General Information

About the Tufts Postbac Premed Program

The Tufts program is uniquely positioned to accommodate a variety of health-related career goals. The health professions advisor will help you 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 Postbac students — applying and interviewing for graduate programs, options for financing your education, and strategies for studying science. Students may attend public lectures on our Medford campus, as well as at the Sackler School of Graduate 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 you. A certificate is also awarded to all who complete the program. In addition, students who complete their prerequisite courses with a 3.3 GPA or above are automatically granted an interview at the Tufts University School of Medicine, should they choose to apply.

Tufts Postbac Premed Students

The program is designed for students who did not intend to pursue a career in health care as undergraduates and who now wish to begin pre-health course work.

The "typical student" is between 23-40, had at least a "B+" undergraduate average, scored at or above the 80th percentile in standardized tests (and at or above mid-600's in each of the SAT sections) and has demonstrated, through volunteer or employment experience, a strong motivation for a career in health care.

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. Students who only have a few courses to complete (that usually means fewer than 6 courses) and/or who wish to strengthen their knowledge and demonstrate their ability to excel in the sciences should consider Tufts' Graduate Career Advancement Program. (GCAP students do not receive a letter of recommendation from the University, are not eligible for financial aid, and do not have access to the health professions advisor.)

For college graduates who need to strengthen an existing science record, Tufts offers a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences Degree Program.  This program is based at the School of Medicine on the Boston Health Sciences Campus.  Students take first year medical courses as well as some unique graduate level science courses. For more information about this program, please visit www.tufts.edu/med/education/mbs.