Tufts or Boston College for international relations: which is better for an IR major?

For international relations, Tufts is usually the more natural fit. Its IR program is one of the school’s signature academic strengths, it has especially close ties to policy and diplomacy through The Fletcher School, and it has a long-established pipeline into foreign policy, international organizations, and globally focused internships. If your main goal is to immerse yourself in IR as an academic and pre-professional field, Tufts lines up very directly with that path.

Tufts tends to suit the student who wants IR to feel central, not just one option among many. The International Relations major is well developed and interdisciplinary, and students interested in foreign policy often benefit from the surrounding culture of global affairs on campus. Being near Boston helps with think tanks, nonprofits, consulates, and policy-related internships, and Tufts students also commonly look toward semester and summer opportunities in Washington.

Boston College makes more sense for a student who wants a strong university experience with access to IR-related study, but in a broader liberal arts setting that may feel a bit less centered on diplomacy specifically. BC has solid political science, economics, history, and global studies options, and it can be a very good place for someone whose interests in international affairs connect closely to ethics, service, political theory, or Jesuit intellectual life. For some students, that broader framework is a real advantage.

If you already know you are especially drawn to diplomacy, foreign policy, and international organizations, Tufts has the clearer edge. It has the stronger reputation in IR itself and more of an identity built around global affairs. BC is still a credible option, but it tends to be more compelling for the student who wants international relations as part of a wider academic experience rather than the defining center of it.