Recently Enrolled Students
Welcome to Tufts!
Congratulations on choosing to join our community – now let us help you get started on the journey. Enrolling students need to complete a series of steps to confirm their spot and prepare for their first semester. We’ve included a checklist that outlines key parts of the process, and our team is always here to help address any questions or concerns. We’re glad to have you with us.
Matriculating as a New Student
Register for Orientation
Every incoming student will have an Orientation designed specifically to help them become familiar with their new program, the Boston Health Sciences Campus, and our facilities. Orientation is also the first opportunity you will have to meet your new classmates and the rest of the Public Health Programs and Professional Degree Programs communities. Note that Orientation is mandatory for new master's degree students; for students in our certificate programs it is optional.
Please click on the orientation link for the program into which you are matriculating. If you have questions in the meantime, feel free to contact the admissions office.
Public Health Orientation
Orientation for new students in the Public Health programs will be Wednesday, August 28 and Thursday, August 29, 2019. Please note that orientation is mandatory. Classes will begin the following Tuesday.
Obtaining your Tufts Credentials
After you have replied to our offer of admission and your record is updated, we will email you with instructions for activating your Tufts credentials, including your new email address and your Universal Tufts Login Name (UTLN): Log-in to your online application portal and follow the instructions to “Get Your Tufts Email Address,” once your information has been processed and posted to your account.
Course Registration*
The Registrar’s Office will contact you with information about when and how course registration will take place for your program.
Final Official Transcripts*
All matriculating students are required to provide a final official transcript to the Admissions Office.
A final official transcript indicates that you have earned your undergraduate degree and includes a date of degree conferral. In order to be official, we must receive this transcript from the issuing institution directly, either by physical mail or sent electronically.
If the transcript you provided when you applied was official, and did include the date your degree was conferred, you do not have to send another copy. International applicants who submitted a foreign transcript evaluation (e.g. WES) indicating that they have earned the equivalent of an undergraduate degree also do not have to supply another final official transcript.
If you were actively enrolled in your undergraduate program when you applied, or if you only provided our office with unofficial transcripts, you will need to request your final official transcript be sent to our office as soon as possible. If you are an international student who submitted a foreign transcript evaluation (e.g. WES) that did not reflect a date your degree was conferred, you will have to have the institution from which you graduated send us a final official transcript; you do not need to have another foreign transcript evaluation done.
Final official transcripts should be sent to the following mailing address.
Tufts University School of Medicine
Public Health & Professional Degree Programs
Attn: Director of Admissions, Emily C. Keily
136 Harrison Avenue, Suite 142
Boston, MA 02111
Alternately, official final transcripts may be sent electronically to med-phpd@tufts.edu.
*Note: PA students do not register for courses or provide final transcripts.
Obtaining your Tufts ID Card
All of the Health Sciences buildings require that you present a Tufts University or Tufts Medical Center identification card upon entry and have it available upon request while you are in the building.
We strongly encourage all new students to use the Public Safety Picasso website to upload an ID photo prior to their arrival on campus. If you submit your photo this way at least one week before your Orientation date, we will have your ID ready and available for you when you check in. Students not present during orientation should go to the University Police station to be issued an ID.
If you suspect your ID has been lost or stolen, please contact the University Police as soon as possible to deactivate your card. Alternatively you can deactivate a lost or stolen ID through Jumbo Cash. Once deactivated, your ID card can no longer be used to purchase items with JumboCash or to gain access to buildings.
To replace a missing or stolen ID, go to the University Police station during regular business hours to have a new photo ID card printed and activated. Please note that there is a $20 fee for replacement ID cards, which can be paid at the Bursar’s Office (200 Harrison Ave.). Your replacement ID will operate normally, with JumboCash and card access intact.
Disability Support Services
If you have documented learning or physical disabilities and will need accommodations for your classes, you will need to submit the Request for Disability Support Services to the Associate Dean of Public Health and Professional Degree Programs.
Paying Your Bill
Tufts University issues all bills through our online system, eBill. You will be contacted via email by the Health Sciences Bursar’s Office once your eBill account has been activated and your bill has been posted.
In order to access and reconcile your bill, you will need to have activated your Tufts credentials and have access to your Tufts email and UTLN. If you have not already activated your account, you can do so by signing in to your application portal and following the instructions to “Get Your Tufts Email Address.”
I-20 and Student Visas
The Office of International Affairs (OIA) will contact new international students directly, shortly after they have indicated that they intend to enroll. OIA will assist in the process of obtaining the correct documentation you will need to obtain your authorization to study in a US university, and is available to answer questions about the process.
Health and Wellness
Obtain Local Medical Providers
When you transition to the Boston area, you will need a local Primary Care Physician (PCP) for regular preventative services and sick visits throughout your time at Tufts. The Boston Health Sciences Campus does not have an on-campus student health center so all of your health services will be provided via your local network of health providers. If you currently see additional health professionals who are located out of state (medical specialists, psychiatrists, psychologists, etc.) you should begin choosing similar providers here in Boston, as well.
The Student Advisory and Health Administration (SAHA) is available to assist you with health insurance and immunization records. Within SAHA, the Student Wellness Advising is available to assist students with accessing resources for wellness and mental health support.
Submit Your Immunization Forms
All students are required by Tufts University and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to supply immunization and testing documentation prior to matriculation. Once students are admitted, the Student Advisory and Health Administration (SAHA) office will send an email with information regarding the requirements and the immunization deadline.
Student Health Insurance
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires all matriculated students of higher education to participate in a health insurance plan. Students may enroll in the student insurance plan offered by Tufts University, or maintain private coverage as long as it meets or exceeds the minimum state requirements set forth by the Commonwealth.
More information about enrolling in the University health insurance plan, or waiving this coverage, is available on the Student Advisory and Health Administration (SAHA) website. All students are charged for the University’s health insurance plan. Once a waiver is submitted and approved the charge will be credited on their account.
Campus Life & Student Services
Graduate Housing
If you need assistance finding housing as a new student to PHPD, we encourage you to review the Housing Resources information posted on our website.
Campus Police & Public Safety
The Tufts Department of Public and Environmental Safety comprises several organizations responsible for safety, security, and loss prevention on the Medford, Boston, and Grafton campuses. These organizations include the Tufts University Police Department, Office of Environmental Health & Safety, and Tufts Emergency Medical Services (TEMS). The Department is also responsible for several administrative services including the scheduling of police details and building security officers.
Safety Escort Service
For your personal safety, the Tufts University Police Department provides vehicle and walking escorts twenty- four hours a day, seven days a week, between campus locations, to the nearby Washington Street Medical Center T stop, the parking garage shuttle that leaves from the corner of Nassau Street and Washington Street, the Travelers Lot, Herald Street Parking Garage, and neighborhoods within these locales, as well as South Station and Boylston Street T stops, when traffic allows.
Transportation and Directions
The Health Sciences Campus is easily accessible from multiple public transportation options, including MBTA buses, subways, and the commuter rail. Over the summer, you will receive an email with information about purchasing a discounted MBTA pass for access to public transportation.