Johns Hopkins University is one of the oldest and most prestigious research universities in the country. Named after the philanthropist who funded its founding and who believed in making public education accessible and affordable to all, the university opened its doors in 1876.
An impressive array of alumni call this university their alma mater. Johns Hopkins is known the world over for its elite pre-med education program, but its other programs should definitely not be dismissed. It’s also the home of one of the earliest creative writing programs in the United States.
In addition, the Johns Hopkins French department was named a Center of Excellence by the country of France itself. The university is a major hub for some of the most elite startups to ever emerge, and more than $3 billion in funding has been collected to date to support Johns Hopkins’ startup portfolio.
Students who want to attend this prestigious university have to work hard to earn top marks in all of their high school classes. They must achieve high test scores and participate in extracurricular activities that go beyond the classroom to make a difference in their communities.
They must also write compelling application essays that convince the admissions staff that they are a good fit for what the school embodies.
Admission to Johns Hopkins is extremely selective, so you will need every edge and advantage to become one of the students invited to attend. If you’re determined to learn everything you can about how to get into Johns Hopkins University, a good place to start is with its history.
Johns Hopkins Admission Help: University History
Hopkins had ten siblings and made his fortune by investing in up-and-coming industries, including the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. In 1847 he became the director of the railroad and amassed his fortune through the years.
Johns Hopkins died in 1873 at the age of 79. In his will, he left $7 million to establish an orphanage, a hospital and medical training facility, and a university.
The first president of the university was Daniel Coit Gilman. He led the school as it opened institutions like the affiliated hospital, the university press, and many others. The original academic building on the Homewood campus is named Gilman Hall as a tribute to him.
Gilman is the educator who is responsible for defining the model of the research university, which is now followed around the world.
How to Get into Johns Hopkins: What Admissions Looks For
Located in Baltimore, Maryland, Johns Hopkins is spread over four campuses. Undergrads have the Homewood campus on the north side of the city all to themselves, away from grad students, giving them a close-knit sense of community even though the research university is vast.
Johns Hopkins has 5,318 undergraduate students and 22,559 grad students. Admission to this elite university is competitive and selective, especially with its impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 7:1.
While Johns Hopkins looks for students who achieve good grades, earn top test scores, and graduate at the top of their classes, there’s much more to admissions than numbers.
One of the most important traits the university seeks in prospective students is experience in real-world applications. About 98% of incoming students have some kind of pre-professional experience and have applied their interests and education to practical situations outside of the classroom.
If you’re interested in joining the campus, try to put your interests into action and do job shadowing, spend time in volunteer work, or join a research group. In general, the university seeks students who embody qualities like initiative and impact, academic character, and a sense of personal contribution.
Johns Hopkins Application Help: Three Special Programs
Johns Hopkins offers three special programs for incoming students. When you submit your application, you will have the opportunity to apply for one of them.
- The Peabody Double Degree Program
This program allows students to earn two degrees: a bachelor’s degree in music from the Peabody Institute and a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science from Johns Hopkins.
- Direct Matriculation Programs
With the Direct Matriculation Programs, Johns Hopkins University offers qualified students the opportunity to be admitted to one of two different master’s programs (International Studies or Global Health Studies) along with admittance to the undergraduate program.
- Woodrow Wilson Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program
This special fellowship program provides a maximum of $10,000 spread over the course of three years to certain Krieger School undergraduate students who are working to complete various independent research projects.
Johns Hopkins University Application Requirements
When you submit your completed Johns Hopkins application for admission, you will need to include the following:
- Either the completed Common Application or Coalition Application
- The Johns Hopkins supplemental essay
- Two letters of recommendation from teachers
- One letter of recommendation from your school counselor
- Your high school report, including student profile and full transcript
- A midyear report (due in mid-February), including an updated transcript
- SAT or ACT scores
You must also decide whether you will apply using the Early Decision program or the Regular Decision round. The Early Decision I application deadline is November 1, with a notification date of around December 16. For Early Decision II, the application deadline is January 3 and the notification date is around February 17.
It’s important to be aware that if you are accepted for either of the Early Decision rounds, your decision is a binding contract to attend the university. Therefore, use the Early Decision options only if you are absolutely sure that Johns Hopkins is the university you want to attend.
What Is John Hopkins’ Acceptance Rate?
Early Decision applicants have an acceptance rate about three times higher than the overall acceptance rate. For the class of 2026, there were 37,150 early and regular decision applications submitted, and just 2,408 (6.5%) applicants were offered admission to the prestigious university.
The university received 31,650 regular applications, from which 1,586 were accepted (a 5% acceptance rate). Out of the 5,500 Early Decision applications, 822 were accepted (an acceptance rate of 15%).
Johns Hopkins Admission Help: What Extracurricular Activities Should You Do to Get In?
Over 90% of incoming students for the class of 2026 had internships, part-time jobs, or summer jobs, and 34% had been involved in student government. Like other selective universities across the U.S., Johns Hopkins is looking for well-rounded individuals, but there’s no singular formula it follows to distinguish who those students are.
One thing is certain — Johns Hopkins isn’t as interested in the number of activities you participate in as it is in the caliber of those activities.
Your activities should reflect what you truly enjoy, first of all. The school is also looking for students who display leadership in their activities and have made a positive impact on groups outside of the classroom.
It won’t help you to sign up for everything you can find; instead, focus on a few activities that solve problems in the community, provide leadership opportunities for you, and accurately reflect your interests.
What GPA Do You Need to Get into Johns Hopkins?
Johns Hopkins holds a holistic approach to admissions — more than just numbers are considered when choosing students to join the next incoming class. This holistic approach focuses on talents, abilities, character, and how well a student matches the Johns Hopkins community.
Unlike many of the prestigious universities in the U.S., Johns Hopkins does report the average GPA of its incoming students. For the class of 2026, students averaged a GPA of 3.9 on a 4.0 scale.
In addition, 99% of admitted students graduated in the top 10% of their classes. It’s vital that the rigor of your high school courses is top-notch. If AP and/or IB classes are offered, make sure to take them.
The admissions staff at Johns Hopkins is looking for students who rise to challenges and don’t settle for routine classes when more advanced ones are available. If your high school doesn’t offer AP or IB courses, see if there are any dual enrollment courses you can take that will display your commitment to higher learning.
What Are Johns Hopkins’ Testing Requirements?
Johns Hopkins University has adopted a test-optional policy through the 2025–2026 application year, so if you are applying for classes for the fall of any year through 2026, you won’t need to submit scores in order to be considered for admission.
However, if you do take the tests and you feel that the scores you receive adequately reflect your academic character and ability, feel free to submit your scores. If you do not submit them, the university states that you will not be disadvantaged in the admission process.
The university considers your highest section scores across all sittings, even if they were on different dates. You’re encouraged to update your application with new test scores each time you score higher. In addition, you have the option to submit the SAT subject test scores if you wish.
The SAT scores for the middle 50% of members of the class of 2026 (who did submit them) were 1520–1560. The ACT scores for the middle 50% were 34–35.
How to Get Accepted into Johns Hopkins: Additional Tips
If you want to be one of the few who are admitted to Johns Hopkins in the next admission cycle, you need to know additional key information about the admissions process and your application.
Demonstrated Interest
Johns Hopkins University does not track campus visits or any other activities of demonstrated interest. Therefore, you will not help or hurt your application by participating in activities such as visiting campus or connecting with alumni or admissions officers.
However, it’s never a bad idea to do those things! You can gain great insight into whether the university is the right fit for you when you take tours of the campus, participate in a virtual information session, and talk to the people who know it best.
Alumni Interviews and Letters of Recommendation
Johns Hopkins has ceased offering interviews with volunteer alumni. Therefore, it’s recommended that you place a heavy focus on the letters of recommendation that your counselor and teachers write for you.
Well-written recommendations can do much for helping admissions officers get to know you on a deeper, personal level.
Johns Hopkins Essays
The essay prompt for the university can change from year to year, but it’s still a good idea to review some tips about what to include in different types of essays.
For example, if an essay asks you why you chose Johns Hopkins, you should include some classic items and leave others out.
If you answer a “Why Johns Hopkins” essay, don’t fawn over the beautiful campus or state repeatedly that it has an excellent reputation and is top-ranked, because they already know all of that. Focus on you, not the school.
Cite specific opportunities and programs you are interested in, and address the reasons you feel the school is a good fit for you. Also discuss the special interests, talents, and abilities you can bring to Johns Hopkins.
Other excellent items you could include in this type of essay are how the wide variety of international students offers a global learning experience, how excited you are about the 450 student organizations on campus, and how intrigued you are by the many opportunities to study abroad.
How to Get Accepted into Johns Hopkins
Overall, there are six factors that Johns Hopkins considers to be “very important” when it comes to evaluating candidates. These are:
- GPA
- School record
- Letters of recommendation
- Test scores (in years when they are not optional)
- character/personal qualities
- The Johns Hopkins essays
Remember that Johns Hopkins places heavy value on research, especially because it was the very first research university and is now ranked the #1 research university in the U.S.
It’s never too early to begin preparing for your Johns Hopkins admission journey. The sooner you begin to prepare, the better your chances will be of receiving an invitation to join the next incoming freshman class.
Sophia Minhas
Madeleine Karydes