Get Into Johns Hopkins University
About Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins, America’s first research university, has produced 29 Nobel Laureates and is consistently ranked #1 in the country for research spending. There are 5,292 undergraduates enrolled, 24,000 total students, and over 3 million volumes held in the library. JHU is currently ranked #10 in U.S. News and World Report list of National Universities (tied with Duke University).
Johns Hopkins has nine academic divisions, 51 majors, 46 minors, and more than 260 programs across a wide range of disciplines such as the arts and music, the humanities, the social sciences, the natural sciences, engineering, international studies, education, business, and healthcare. The graduate programs in public health, nursing, biomedical engineering, medicine, and education are ranked among the best in the world. Before graduation, 80% of undergraduates participate in some form of research—the heart of JHU’s academic philosophy—and annual events like DREAMS celebrate this work through poster sessions, presentations, demonstrations, and performances. For undergraduates who want to pursue collaborative research, the NOVA Undergraduate Research Team Competition awards $6000 research grants to teams and groups working together. There are also more specific grants available to pursue research at the JHU Applied Physics Laboratory or the Summer PURA stipend, which allows students to spend the summer on campus pursuing or continuing a scholarly project.
Campus Life
There are over 400 student organizations and 20 athletic teams at Johns Hopkins, which makes for a lively campus culture, and over half of the undergraduates choose to play intramural or club sports. The division I men’s and women’s lacrosse teams boast especially impressive records; the JHU men’s lacrosse team has won 44 national titles and has a loyal fan following. Students also look forward to the annual festival, Spring Fair, which is a three-day celebration with food, games, and activities. More than 1,400 students participate in Greek life, another major social force on campus.
The primary campus for undergraduates, the Homewood Campus, is a 140-acre campus that houses the School of Engineering and the School of Arts & Sciences. Freshman and sophomores are required to live on campus, and the majority of their classes take place at Homewood. There are also research labs, two libraries, athletic facilities, and dining halls on this campus, which includes an iconic clock tower and green quads to give a traditional campus feel.
For students who want to study abroad, Hopkins offers two options: departmental programs and approved programs. Students can improve their language proficiency or pursue an academic interest with JHU professors, using their courses abroad to get major or minor credit.
Applying to Johns Hopkins
There were 1,363 students who enrolled in the JHU freshman class last year. Of the admitted students, 98% were in the top 10% of their high school class. The mean SAT score was 1480-1550 and the mean ACT composite score was 33-35. Applicants can use the Coalition for College application or the Common Application and the university meets 100% of financial need for those who are accepted. There are also merit-based scholarships available, such as the Hodson Trust Scholarship, the Charles R. Westgate Scholarship in Engineering, and the Baltimore Scholars Program for students from local Baltimore public high schools.
There are two admissions programs: Early Decision (November 1, 2019) and Regular Decision (January 2, 2020). If admitted Early Decision, students will receive their acceptance on December 13 and are bound to enroll. Students who are not admitted Early Decision are either rejected or deferred and re-evaluated as Regular Decision candidates.
Essay Questions:
Last year, Johns Hopkins required one supplemental essay:
Write a brief essay (300-400 words) in which you respond to the following question: Successful students at Johns Hopkins make the biggest impact by collaborating with others, including peers, mentors, and professors. Talk about a time, in or outside the classroom, when you worked with others and what you learned from the experience.
This essay is a great opportunity for students to zoom in on a particular collaborative experience, especially one that reflects on their personal and intellectual growth in high school.
Admissions Wrap Up
In the 2019-2020 application season, Hopkins admitted 1,922 students to the Class of 2024 out of 27,256 applicants in the Regular Decision round (2,907 less students than applied last year). The regular decision acceptance rate of 7% was slightly lower than last year’s 7.7% admissions rate but the application pool remained quite diverse with 49 states and 41 countries represented, included a number of students from China, Canada, South Korea, and India. The Regular Decision admitted students joined 682 students who were accepted in December as part of the binding Early Decision program. A record number of students applied this year via ED—16% more than last year.
