Early Decision

Hear from Bailey Jackelen, a member of the Hopkins admissions committee, to learn more about applying Early Decision.

What does binding agreement mean?

The Early Decision agreement is binding, so you may not apply to any other school under an early decision plan. (You may still apply to other schools under a nonbinding early action plan.) You, your parents, and your secondary school counselor will be required to sign an agreement stating that you will enroll at Johns Hopkins if admitted and withdraw any regular decision or early action applications to other schools.

Should I apply ED?

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

Does Hopkins offer Early Action or rolling admission?

Admission is only offered through the Early Decision and Regular Decision processes.

What about financial aid?

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. Please see Apply for Aid for details on how to apply for financial aid as an Early Decision applicant.

What if I can’t complete my application on time?

Let us know, and we’ll roll your application over to the Regular Decision pool.

What happens if I’m not admitted Early Decision?

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.

I applied Early Decision and my application was deferred to Regular Decision. Should I send any additional information to improve my chances?

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 recommendation, an updated resume, or an additional written statement of your interest in Hopkins.

I applied to the biomedical engineering major and was admitted Early Decision to the university. Have I also been admitted to the BME major?

On the decision portal, you should see two official Johns Hopkins letters. The first letter is from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions—this is your letter of acceptance to the university. The second letter is from the Whiting School of Engineering and is signed by the dean of the school—this letter discusses whether or not you were admitted specifically to the BME major.

What are my options if I was not accepted into the BME major as an Early Decision applicant?

Early Decision applicants who applied to but were not admitted to the BME major are released from the Early Decision contract to enroll at Hopkins and may apply to other colleges, but must make a decision about enrollment at Hopkins and return their Reply Form to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions by the Early Decision reply-by date. If you were not accepted to the BME program but still want to attend Hopkins, you can enroll by submitting the Reply Form and enrollment deposit. You do not need to select a new major at this time, but you should inform us of your academic interests when completing the Candidate Reply Form. All other majors and programs at Hopkins are available to you. If you choose not to enroll, check the appropriate box on your Reply Form and your application will be withdrawn from Hopkins .

Can I get into BME during my sophomore year?

If spaces open up in the BME major at the end of your first year, the Whiting School of Engineering will contact all Johns Hopkins first-year students regarding spaces available in the program and the process for internal transfer. This occurs rarely and most students are advised to enroll at Hopkins with the knowledge that transferring into BME is a highly competitive occurrence.

My admission decision to the university was deferred to Regular Decision and my first-choice major is BME. Will I be considered for the program during Regular Decision? What are my chances?

During the Regular Decision process, you will be reviewed for admission to the university, as well as for admission to the BME major. Your chances for admission to both depend on the competitiveness of the overall applicant pool, as well as the strength of those applying directly to the BME major.