Application Process

You will submit one required essay within the online application; a second, optional essay is also in the online application.

• Essay 1: [in 175-225 words] Explain why you want to participate in Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation Pre-College Programs and what you hope to gain from the experience. 
• Essay 2: [in 100-125 words] (optional) Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 

First, ask a high school  or college math, science, engineering, robotics, or computer science teacher if they are willing to write a recommendation for you. Second, you will provide their name and email address through our online application. After you complete the recommendation section and confirm their contact information, your teacher will automatically receive an email from us detailing how to submit the recommendation on your behalf.

Note that only one recommendation is required, and we will not accept more than two.

Instead of completing the online form, the teacher may write a letter of recommendation that includes information about the student’s aptitude in science and/or math; motivation and maturity; ability to tackle new material independently; ability to collaborate with a team; and one area in which the student could use improvement. The letter should be emailed to [email protected]. 

Applicants will indicate in their application if they want to apply for scholarship or financial aid. The Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation team will contact applicants after they submit their application to complete a financial need application.

During this process, you will be asked questions about your family’s financial status, and supporting documents, such as a copy of the most recent U.S. tax form 1040 for your parent(s)/guardian(s), will typically be required. Learn more about our scholarship opportunities here.

A non-refundable application fee of $50 paid online when you submit your application using a credit card or checking account information. The application does not have to be completed in one sitting; this fee is collected when you submit.

Give this transcript request form to your guidance counselor or other school personnel. 

Ask them to send us your high school transcript, as well as interim grades for the classes that you are currently taking. Your school should send your transcripts by email to [email protected] (recommended) or by postal mail to: 

Johns Hopkins University
Whiting School of Engineering Dean’s Office
ATTN: Engineering Innovation
3500 San Martin Drive, First Floor
Baltimore, MD 21218 

If your school uses Parchment, Gradelink, PowerSchool SIS, National Student Clearinghouse, or the like, they may send the transcript that way. When sending with this software, a cover sheet (Official Transcript Request form) is not required.

If the original transcript is not in English, an official translation must be provided.

Please note that we will not contact your school to request a copy of your transcript; this is the responsibility of the applicant.

We do accept transcripts from parents for homeschool students.

All foreign national applicants will be required to submit proof of English Language Proficiency.

Applicants whose native language is not English and who have attended a school with English language instruction for at least the past three years should request that their current school provide documentation including a certificate, letter, or other official document stating the language of instruction.

TOEFL, IELTS, the Duolingo English Test, SAT, or ACT are recommended for applicants whose primary language is not English or students who have not attended an English language school for the last three years.

Though not required, applicants who score below 690 on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (ERW) section of the new SAT or below 30 or more on both the ACT Reading and English sections are encouraged to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or DET scores, as it will often present them in the best light for their language preparation. Johns Hopkins prefers a score of 690 on the written test. Please have your guidance counselor or teacher send a copy of SAT or ACT test scores to our office at [email protected].

Applicants should typically receive a minimum of 100 total for the Internet-based TOEFL (iBT) with preferred sub-scores of:

– 26 (Reading)
– 26 (Listening)
– 22 (Writing)
– 25 (Speaking)

A score of 7.0 or higher on each band is expected on IELTS.

A composite score of 120 or higher is expected for the Duolingo English Test with preferred sub-scores of:
– 125 (Literacy)
– 120 (Conversation)
– 135 (Comprehension)
– 105 (Production).

Please submit your scores using the instructions below.

TOEFL: Send official/verified ETS test scores to code D622 for TOEFL. JHU does not require a department code for the exam; select the program you are applying to or the ‘other’ option, if prompted. There is a delay of approximately 2 full weeks for verified scores to populate to your application after sending through ETS. Please make sure your TOEFL Test scores are sent using the same email address that you used in your application. If the email addresses are different, it may take us longer to attach the scores to your application. 

Duolingo English Test: Applicants should go to this Duolingo English Test page to share their scores. Please search for Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation Pre-College Programs to ensure that the scores are submitted to the correct program. Please make sure your Duolingo English Test scores are sent using the same email address that you used in your application. If the email addresses are different, it may take us longer to attach the scores to your application. 

IELTS: To share IELTS scores, please provide the information below to your test center:

Account Name: Johns Hopkins University Engineering Pre-College
Address: Engineering Pre-College
3400 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
United States

If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact us at [email protected].