Committee will prepare a composite letter of recommendation for their application. A certificate is also awarded to all who complete the program. In addition, post-bacc students who choose to apply to Tufts University School of Medicine are automatically considered for review, with the strongest consideration given to post-bacc applicants with a competitive GPA of 3.7 or above.
Our Mission and Values
Our mission is to support and encourage students as they explore the health professions and prepare competitive applications to apply to graduate professional school. We work holistically with students to assist with self-assessment and research into healthcare professions; foster self-directed learning; encourage both curricular and extracurricular growth and development; and stress the importance of integrity, responsibility and professionalism.
We value each student as an individual and strive to help them develop their own personal plan of action. Through advising and resources, students choose their course of study and their health-related experiences to best prepare for their future applications.
We value and model respect and professionalism, and we encourage a collaborative learning environment that thrives on diversity and inclusion.
History of the Program
The Tufts Post-baccalaureate Premedical Program began in 1988 in response to a growing need for supportive academic programs designed for college graduates looking to complete the prerequisites to apply to health professions graduate programs. From the beginning, we were uniquely positioned to offer an immersive academic experience, enrolling our students in our rigorous daytime classes, that prepare them for a variety of health professions.
While premed students are always our largest population, we have been prepared students for dental, veterinary, optometry, advanced practice nursing, and physician assistant schools from the beginning. Our structured program offers a great deal of support while also providing the flexibility that comes with three different start dates and a self-determined completion date.
Over the decades our program has grown in reputation and in the variety of supports and services we offer our students. After a few short years we began including post-baccs in our Committee Letter process, giving them a valued composite committee letter of recommendation when they apply to graduate health professions schools. In 2000, we moved into Academic Advising and Undergraduate Studies unit becoming fully integrated into the academic division and thereby ensuring our students receive all the robust services that Tufts undergraduates receive. A few years later we began hiring a second-year post-baccs to offer special study groups. By 2010, we added a program coordinator who responds to prospective students and also manages all the programming and support services we provide. Those services include the Lahey Clinical Research Preceptorship program, which started in 2012. Despite the growth in our offerings, we have not grown much in size. Our small program size allows us to offer students personalized attention and maintain our excellent success rate. We typically have 25-30 students in the program at any one time.
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While our Post-bacc Premed Program primarily focuses on delivering the essential coursework for students' future health profession plans, we are committed to nurturing their success and providing support across multiple domains.
Post-bacc Community
One of the most notable advantages of our Post-bacc Premed Program is the vibrant cohort of fellow post-baccs who will serve as your classmates, collaborators, and support system throughout your rigorous academic journey. Over the past three decades, students have forged lifelong friendships while studying, volunteering, and socializing together at Tufts. Your peers will prove invaluable in your academic pursuits, sharing resources, clarifying complex concepts, and offering encouragement as you work towards your goals.
Tufts University Community
Tufts University, a prominent research institution, encompasses a highly esteemed undergraduate program alongside schools of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, nutrition, as well as programs in physician assistant, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and public health.
Despite its stature, the Medford/Somerville campus cultivates a culture reminiscent of a liberal arts college. All courses are taught by professors who hold weekly office hours, encouraging students to engage in discussions, seek clarification, and express their interests in the material. The Student Accessibility and Academic Resources (StAAR) Center, staffed by trained student tutors, provides a range of services including subject tutoring, study skills coaching, and writing consulting, all free of charge.
While Tufts students are ambitious and diligent, a spirit of collaboration rather than competition prevails among prehealth students. Numerous clubs and organizations have been established to support communities both locally and beyond, reflecting a commitment to mutual assistance and well-being.
Greater Boston and Cambridge Communities
Boston's status as a major medical hub offers a plethora of opportunities for volunteering, internships, and paid employment in the healthcare sector. While prioritizing their studies, our Postbac students actively engage in healthcare-related activities to enhance their understanding and credentials.
Top-tier educational institutions like Tufts, Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston University, Northeastern, and Boston College, give Boston the highest student population per capita in the United States. We’re also home to some of the best academic medical centers in the world, including Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), Tufts Medical Center, Boston Medical Center, and Beth Israel Deaconess.
The program maintains a special partnership with Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, providing 6-8 paid clinical research preceptorships annually. Additionally, students gain valuable experience at various healthcare institutions including Boston Healthcare for the Homeless, Cambridge Health Alliance, Massachusetts General Hospital, Hospice, Boston Medical Center, and Winchester Hospital Emergency Room, among others.
Beyond healthcare, the Boston community offers a rich tapestry of cultural experiences. Our students delight in exploring the Italian culture and cuisine of the North End, the vibrant Seaport district, and numerous museums and restaurants. The Greater Boston area is home to over 60 colleges and universities and houses over 160,000 students.
Virtual Tour
We welcome you to take a virtual tour of the Medford/Somerville campus to see what you think!
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Over the past ten years, graduates of the Post-baccalaureate Premedical Program have gone on to more than 50 different health professions schools across the country. Some of the medical schools include:
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine
- Boston University School of Medicine
- Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School
- Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
- Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine
- Drexel University College of Medicine
- Emory School of Medicine
- Harvard Medical School
- Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
- Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
- Medical College of Georgia
- Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
- Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
- Quinnipiac University School of Medicine
- St. Louis University School of Medicine
- Stanford University School of Medicine
- Tufts University School of Medicine
- Tulane University School of Medicine
- University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
- University of Colorado School of Medicine
- University of Connecticut School of Medicine
- University of Massachusetts Medical School
- University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
- Weill Cornell Medical College
- Yale School of Medicine
We are pleased to be able to support students interested in a variety of health professions. Tufts Post-bacss matriculate annually into our own health professions graduate programs including the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, the Tufts Physician Assistant Program and more. In recent years, we have also had Post-baccs go on to Harvard School of Dental Medicine, MGH Institute for Health Professions advanced nurse practitioner program, Emory University Physician Assistant Program, and New England College of Optometry, among many others.
Over the past ten years, 71% of students who completed the Post-bacc Premed Program applied to medical school, 10% applied to dental school, 7% applied to veterinary school, 6% applied to nursing programs, 4% applied to PA programs, and less than 1% applied to optometry school, podiatry school and public health programs.
The overall acceptance rate to all health professions school over the past ten years is 96%.
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Our program is designed for premed students as well as students interested in other health professions who need to complete prerequisite coursework and are career changers.
Many of our students did not intend to pursue a career in health care as undergraduates, and now wish to take pre-health coursework for the first time. Others may have begun the sciences but moved in a different career direction. If you have taken all of your prereqs or the MCAT/DAT, you are not eligible for our program.
However, this program is not for the student who wishes to enhance an existing undergraduate GPA or who completed all their pre-health requirements. If you are interested in this type of education, please explore the MS in Biomedical Sciences (MBS) Program on the Tufts Medical campus!
Our "typical student" is between 23-40, had at least a "B+" undergraduate average, scored at or above the 80th percentile in standardized tests and has demonstrated, through volunteer or employment experience, a strong motivation for a career in health care. This means that you have had previous exposure to clinical work and can demonstrate intentionality in your change.
Tufts University and the health care community believe that older students make particularly good candidates for schools in the health professions. This belief is supported by the high percentage — over 90% — who matriculate into medical school and other health care professional programs.
This program is not a remedial or enhancement program. It is for those who have not yet taken most of the prerequisite science courses for their intended health career.
For college graduates who completed all of their undergraduate prerequisites and need to strengthen an existing science record, Tufts offers a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences (MBS) Degree Program. This program is based at the School of Medicine on the Boston Health Sciences Campus. Students take first year medical school courses, as well as some unique graduate-level science courses.
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Thank you for your interest in the Tufts Post-baccalaureate Premedical Program.
If you are a college graduate looking to complete course requirements for applying to a variety of health professions graduate programs, you are in the right place.
Typically, there are two types of post-bacc programs: career-changer programs and academic enhancement programs. Career-changer programs are for students who already have an undergraduate degree but need to take pre-requisite coursework for the first time to be eligible to apply to health professions schools. Academic enhancement programs are for students who have already taken the majority of their pre-health prerequisite coursework as an undergraduate student but need to improve their science GPA. Tufts is a career-changer program and accepts students who have not already taken the majority of their prerequisite coursework.
There are many post-bacc programs and not every program is for every student--you want the program where you think you will excel academically and feel positive about your experience. Consider these questions as you research programs:
- Do I need a structured program where there is a cohort of students whom I will get to know?
- Do I need some flexibility in terms of how many courses I take at a time, or how slowly or quickly I move through the program?
- Do I need access to an array of academic supports such as tutoring, study skills support, etc.?
- Do I need access to individualized expert advising from someone who will help me map out my plan?
- Do I need easy access to faculty so I can learn as much as possible and establish relationships that can result in letters of recommendation?
- Do I need a program that offers preparation for the standardized test I will have to take?
- Do I need easy access to volunteer and/or paid opportunities in healthcare to help build that aspect of my candidacy?
- Do I want programming where admissions deans, alums, or other speakers help me better understand my path?
- Do I have the financial resources to pay for a structured, small, private school program?
For additional questions, we encourage you to contact us and review our FAQs.
Office of Graduate Admissions
We invite you to learn more about this program. Request information and learn more about application deadlines.