Resources

Tufts University is committed to providing an accessible experience for all students. Tufts Pre-College Programs partners with the University’s Student Accessibility and Academic Resources (StAAR) Center to provide support for students with a range of physical, sensory, psychological, medical, and learning disabilities.  

Depending on the nature of the disability and the particular needs of the student, a variety of supports are available. These can include, but are not limited to: 

• Classrooms accommodations (e.g., furniture, materials in alternate formats). 

• Exam accommodations (e.g., time-based exam accommodations) 

• Auxiliary aids and services (e.g., notetakers, CART services, lecture recordings). 

• Non-academic accommodations (e.g., housing, ESAs, and dietary). 

• Introductions and referrals to other campus resources 

Requesting accommodations through the StAAR Center involves 3 steps: 

• 1) Submit an accommodation request: Accommodation requests are available to students who have been admitted and confirmed attendance for the upcoming summer. To begin the accommodation process, please email us at precollege@tufts.edu.  

• 2) Schedule an intake appointment: Once Pre-College Programs has received your accommodation request, the StAAR Center will contact the student requesting accommodations to set up an intake appointment with an accessibility team member to review the request.  

• 3) Submit supporting documentation: During the interactive accommodations process, the StAAR Center will collect any applicable supporting documentation to accompany the request. The clinical documentation allows your clinician to provide specific information about current access barriers and recommendations about what support you may need while attending your Tufts Pre-College Program. Lack of clinical documentation does not preclude you from making an accommodation request. 

Tufts University’s dining facilities provide meals that meet a variety of dietary requirements, including vegetarian, vegan, kosher, and halal needs. There are no formal accommodations needed to access these options.  

While Tufts Pre-College Programs will make every effort to honor the accommodations approved by the StAAR Center, we may be limited in our ability to provide accommodations without sufficient notice. Students who need accommodations should begin the interactive accommodations process with the StAAR Center no later than March 1st to ensure there is adequate time to arrange for the approved accommodations. 

Please note: Staff from Pre-College Programs do not receive any clinical documentation submitted as part of the accommodations process, and that information is securely held by the StAAR Center. Tufts Pre-College Programs will be informed of any approved accommodations by the StAAR Center and will arrange for the student’s accommodations to be met for the program’s duration.  

Tufts University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for students and community members regarding sincerely held religious/cultural beliefs. Accommodations for religious/cultural beliefs can include things like securing specific times/places to pray, planning for students to attend religious services, or meeting religious/cultural needs in the residential space. 

Religious and cultural accommodation requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, considering factors like available facilities for the accommodation requests, the schedule of the Pre-College Program in which the student is enrolled, and the availability of other resources on campus to facilitate the accommodations.  

Tufts University’s dining facilities provide meals that meet a variety of dietary requirements, including vegetarian, vegan, kosher, and halal needs. There are no formal accommodations needed to access these options. 

The Tufts Alert system notifies the Tufts University community about information that may be critical to one’s safety. For alerts to be effective, you should always keep your contact information up-to-date in TuftsAlert. If you have a cell phone that can receive phone calls and text messages, we strongly encourage you to sign your cell phone number up for TuftsAlert. Your Tufts email address is enrolled by default. Parents, guardians, and family members are able to sign up for TuftsAlerts as well by visiting the TuftsAlert website. 

JumboCash is the on-campus currency for the Medford/Somerville campus, the easy, cashless way to pay for snacks, printing, copying, and laundry on campus. You pay with JumboCash simply by using your Tufts ID, just like a bank debit card. Use JumboCash at the campus bookstore and for coffee and food at several cafés on campus. JumboCash can also be used at select local restaurants, at two convenient stores, and at the CVS in Davis Square. It’s faster, safer, and more convenient than cash. 

Please note: JumboCash cannot be refunded, and is therefore forfeited, at the end of the program. We encourage students and families to load the student’s ID card with small amounts of JumboCash throughout the session to avoid leaving funds on the student’s account at the end of the session. 

You can find out more about JumboCash by visiting the JumboCash portal.