Admissions

Application materials include:

  • Academic transcripts
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Resume/CV
  • We encourage (but do not require) applicants to report scores for the GRE general and GRE chemistry subject tests. Applicants who feel that GRE scores support their case are welcome to include them. Our application review process is holistic, and the Graduate Admissions Committee believes that standardized test scores represent only one piece of a candidate’s profile. Applicants for whom taking the GRE presents a burden or who feel it does not represent their skills are free to not include them.
  • The application fee is $75. However, fee waivers may be requested for applicants that have documentation showing they are a part of SACNAS, MARCC, oSTEM and many other organizations. To access the full list to see if you qualify, go to the Krieger Graduate Admission and Enrollment page

Please submit all application materials (including letters of recommendation) by December 15, 2023 to receive full consideration. Those applying to the Vivien Thomas Scholars program must apply by December 1, 2023. Although additional materials submitted past this date will still be considered, the graduate admissions committee will commence reviewing applications on December 15th, 2023.

Assistance with the application process is available. Candidates with questions about the application process, or requests for a GRE General Test waiver (or on other matters related to the application) should contact the Admissions Committee’s Academic Affairs Administrator:

Academic Affairs Administrator
Johns Hopkins University
Department of Chemistry
3400 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
410-516-7427
Fax: 410-516-8420
chem.grad.adm@jhu.edu

There are no fixed requirements for admission. Undergraduate majors in chemistry, biology, earth sciences, mathematics, or physics may apply as well as all well-qualified individuals who will have received a BA degree before matriculation.

A select number of applicants will be invited to visit campus (virtually for international candidates and in-person for domestic candidates) to tour our facilities and interact with our faculty members and their lab members. The virtual tour is tentatively scheduled for February 23, 2024 while the in-person tour will take place on March 8-9, 2024.

Apply

Admissions Statistics

The Chemistry program is committed to transparency in admissions. To access the latest published data, please visit the OIR statistics page, select ‘Division-Natural Sciences’, ‘Program-Chemistry’.

Visiting Campus

The JHU Department of Chemistry is located in Remsen Hall and the New Chemistry Building, located on the Homewood Campus in Baltimore, Maryland. Plan a visit.

Financial Aid and Admissions

About 80 fellowships, research appointments, and teaching assistantships are available for graduate students.

Vivien Thomas PhD Scholars

The Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative (VTSI) is an endowed fellowship program at Johns Hopkins for STEM PhD students. It provides full tuition, stipend, benefits, targeted mentoring, and professional development. Students who have attended a historically black college and university or other minority serving institution for undergraduate study are eligible.

There is no additional application. To be considered for the VTSI, all components of the PhD application, including supplemental components, special VSTI questions, and letters of recommendation must be completed by December 1, 2023, even if the program deadline is later.

Nathaniel Boggs Memorial Fellowship

The Nathaniel Boggs, Jr. Ph.D., Memorial Fellowship was established in 1999 by university trustee Paula Boggs, A&S ’81. It’s in memory of her father, who received Howard University’s first Ph.D. in biology. The fellowship provides a substantial stipend to the awardee.

Candidates for a fellowship must have an undergraduate degree from a historically black college or university, and pursue graduate work in select fields within the natural or physical sciences. Candidates will be selected on the basis of their academic performance, including GPA. 

Fields of study include biology, biophysics, chemistry, earth and planetary sciences, mathematics, and physics and astronomy. Interested candidates should contact their prospective department to inquire about the fellowship.

Kelly Miller Fellowship

Kelly Miller was the first African-American student to enroll at Johns Hopkins in 1887. He left the university before he completed his graduate degree, but later became a longtime professor of mathematics at Howard University, and a dean of arts and sciences. Students who have attended a historically black college and university or other minority serving institution for undergraduate study are eligible.

The fellowship provides a stipend for the first two years of the student’s program, and a research fund to be used in the course of the fellow’s graduate career. There are currently 10 fellowships available per year.

Relocation Funds for Incoming Graduate Students

We recognize that it can be financially burdensome to relocate to a new city to attend a Ph.D. program. Students who are accepted to Ph.D. programs at JHU can apply to receive a $1500 need-based grant to offset the costs of relocating to JHU.

These grants provide funding to a portion of incoming students who, without this money, may otherwise not be able to afford to relocate to JHU for their Ph.D. program.

This is not a merit-based grant. Applications will be evaluated solely based on financial need.