Johns Hopkins Academic Calendar
Does Johns Hopkins Use Semesters Or Quarters?
Does Johns Hopkins use semesters or quarters? Johns Hopkins academic calendar employs a semester structure like that of most American universities. The fall semester runs from the end of August to the beginning of December. Spring sessions run from late January until early May, followed by five weeks of winter break and intersession.
Opportunities offered throughout the summer and intersession, such as JHU-sponsored study abroad programs and career exploration courses, may have unique enrollment requirements.
Intersession is a time in January when teachers and students can take part in a range of courses and extracurricular activities that are provided for credit and without credit. These programs aim to improve the campus’s intellectual and social life. Intersession registration is not required.
The majority of JHU’s summer academic offerings take place across two terms of five weeks. There may be different deadlines for some courses because they run on different schedules. The academic divisions that manage the university’s full-time degree programs also sponsor courses. They are made to as nearly resemble comparable courses offered in the spring and fall semesters as possible.
This Johns Hopkins academic calendar lists crucial dates and due dates for the current and upcoming semesters that you should be aware of.
Academic Calendar for 2022-2023 University Standard
Summer Term
| Summer Term Classes | May 23-Aug 17 |
| Holidays | May 30, June 20 (observed), and July 4 |
| End of Summer Semester and Conferral of degrees |
August 26 |
Fall Term
| First Day of Fall Term Classes | August 29 |
| Last Day of Fall Term Classes | December 9 |
| Reading Period | December 12-13 |
| Examination Period | December 14-22 |
| 8-week Fall Term 1 | August 29-October 24 |
| 8-week Fall Term 2 | October 26-December 23 |
| Holiday | September 5 |
| Fall Break | Division Specific |
| Fall Term Recess | November 21-25 |
| End of Semester/End of 8-Week Fall Term 2 |
December 23 |
| Conferral of Degrees | December 30 |
Intersession
| Classes | January 3-20 |
| Holidays | January 2 (observed), January 16 |
Spring Term
| First Day of Spring Term Classes | January 23 |
| Last Day of Spring Term Classes | April 28 |
| Reading Period | May 1-5 |
| Examination Period | May 8-16 |
| 8-week Spring Term 1 | January 23-March 17 |
| 8-week Spring Term 2 | March 27-May 19 |
| Spring Break | March 18-26 |
| End of Semester/End of 8-Week Spring Term 2 | May 19 |
| Conferral of Degrees | May 25 |
How Many Classes Can You Take In A Semester At Johns Hopkins?
How many classes can you take in a semester at Johns Hopkins? Students majoring in Arts and Sciences (AS) typically take 15 credits of coursework per semester over the course of eight semesters. AS upperclassmen are restricted to 18.5 credits, whereas AS freshmen are limited to 17. The typical load for Engineering (EN) students is 16–18 credits. EN upperclassmen are restricted to 19.5 credits, while EN freshmen are limited to 18 credits (18.5 if a foreign language is taken).
Students pursuing a Peabody Double Degree are allowed to take up to 25 credits each semester. A minimum of 12 credits must be taken by undergraduate students throughout the fall and spring semesters in the Johns Hopkins academic calendar.
Limits for Intersession and Summer Credit
A maximum of 3 credits may be taken by students during intersession. Students may enroll in a maximum of 14 credits throughout the summer, with a maximum of 7 credits per session.
Exceptions to Credit Limits
Any request to drop or withdraw from a course that would prevent the student from earning a minimum of 12 credits in the fall or spring semester indicated in the Johns Hopkins academic calendar requires a signature from their respective academic advising office, unless a student has been granted permission by the Office of Student Disability Services for a reduced course load. The Office of Student Disability Services must grant permission for students whose reduced course load has been approved.
For Arts and Sciences students, credit overloads must be approved by AS Academic Advising and satisfy one of the following requirements:
- Seniors in their seventh semester
- Juniors and seniors who made the Dean’s List the previous semester
Credit overloads for engineering students are granted on a case-by-case basis and require the signature of the faculty advisor before being officially approved by the EN Advising Office, with consideration given to the student’s most recent academic achievement. Credit overloads are not permitted for first-year EN students.
What Is The Application Deadline For Johns Hopkins?
Only for the fall semester in the Johns Hopkins academic calendar are applications accepted. For first-year applicants, the school accepts the Coalition on Scoir and the Common Application. To answer the popular query “What is the application deadline for Johns Hopkins?” let’s check the Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and Regular Decision application timeline below.
Early Decision I
November 1 – Application and Supplement materials are due
- Application fee or fee waiver deadline
- Signed Early Decision Agreement
- Secondary School Report
- Recommendation from the school counselor, transcript, and high school profile
- Two Teacher Evaluations
- Optional: SAT Reasoning Test or ACT Test Scores
- International applicants: TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo English Test (DET), or Cambridge English Exam results (recommended)
- International applicants: International Certification of Finances Form. Required for non-U.S. citizens and non-U.S. Permanent Residents who are applying for financial aid only.
November 15 – Financial Aid application deadline (through financial aid website)
Mid-February – Admitted Early Decision students must submit a Mid-year Report and updated transcript by mid-February (or as soon as they are available if after the deadline).
Early Decision II
January 3 – Application and Supplement materials are due
- Application fee or fee waiver deadline
- Signed Early Decision Agreement
- Secondary School Report
- Recommendation from the school counselor, transcript, and high school profile
- Two Teacher Evaluations
- Optional: SAT Reasoning Test or ACT Test Scores
January 3 – International applicants: TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo English Test (DET), or Cambridge English Exam results (recommended)
- International applicants: International Certification of Finances Form. Required for non-U.S. citizens and non-U.S. Permanent Residents who are applying for financial aid only.
January 15 – Financial Aid application deadline (through financial aid website)
Mid-February – Early Decision applicants must submit a Mid-year Report and updated transcript by mid-February (or as soon as they are available if after the deadline).
Regular Decision
January 3 – Application and Supplement materials are due
- Application fee or fee waiver deadline
- Signed Early Decision Agreement
- Secondary School Report
- Recommendation from the school counselor, transcript, and high school profile
- Two Teacher Evaluations
- Optional: SAT Reasoning Test or ACT Test Scores
- International applicants: TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo English Test (DET), or Cambridge English Exam results (recommended)
- International applicants: International Certification of Finances Form. Required for non-U.S. citizens and non-U.S. Permanent Residents who are applying for financial aid only.
January 15 – Financial Aid application deadline (through financial aid website)
Mid-February – Regular decision applicants must submit a Mid-year Report and updated transcript by mid-February (or as soon as they are available if after the deadline).
Johns Hopkins University is test-optional through the 2025–2026 application year due to the ongoing effects of COVID–19 on testing accessibility and availability.
What Are the Big Social Events At Johns Hopkins?
Events for Johns Hopkins students are planned by Leadership Engagement & Experiential Development in collaboration with other campus organizations. The entire campus comes together to celebrate the community through traditions. So, what are the big social events at Johns Hopkins? If you have taken note of periods and deadlines in the Johns Hopkins academic calendar, we will learn more below about the customs and other campus events you should mark on your personal calendar now.
Blue Jay Opening Day
The beginning of the academic and athletic years is on Blue Jay Opening Day. This university-wide “tailgate” offers the opportunity to interact with campus and local resources as well as rides, games, a photobooth, a DJ, and giveaways.
Hoptoberfest
Hoptoberfest marks the start of the fall semester. This fall ritual includes food, music, and activities. In the past, Hoptoberbest has included movie showings, a pumpkin patch, arts and crafts, music by Parachute and Cheat Codes, and a fun run.
Lighting of the Quads
Every year, the Johns Hopkins neighborhood congregates to see the grand Lighting of the Quads celebration. This custom has live music, cider, treats, handmade items, and lit artwork. As the crowd counts down, President Daniels turns the ceremonial switch. Fireworks show and tens of thousands of holiday lights instantly illuminate the quad and the spectators.
Spring Fair
An annual tradition at Johns Hopkins University is Spring Fair. Every year, the institution is transformed into a festival for all to enjoy by the sights, sounds, and fragrances of the fair. The Spring Fair offers live music, food, alcohol, games, arts and crafts, and contests. Ram’s Head Live serves as the venue for the headline performance of Spring Fair. Artists in the past have included Meek Mill, Steve Aoki, Krewella, and the Chainsmokers.
What Is It Like Being At Johns Hopkins?
Johns Hopkins is a strong candidate to offer one of the top academic experiences in the world. JHU, which was founded more than 140 years ago, is now widely regarded as the first research university in America. Today, Johns Hopkins is home to not only eminent faculty members and first-rate facilities, but also a diverse community of students who are all working to advance their knowledge, find new opportunities, and ultimately improve the world. If you wonder, what is it like being at Johns Hopkins, let’s see a few things of what the school can offer.
Academics
More than 400 programs in the humanities, social and natural sciences, engineering, international studies, education, business, and the health professions are studied, taught, and practiced by staff and students at Johns Hopkins University.
One in three undergraduate students at Johns Hopkins major in one of the top three fields at the university: public health, neurology, or biomedical engineering. The world’s biggest public health school is run by Johns Hopkins. The teachers and graduates of the Bloomberg School of Public Health have been at the forefront of campaigns to eradicate illnesses like smallpox, stop the spread of HIV, enhance water cleanliness, and shed light on the dangers of tobacco use.
Undergraduates frequently have the chance to enroll in higher-level courses at the Bloomberg School of Public Health in addition to taking interdisciplinary classes provided by the Public Health Studies Program. Undergraduates in Johns Hopkins’ neuroscience degree program can choose from four concentrations: cognitive, computational, systems, or cellular/molecular.
Another fascinating program at Johns Hopkins is biomedical engineering. Students can complete the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in four years thanks to the BME 2.0 program. Students concentrate on acquiring their fundamental scientific, mathematical, and experimental design principles during their first year of school. They then go through a “engineering boot camp,” where they design organ and cellular systems using various analytical philosophies.
In the third year, the residence takes place, and in the fourth and final year, the students put their knowledge and expertise into practice through various projects and research activities.
Housing
Living on campus is a crucial component of the Hopkins undergraduate experience; for the first two years, and sometimes even longer, nearly all our Homewood campus-based undergraduates reside in residence halls.
Freshmen have two choices:
- Classic residential halls with mostly doubles (your roommate and you) and a few singles, as well as communal bathrooms.
- Suite-style accommodations with private bathrooms, doubles, singles, or triples, with central heating and air conditioning (some also have small kitchenettes)
For others, there are many rental homes and apartments available close to all four of our campuses in Baltimore. The Off-Campus Housing Office at JHU, which posts ads for vacant properties, can be of assistance.
Athletics
Twenty-two out of the 24 varsity teams that Johns Hopkins fields play in the NCAA Division III. Men’s and women’s lacrosse are the other two, and they also play in Division I. The Centennial Conference includes seventeen of our programs.
One of the most successful athletic programs in college sports is Hopkins men’s lacrosse. Seven years after the university’s founding, in 1883, we fielded our first men’s lacrosse team. Since then, the Blue Jays have captured 44 national championships, including nine since men’s lacrosse was added to the NCAA’s list of sports.
Many students participate in one or more of the university’s ten intramural sports, which include 3-on-3 basketball, flag football, innertube water polo, and wallyball. These activities are offered in addition to varsity athletics. There are also about 40 club sports, including water polo, cricket, ultimate frisbee, ice hockey, badminton, Brazilian jujitsu, and—for aspiring wizards—Quidditch.
Student Clubs and Activities
Beyond the Johns Hopkins academic calendar schedule and activities are about 400 student-run organizations, and each one offers its members a distinctive learning environment. RSOs (registered student organizations) offer chances for leadership growth, making friends for life, honing interpersonal skills, and enhancing organization.
Your participation in a Johns Hopkins student organization, whether it be student government, sports clubs, theater groups, a fraternity or sorority, programming board, traditions committee, or simply a group centered on your favorite hobby will:
- Strengthen your ties to this outstanding university
- Assist you in developing relationships with instructors and staff, making connections with other students, and learning how to use Homewood’s administrative tools.
- By sharing your dedication and accountability with others, you can more easily collaborate with those who have different leadership philosophies.
Location
A classic college setting in the middle of a large metropolis is called Homewood: Imagine a city with a long history that has developed into a center of social, cultural, and commercial activity, complete with red-brick structures, tree-lined walkways, a recognizable clock tower, and large green quads. The campus is large and forested, like a park.
Most of Johns Hopkins undergraduates attend Homewood, the 140-acre North Baltimore campus where our School of Engineering and School of Arts & Sciences have both been located since 1914 and 1916, respectively.
At Homewood, which also houses dozens of research labs, two libraries, residential halls, administration buildings, and athletic and recreational facilities, approximately 5,000 undergrads currently enroll in courses offered by those two institutions
There is also a place we call The Beach where students may lay a blanket out on the grass and read, hang out with friends, or people-watch (unfortunately, there is no beach or waves here).
Many people ask about the review procedure when considering how to apply to Johns Hopkins. What transpires between the Johns Hopkins application deadline and Decision Day has been somewhat clarified by Johns Hopkins. The institution reviews applications holistically, which means that each application is considered as a whole and is not disqualified based just on one aspect. Thus, you should know well and comply the requirements before the Johns Hopkins application deadline.
If you consider attending Johns Hopkins, AdmissionSight can assist you in your preparations. With the tough college admissions, students will need help from college admissions experts, like AdmissionSight. Feel free to set up an initial consultation now.
