5 Things You Need to Know About Summer at Hopkins

Published February 22, 2023

If you’re considering enrolling in a pre-college summer program or taking undergraduate summer courses at Johns Hopkins University, you probably have questions. Will you earn college credit? Do you have to be on campus to be part of Summer at Hopkins? And how can you choose just one topic to study this summer (good news: you don’t have to!). The Summer at Hopkins website has everything you need to know to start your academic adventure, but we’ve highlighted some key details below.

1: You Will Earn College Credit

All Summer at Hopkins’ online and on-campus pre-college summer programs offer one college credit for each successfully completed two-week session. If you’re interested in enrolling in undergraduate courses—whether you’re a JHU student, a visiting undergraduate, or a qualified pre-college student—you should know that we offer more than 80 courses throughout the summer with varying session lengths and covering a wide variety of topics. On-campus courses run for five weeks, while online and undergraduate courses are five, six, eight, or ten weeks in length. All JHU undergraduate courses earn college credit. After completing your Summer at Hopkins program or course, you’ll be able to order your official academic transcript and see the grading assessment used at Johns Hopkins University.

2: You Can Study Online or Onsite

Summer at Hopkins offers in-person pre-college programs and undergraduate courses on JHU’s flagship Homewood Campus, as well as online programs and courses delivered primarily asynchronously. As a pre-college student living and learning on campus, you will stay in a Johns Hopkins residence hall with your peers, make use of JHU’s state-of-the-art facilities, and take field trips to nearby attractions. You might also opt to study on campus as a commuter student. If you enroll as an online student, you will complete your coursework on a flexible schedule but will also have the ability to interact with your classmates and instructor and engage in online clubs and other activities.

3: You Can Attend as an International Student

As a Summer at Hopkins pre-college or undergraduate student, you will join students from more than 75 countries, all of whom bring their unique perspectives and backgrounds. Our international students web page offers all the information you will need to apply, enroll, and attend Summer at Hopkins, either online or in person. If you plan to study on campus this summer as an international student, be sure to apply early to allow enough time to complete the visa process.

4: You Can Study More Than One Subject

Want to explore molecular biology and hone your creative writing skills this summer? Our two-week pre-college summer programs offer a deep dive into one study subject at a time, but that doesn’t mean you’re limited to one topic for the summer. You can enroll in one, two, or all three of our pre-college program sessions, taking a different course of study in each. And if you study online, you can even enroll in more than one pre-college program per session. If you are enrolling in JHU’s Summer Term undergraduate courses, you may also enroll in more than one course at a time, up to a maximum of seven credits in a single session or 14 credits for the summer term.

5: You Will Make Connections That Last a Lifetime

Your academic course work will boost your knowledge, skills, and résumé, but you shouldn’t underestimate the lasting impact of connecting and collaborating within a community of academically oriented peers and exceptional instructors. Whether you’re side-by-side in the medical lab and bonding over the challenges of intubating a mock patient; debating the best materials for the space telescope you’re designing; or simply reaching out to your instructor to discuss the latest challenging problem in your online differential equations course, you’ll reap the rewards of working with others who value knowledge and discovery. A full roster of non-academic activities—from field trips, to movie nights, to online clubs—offers the chance to relax and unwind with your peers, as well.