Frequently Asked Questions | Johns Hopkins University Admissions (2024)

Table of Contents
Before You Apply Applications & Requirements Early Decision After You've Submitted Your Application Decision Release Waitlist ADMITTED STUDENTS
Frequently Asked Questions | Johns Hopkins University Admissions (1)

Take a look at our frequently asked questions below. If you have a question that isn’t answered here, your regional admissions counselor is a member of the undergraduate admissions committee that represents your high school’s region. They will happily answer any questions you may have or provide further clarification.

  • Before You Apply
  • Early Decision

Before You Apply

You should apply as a first-year student if you are currently in your senior year of high school, or you have graduated high school/earned a GED and have less than 12 semester-based credits from another institution. This does not include college credit earned while in high school.

You should apply as a transfer student if you have graduated high school or earned your GED, do not hold a bachelor’s degree, and have completed more than 12 semester-based credits at another institution. We accept transfer students into our entering sophom*ore and junior classes for the fall semester only.

Since applications are reviewed holistically, and there is no magical formula for deciding the perfect Hopkins student, it really is impossible to predict any applicant’s chances of being admitted. Learn more about our application process.

A major step is to complete the application in full and submit all application materials by the deadline. As far as the application goes, we’re looking for a complete picture of who you are inside and outside the classroom, why you think Hopkins is the right place for you, and how you plan to make the most of the opportunities available to you on our campus.

When reviewing applications, we look for academic character, impact and initiative, and overall match across your application materials. Check out What We Look For to see a breakdown of these qualities.

No, we do not track demonstrated interest.

The most up-to-date numbers for the incoming class, including the number of applications we received, can be found under Fast Facts.

We are need-blindfor domestic applicants, including students with DACA and undocumented status. That means we work with your family to understand your unique circ*mstances to determine what you can pay toward college costs. Then, we cover the rest through need-based scholarships and work-study opportunities—money that doesn’t need to be paid back. Because of this, most of our students pay far less than the cost of attendance, and some pay nothing at all.

Visit for more information.

Prospective athletes can learn more about the recruitment process and find contact information for coaches on the Official Site of Johns Hopkins Athletics.

You can contactStudent Financial Supportwith any questions you have about the financial aid process.You might also find the following links helpful:

  • Types of Financial Aid
  • How to Apply for Financial Aid
  • Common Financial Aid Questions

Yes. You can find more information about the application requirements on our QuestBridge Partner page. If you have any questions about the program, please email us at questbridge@jhu.edu.

We do not have an official language requirement. In general, we recommend students take four years of each of the following subjects: English, mathematics, foreign language, science with laboratory, history/social science.

We recommend students take five core academic courses each year throughout high school, focusing on academic core classes over elective classes. If you choose to discontinue the study of an academic core course, we strongly recommend you supplement that course with an additional course in one of the other core academic areas.

Please note these are only recommendations and not requirements. Every student’s individual academic record will be taken into account when reviewing course selection. 

No, we do not offer interviews as part of our admissions process. If applicants wish to speak with current students and learn more about our community, we encourage prospective applicants to connect with our current students via Blue Jay Connection or at one of our virtual or on-campus events.

At Hopkins, we define a student (domestic or international) as a first-generation college student if neither of their parents/guardians have attained a bachelor’s degree or equivalent. This means if one or both of a student’s parents/guardians attained a bachelor’s degree or higher in any country, the student would not be considered first-generation under our definition.

Learn more about the first-generation experience at Hopkins.

No. Students who have already completed a bachelor’s degree from any domestic or international institution are not eligible to apply for undergraduate admission to Hopkins. We encourage you to explore our graduate programs for more opportunities to pursue your interests.

Our Visiting Students program offers high school students and undergraduates at other colleges and universities the opportunity to take one or more courses at Hopkins during the fall or spring semester. Non-degree seeking students and Hopkins faculty/staff with tuition remission benefits are not eligible to participate in this program.

Applications & Requirements

While we will consider your experiences during this unique time knowing the impact the pandemic has had on many things—from classroom learning and testing to extracurricular activities—our review process takes the entirety of your high school career into consideration.

There is also a Community Disruption section on the application you can use to tell us how the pandemic impacted your experience so we can take it into consideration as we review your application.

Hopkins is committed to helping students and their families move forward in the face of natural disasters. Please reach out if you need support and flexibility when completing your application.

See Also
Class StatisticsThese are the 12 best hospitals in the US in 2024Eligibility and Admissions | Post-Baccalaureate Premedical ProgramAppeals | Student Financial Support | Johns Hopkins University

The overall admissions requirements are the same. The secondary school report for home-schooled applicants must include a summary of the home-schooling program, a complete transcript with course descriptions, bibliography of textbooks, description of evaluation methods, and the actual grades and evaluations.

Home-schooled applicants must meet the same high school curricular standard expected of all applicants. A letter of recommendation from an academic professional who is familiar with the individual applicant, other than the home-schooling teacher/parent/guardian, should be included with the application.

We are committed to recruiting and admitting the best students from all backgrounds to create a community of diverse perspectives and ideas. While we value our alumni’s commitment to our university, legacy has no bearing on the admissions process.

Fee waivers are available via the Common Application or Coalition on Scoir. In whichever application platform you use, you will be asked questions to gauge your fee waiver eligibility. If you do not meet the eligibility criteria but the application fee presents a financial hardship, please fill out this Fee Waiver Request Form.

Please do not submit a payment as we are unable to refund it. We must receive fee waivers or fee waiver requests by November 15 for Early Decision I applicants and by January 15 for Early Decision II and Regular Decision applicants.

The application fee is not refundable.

No. Hopkins is test-optional through the 2025-2026 application year. See our official standardized testing policy.

Standardized test scores are just one part of our holistic review process. If you feel they are an accurate representation of your academic abilities, you may want to consider submitting them. Those who do not submit test scores will not be disadvantaged during the process.

Watch our test-optional video to learn more about our policy.

Our exam credit policy is set by our academic departments and evaluated annually to ensure students have a strong foundation for their Hopkins education, while also allowing flexibility for students who have mastered certain material. Certain departments may choose to administer an online placement exam during the summer, so students enroll in courses at the appropriate level in their first semester. Academic advisors will be available to assist you with your course registration beginning in mid-July.

Regarding credits from Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or similar exams, please see our External Credit Policies for our Krieger School of Arts & Sciences and Whiting School of Engineering.

TOEFL, IELTS, the Duolingo English Test (DET), or the Cambridge English Exam are recommended but not required for applicants whose primary language is not English or students who have not attended an English language school for the last three years.

See Standardized Testing for guidance on whether you should submit your scores.

Visit our resource page for international applicants for specific information.

Early Decision

Early Decision (ED) is an option that allows students who feel Hopkins is the right college for them to apply and receive their admissions decision early. Unlike Regular Decision, it is a binding agreement, which means you cannot apply to any other school under an Early Decision plan. You, your parents/guardians, and your high school counselor will be required to sign an agreement stating that you will enroll at Hopkins if admitted and withdraw any Regular Decision or Early Action applications to other schools.

Early Decision is binding while Early Action is non-binding. Hopkins does not offer an Early Action plan.

No. Admission is only offered through the Early Decision and Regular Decision plans.

Two Early Decision options are available: Early Decision I and Early Decision II. Visit for a list of required materials and dates.

Primarily, the deadline and notification dates. More information can be found about the differences here.

Because Early Decision I and II are binding agreements, students can only apply Early Decision to one college at a time. The binding agreement means if you are admitted to Hopkins in Early Decision I or II, you must withdraw all pending applications to other schools and enroll at Hopkins.

If Hopkins is your top college choice and you want to make the commitment to enroll if accepted, we encourage you to apply Early Decision.

Watch our When to Apply video for more information.

As an Early Decision candidate, you are eligible to apply for all types of need-based aid offered at Hopkins. Choosing Early Decision will not limit your financial aid options or consideration for merit scholarships. All applicants are automatically considered for merit scholarships and no separate application is required.

See How to Apply for Financial Aid for more details.

Please submit the Admissions Plan Change Request Form in your applicant portal, and we’ll roll your application over to the Regular Decision pool.

If you are not admitted during Early Decision I, you can be deferred and re-evaluated as a Regular Decision candidate, or you can be denied. If you are not admitted during Early Decision II, you can be waitlisted or denied.

You are not required to submit any additional materials. However, if you would like to, you may submit supplemental materials to your application file for review during the Regular Decision selection process. This information could be additional standardized test results, your senior-year semester grades, additional letters of recommendations, an updated resume, or another written statement of your interest in Hopkins.

After you submit your application, you can no longer edit it. However, you may email the link to or document of your supplemental materials to applyhelp@jhu.edu. Please include your full name, birth date, and application ID number. Do not submit hard copy items via mail.

  • After You've Submitted Your Application
  • Decision Release
  • Waitlist
  • ADMITTED STUDENTS

After You've Submitted Your Application

All applicants receive access to the applicant portal in which they can track the status of their materials.

We will notify applicants who have incomplete files and their school counselor. We will ask those students to provide us with any missing items before we evaluate their applications.

We do accept supplemental materials, but please ensure additional items will genuinely contribute to your application. Additional materials may include pictures of art, research abstracts, etc.

You may submit additional materials by emailing them to applyhelp@jhu.edu. Please include your name, date of birth, high school, and Common Application or Coalition on Scoir ID.Do not submit hard copy items via mail.

Financial aid applicants will be notified of any awards at the time of their admissions decision. You can learn more about the financial aid process through Student Financial Support.

All requests to withdraw an application must be made no later than one week before decisions are released.

If you would like to withdraw your application, you can fill out the Application Withdrawal Form in your applicant portal. If you haven’t created a portal account, you can email your withdrawal request to applyhelp@jhu.edu.

Decision Release

Visit for decision release dates.

Note: Decision release dates can vary slightly from year to year. Updated dates are made public on our website on August 1 each year.

All applicants view their admissions decision in their applicant portal. Our Office of Undergraduate Admissions will send an email with a link to the applicant portal and instructions on how to set up your account prior to the decision release date.

On the day of decision release, visit the applicant portal and enter the username and password you created to log in. When logged in, you’ll see your admissions decision and, if admitted, your next steps. If you applied for financial aid and are admitted, you will also be able to view your financial aid offer in your applicant portal.

We are unable to release admissions decisions over the phone, so it’s important that all applicants follow the steps above to ensure they will be able to access their admissions decision once it has been posted. If you have questions about logging in, please note we are only able to share information with the student, parent/guardian, or high school counselor if the caller’s identity has been reasonably confirmed.

If the admissions decision release date is approaching and you have not yet received an email from us with instructions on how to set up and log into your account, follow these steps:

  • Check all your email accounts, including your parents’ and any others you may have used throughout your college application process. All official communications are sent to the email you provide on your application.
  • Check your spam/junk folders. Sometimes (rarely, but sometimes) our emails get caught in spam filters.
  • For Gmail users, check the “Promotions” or “Updates” tabs.
  • If you still can’t find the message, email us atgotojhu@jhu.edu.

Instructions for how to submit your Reply Form and enrollment deposit (if applicable) are in the applicant portal where you received your admissions decision. Both forms must be submitted by the reply-by deadline.

In April, we will send additional information about enrollment to admitted first-year students. This will include details about housing, dining, academic advising, registration, and orientation.

If your address, phone number, email address, or intended major changes between the time you submit your application and the start of classes in the fall, please inform the Office of Undergraduate Admissions as soon as possible by emailing applyhelp@jhu.edu.

Follow the directions in the applicant portal after choosing to remain on the waitlist.

Admissions committee decisions are final, and we do not accept appeals. We understand the disappointment from receiving a deny decision from any university. Unfortunately, we are not able to admit all the talented students who apply for admission each year.

If you would like to defer your admission, you must first accept your spot by submitting the Reply Form in your applicant portal and paying your enrollment deposit (if applicable). You will then be able to complete a deferral request form.

Deferrals are granted on an individual basis and are not guaranteed. They are for one-year or two-year periods only. Students are not permitted to study at another institution for credit during their deferral year(s) and must begin their studies in the fall semester upon their return.

Transfer applicants are unable to defer their enrollment because we base transfer decisions on space availability in a specific academic term.

Waitlist

Admitted students have until May 1 to accept their spot. If we have remaining spots available in the class, we will go to our waitlist to admit additional students where we have room.

All you need to do is complete the Waitlist Reply Form and it indicates to us that you would like to remain on (or be removed from) the Johns Hopkins University waitlist.

The only requirement to remain on the waitlist is completing the Waitlist Reply Form in your applicant portal by the deadline. You are not required to submit any additional materials, but you may send updates you would like to add to your application. If you choose to submit updates to your file, it is important you make sure they will contribute in a substantive way or provide new information.

Students on the waitlist may provide additional information to assist the admissions committee in the event that we review candidates for admission. We suggest the following if updating your application:

  • Letter of interest:A one-page letter to the admissions committee that states why you continue to be interested in Hopkins and why you feel it is the right school for you.
  • Updated resume: Let us know what you’ve gotten involved with during your senior year. This should include updated information not found in your original application.
  • Updated transcript: Your most recent grades, even beyond the mid-year report, can be helpful. Ask your guidance counselor to submit them if possible. In addition, a final transcript when it becomes available is requested. (If you are admitted from the waitlist, a final transcript will be required.)

Pleasedo notsend items such as: Additional letters of recommendation, writing samples, research or term papers, or other supplemental materials like CDs, slides, or portfolios.

All updates should be sent to yourregional admissions counselor. Include your full name, birth date, school name, and a note that the materials are to be used as a waitlist update on any materials you send.

The waitlist is not ranked. We reevaluate waitlisted applicants who chose to remain on the waitlist if spots become available in the class.

Admission from the waitlist depends on available space and the needs of the class. Because of this, we are unable to provide information about an individual’s chance in any given year.

The decision of whether we will admit students off the waitlist will not be made prior to May 1 (June 1 for transfer applicants). We strongly recommend you submit your deposit to a school where you have been admitted. If you are later admitted to Hopkins from the waitlist and choose to attend, you may withdraw your enrollment from the other school and forfeit the previous deposit.

We offer virtual information sessions and student-guided campus tours most weekdays, Financial Aid 101 sessions, and more. Check out all event options under .

Please note we do not have programming specific to waitlisted students.

We are unable to grant interviews or meeting requests for waitlisted students. Instead, we ask you email applyhelp@jhu.edu with any information or updates to add to your application file. If you have a specific question, you may email your regional admissions counselor.

If you completed your financial aid application by the deadline and are admitted off the waitlist, you will receive financial aid information with your admissions decision.

No. If we offer places in the class to students on the waitlist, those students may choose whether they want to enroll at Hopkins or stay with the other university they had previously selected. Students who are admitted from the waitlist must respond to our admissions offer within the designated time frame noted in their applicant portal. Choosing to remain on the waitlist is not a commitment to enroll at Hopkins if admitted.

ADMITTED STUDENTS

Yes! Visit your applicant portal for all our admitted student events on campus this spring. You can also take a self-guided tour of campus or join one of our admissions tours.

By the end of April, you’ll receive your JHED ID via email, which will allow you to access the New Student Portal and set up your Hopkins email account. You’ll also gain access to the “New Student” tab in the portal, where you’ll find complete details about all future communications related to housing, dining, academic advising, orientation, and much more.

Hopkins is committed to building a diverse student body, facilitating connections with peers from different backgrounds, and creating a strong and inclusive community. First-year housing assignments are made through a matching processover the summer. You’ll get more information closer to that time. You’ll be able to find the information in your New Student Portal, which you’ll receive access to after you enroll.

By the end of April, you’ll receive your JHED ID via email, which will allow you to access the New Student Portal where you’ll find complete details about when you can register for classes your first semester, academic advising, and more.

By the end of April, you’ll receive your JHED ID via email, which will allow you to access the New Student Portal where you’ll find complete details about orientation and more.

When you applied to Hopkins, you applied to the full university, and not to a specific school or major (except in the case of biomedical engineering, see below). Upon matriculating, you can choose any major you’re interested in pursuing across the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences and Whiting School of Engineering. You are not bound to the major you listed on your application.

The one exception to this policy is our biomedical engineering (BME) major. Applicants must apply and be admitted to the BME program during the application period. Applicants not admitted to the BME major, or applicants that didn’t apply for the BME program, are not able to select that as their intended major.

In some cases, students can defer their enrollment for up to two years to pursue a travel, work, or family experience. Deferrals are granted on an individual basis and are not guaranteed. They are for one-year or two-year periods only. Students are not permitted to study at another institution for credit during their deferral year(s) and must begin their studies in the fall semester upon their return.

If you would like to defer your admission, you must first accept your spot by submitting the Reply Form in your applicant portal and paying your enrollment deposit (if applicable). You’ll then be able to submit the deferral request form.

Campus parking is unavailable to undergraduates, but they may find parking options close to campus. This includes street parking in nearby residential neighborhoods, which often require residential permits or are time-restricted or metered spaces.

Students have access to many free transportation options to get around the city quickly, easily, and safely, from Hopkins shuttles to the Baltimore Collegetown Shuttle and the Charm City Circulator.

Find more information on parking and our accessible transportation services. 

Frequently Asked Questions | Johns Hopkins University Admissions (2024)
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