Explore Academic Resources offered by the StAAR Center | July 25, 2023

Hello Jumbos,

Tufts is proud to welcome students with a variety of backgrounds, interests, and abilities. This week, we're introducing the academic resource hub for Tufts undergraduate students in the School of Arts and Sciences (including the SMFA at Tufts) and School of Engineering—the Student Accessibility and Academic Resource (StAAR) Center!

At StAAR, we value the individuality of each student, offering a variety of free programs to help students reach their full potential while at Tufts. Specific programs include but are not limited to:

StAAR is located in Dowling Hall. StAAR's Writing Center and Academic Coaching Center are located in Tisch Library.

Any Tufts student who has a disability or thinks they may have a disability that will impact their ability to access their Tufts experience is encouraged to connect with the StAAR Center. The StAAR Center supports students with appropriate academic, housing, transportation, and dining-based accommodations depending on the individual nature of their disability.

StAAR encourages students with disabilities to review the registration process. Once we receive your information, we will reach out to schedule an in-take appointment with one of our Accessibility Specialists.

The StAAR Center has a partnership with the rideshare app Lyft. Through the generous contributions of Michael and Kathryn Lainoff, all AS&E and Fletcher students with a documented disability who are registered with the StAAR Center and approved for a transportation or parking accommodation may utilize Lyft to assist them as they navigate campus and their Tufts-sponsored activities.

The Academic Success Coaching Program provides individual support to students in academic and life skills. Students can meet with members of our staff to learn more about time management, reading, note-taking strategies, test-taking and test anxiety, work/life balance, and what resources may be helpful to them during their collegiate experience. 

Our  Peer Tutoring program provides one-on-one and drop-in tutoring for students taking courses in the natural sciences, mathematics, economics, computer science, foreign languages, engineering, and statistics. 

Our Academic Skills Workshops address a wide range of skills for Tufts students at all levels including exam and study strategies, time management, test anxiety, note-taking, and reading strategies.

Our Writing Support programs aim to demystify academic writing and engage writers in a more robust process. We can work with you on papers for any class, at any stage in your process—from brainstorming to drafting to revising. We work collaboratively to help you clarify your argument, organize your ideas, deepen your analysis, develop your writing style, and better understand the conventions of different academic disciplines.

Writing consultations, academic coaching, subject tutoring, and workshops begin in September. To book an appointment or register for a workshop, follow these steps:

The StAAR Center is located in Dowling Hall and is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Appointments for writing support and academic coaching are held in Tisch Library and other locations. To speak with a StAAR team member, call or email:

We hope you're making good progress on your New Student Checklist! Following are a few key items this month. Please refer to your checklist for Academic Essentials due dates specific to your degree program. All students must complete Academic Essentials prior to scheduling a meeting with their advisor to discuss fall registration.

July 31 – Academic Integrity Tutorial completed

July 31 – Deadline to waive student health insurance if you are already covered by insurance. (NOTE: Disenrollment and/or refunds are not available after July 31.)*

August 20 – Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) mandatory training completed

*If someone will be assisting you with waiving insurance with proof of comparable health insurance and/or paying tuition (the first bill is available for viewing in your checklist this month), you can provide access via "Invited Viewer" in your SIS account.

Please be sure to send your official AP, IB, and/or A-Levels scores to Tufts by August 1.

No worries! All webinars have been recorded and posted to our Orientation Programs and Communications web page. You'll find an archive of all of this summer's messages there too!

Please contact Student Services at 617-627-2000 or StudentServices@tufts.edu.

Learn about upcoming events, get reminders about dates and deadlines, and stay in touch with all things Tufts! Follow Orientation on Instagram and join the Class of 2027 Facebook group!