This article was originally reported in May 2025.
Johns Hopkins University offered admission to 92 transfer applicants on May 9, 2025. The transfer students entered in fall 2025 alongside first-year students admitted to the Class of 2029 through Early Decision and Regular Decision (Johns Hopkins Hub, May 12, 2025).
Who was admitted
According to the Hub, the admitted transfer students included:
- an intern researching youth activism, art and technology at the Library of Congress;
- the founder of an award-winning nonprofit that teaches boxing skills to underserved youth;
- a military veteran and first-generation college student who built a tool that uses meteorological data to identify potential sites for offshore wind farms;
- a student who measured lead exposure in children and homes in a community affected by industrial waste dumping, presented the findings at town hall meetings, and created lead-safety lessons now used in local schools;
- an aspiring diplomat who discovered international studies through a language exchange in Colombia while serving in the U.S. Air Force.
Many had presented research at national undergraduate conferences or worked part-time to support their families. “Transfer students bring distinctive viewpoints to our campus, thanks to their self-motivation, communal focus, and prior college experience,” said Ellen Chow, dean of undergraduate admissions. Admitted transfer students had until June 1, 2025 to enroll.
How transfer admission works at Johns Hopkins
From the JHU transfer application page (fall 2027 cycle):
- Entry: fall semester only, into the sophomore or junior class.
- Eligibility: a high school diploma and more than 12 semester credits completed at another institution; applicants who already hold a bachelor’s degree are not eligible.
- Materials: the Common App for Transfer, a supplemental essay of up to 350 words, a $70 fee or fee waiver, official high school (grades 9–12) and college transcripts, the College Officials Report and a recommendation from a current instructor.
- Dates: application deadline March 1, 2027; financial aid deadline March 15, 2027; decisions May 14, 2027; reply by June 1, 2027. JHU publishes updated dates each August.
What international students should know
- No financial aid for international transfers. JHU states that “financial aid is available for domestic transfer students only,” so international transfer applicants need to show they can pay the full cost. By contrast, JHU says it meets 100% of demonstrated need for all admitted first-year students, including international students, although admission is need-aware for them and aid must be requested when applying as a first-year (JHU International Applicants).
- Transferring on an F-1 visa: students already studying in the U.S. ask their current school’s designated school official to release their SEVIS record to JHU, and JHU then issues a transfer I-20. Coordinate the release date with both international offices after accepting the offer.
- Credits: how many credits count depends on JHU’s transfer credit policies and the courses taken, so compare your transcript with the major requirements before applying.
- Rankings and data: JHU ranks No. 9 in the 2027 U.S. News national universities ranking. See Forward Pathway’s Johns Hopkins University page for admissions data and costs, and our transfer student guide for general advice on transferring between U.S. colleges.