Tufts University
What Tufts says
Exact quotes from Tufts’s official pages, checked word for word on Oct 22, 2026.
Students can initiate a request for a personal leave of absence (ploa) or leave to study abroad through SIS. Once in SIS, select "Student Living" and select "Leave of Absence."
— students.tufts.edu ↗Undergraduates are allowed up to four semesters away from campus, total, in the course of completing their degrees.
— students.tufts.edu ↗After an absence of a semester or longer, students must confer with the Advising Deans in order to return.
— students.tufts.edu ↗Undergraduate and graduate students may take a personal leave for many reasons, including travel, to participate in a non-academic program
— students.tufts.edu ↗Written by AI from the quotes and pages we read. It may be incomplete or wrong; the school’s own pages win.
- Tufts appears to allow a personal leave requested through SIS.
- No deadline is public; ask your academic dean before spring classes start January 20.
- Up to four semesters away in total looks allowed.
- Reasons accepted: any personal reason (Advising dean approves the SIS request).
- Time away allowed: Up to 4 semesters total.
- Classes start Jan 20.
Before you decide
Check on the following…
- Will my spot be held?Check how long your school keeps your place and whether you have to apply to come back.Ask: Registrar
- Will I graduate later?A term off can push back your graduation. Ask which required classes only run in the spring.Ask: Academic advisor
- Is there a deadline to ask?Some schools want your leave request before January. Find out the exact date and the form.Ask: Dean’s office or registrar
- What happens to my scholarships and aid?Ask whether your scholarships and grants pause while you’re away or end, and what you need to do to get them back.Ask: Financial aid office
- When would I have to start repaying loans?Student loans usually stop being deferred when you’re not enrolled. After a short grace period, often six months, payments can start.Ask: Financial aid office
- Will I still have health insurance?A student health plan usually needs you to be enrolled. Make sure you’re covered from January to April.Ask: Student health office
- What about my housing?Ask whether you can leave your housing contract without a penalty and whether you’ll get housing when you come back.Ask: Housing office
- I’m on a student visa. Does this affect it?For F-1 students, not enrolling usually ends your visa status. Talk to this office before anything else.Ask: International student office
Hackathon
- JumboHack ↗48-hour hackathon at Tufts, set for Spring 2027
Student founder community
- Jumbo Ventures ↗Student-led entrepreneurship and VC club for student founders
- Women Entrepreneurs at Tufts (WE@T) ↗Community for women interested in entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship center
- Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts ↗Entrepreneurship minors, accelerator (2027 cohort references) and New Ventures Competition
Hard-tech team
- Tufts Electric Racing ↗Formula Hybrid+Electric competition team
- Tufts Robotics Club ↗Student robotics projects
- Tufts SEDS ↗Rocketry, CubeSat and radio telescope project teams
CS club
- Computer Science Exchange (CSX) ↗CS community, interview prep and events
- JumboCode ↗Student-run software agency that builds for nonprofits
Why 87
Spend the winter building. Southbound runs Jan 11 to Apr 11, 2027 in Miami. Acceptance is rolling.
What we could find (checked Oct 22, 2026). Not final: confirm dates and aid with your school before you act. Source pages look current for 2026–27. We date pages from server timestamps, page metadata, “last updated” text, PDF dates and the Wayback Machine.