Johns Hopkins University

Private · Elite · MD

Photo: Tingtingou (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationMD · South

SettingUrban

Undergrads5,693

Student:faculty6:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate87.1%

6-yr grad rate93.8%

Drop-out rate1.9%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$65k

Out-of-state tuition$65k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity80.5%

Gender diversity54.9%

International15.2%

Identity—

Overview

Johns Hopkins, in Baltimore, was founded as America's first research university and still carries that identity: research is not an add-on to undergraduate education here, it is the organizing principle of the place. The Homewood campus is the center of undergraduate life, a leafy, Georgian-brick quad in the middle of the city, while the university's medical campus, public health school, and arts conservatory extend its reach well beyond a single undergraduate campus.

Academics

Biomedical engineering, public health, and international studies through the School of Advanced International Studies are signature strengths, and anything touching medicine benefits from the university's affiliation with a top-ranked hospital system just across town. Undergraduates get unusually early access to real research labs, often starting freshman year through programs that match first-years with faculty projects, and the Peabody Institute conservatory gives Hopkins a serious, degree-granting music program that most research universities simply lack.

Campus & student life

Homewood's Georgian-brick campus, with its central quad and columned buildings, is more traditionally collegiate than the university's research-heavy reputation might suggest, with a full slate of clubs, Division III athletics — men's lacrosse is a genuine national power — and a close-knit undergraduate community. Baltimore itself, with its museums, harbor, and rowhouse neighborhoods, is a real working city that rewards students willing to get off campus, whether for research at the medical campus or just a different scene than a college quad.

Getting in

Hopkins reads applications holistically with particular attention to intellectual curiosity and evidence of independent research or project work, given how central research is to its identity. Essays that show genuine engagement with a specific field, rather than a broad list of achievements, tend to stand out, and demonstrated interest through research experience or independent projects carries real weight.

After graduation

Graduates move heavily into medicine, public health, biomedical research, and international affairs, supported by an alumni network especially deep in healthcare and global-health institutions, from hospital systems to major NGOs. Many undergraduates go directly into research roles or PhD and MD programs rather than industry.

Worth knowing

Hopkins undergraduates can cross into the university's public health and international-studies programs in ways few peer schools allow, and its research-first culture means students often co-author real publications before graduating. Men's lacrosse carries genuine national prestige, an unusual athletic identity for a school this research-focused.

jhu.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate6.4%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1520–1570 · ACT 34–36

Test policyoptional

Rec letters3

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early decisionNov 1

Regular decisionJan 2

Verified from the school’s admissions page ↗

Applying (2026-27 cycle)

Apply through Common App or Coalition (Scoir).

Early decision IIJan 2

Financial aid formsJan 15

Early Decision I and Early Decision II are both binding: if you're admitted, you're expected to enroll and withdraw applications from other schools.

Interviews: Johns Hopkins does not offer admissions interviews and cannot accommodate interview meeting requests.

Supplemental essays (1)

Hopkins Supplement Essay
At Johns Hopkins, community is built through dialogue, collaboration, and a willingness to engage across differences. Whether on campus or in the broader world, community depends on bridge builders who can listen to differing perspectives, challenge their own assumptions, or work together toward shared goals. Drawing on your own experiences, what have you learned about engaging across differences and how has it shaped the way you think about building bridges, enhancing community, and working with others?
350 words · Required

Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗