Tufts University Designated an Age-Friendly University

Tufts University has been designated an Age-Friendly University (AFU), joining a global network of institutions committed to making higher education more accessible and inclusive across the lifespan.

This designation reinforces Tufts’ ongoing commitment to expanding educational access, advancing research that supports aging populations, and integrating aging as a central dimension to university initiatives.

As part of the AFU Global Network, Tufts University joins higher education institutions committed to 10 Principles:

1. To encourage the participation of older adults in all the core activities of the University, including educational and research programs.
2. To promote personal and career development in the second half of life and to support those who wish to pursue second careers.
3. To recognize the range of educational needs of older adults (from those who were early school-leavers through to those who wish to pursue Master’s or Ph.D. qualifications).
4. To promote intergenerational learning in order to facilitate the reciprocal sharing of expertise between learners of all ages.
5. To widen access to online educational opportunities for older adults to ensure a diversity of routes to participation.
6. To ensure that the university’s research agenda is informed by the needs of an aging society and to promote public discourse on how higher education can better respond to the varied interests and needs of older adults.
7. To increase the understanding of students of the longevity dividend and the increasing complexity and richness that aging brings to our society.
8. To enhance access for older adults to the university’s range of health and wellness programs and its arts and cultural activities.
9. To engage actively with the university’s own retired community.
10. To ensure regular dialogue with organizations representing the interests of the aging population.