551 students recently discovered that all their hard work had paid off when receiving Early Decision I acceptances from Johns Hopkins University. While the highly selective research institution has yet to release its ED I acceptance rate, opting to keep this figure close to the vest in line with many of its elite university peers this year, they’ve still shared some insightful information on this new crop of Blue Jays. While JHU conducts a second round of Early Decision admissions, the appropriately named ED II round is released shortly before Regular Decision notifications. So, just like the kid who asks out his senior prom date in his junior year, the ED I data represents the cohort of students who knew what they wanted, committed early, and reaped the benefits.

A JHU press release states, “The remainder of the Class of 2029 will be selected from the Early Decision II and Regular Decision applicant pools. Early Decision II and Regular Decision applications are due by 11:59 p.m. EST on Jan. 2. Early Decision II decisions will be released Feb. 14, and regular admissions decisions will be announced March 21.”

Once Johns Hopkins releases the ED I acceptance rate, which they are bound to do by the time the federally-mandated Common Data Set rolls around, Ivy Coach will be the first to report back. In the meantime, let’s look at the recent history of Early Decision acceptances at this Baltimore-based school:

JHU’s Combined Early Decision I + II Admissions Statistics over 4 Years

Johns Hopkins Class Year	Early Decision Applications Received	Early Decision Acceptances	Early Decision Acceptance Rate
Class of 2029	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published
Class of 2028	6,266	853	13.61%
Class of 2027	5,654	834	14.75%
Class of 2026	5,583	849	15.34%

For admission to the Class of 2028, 6,266 students applied in the ED I and ED II rounds, while only 853, or 13,61%, were admitted. The prior year, 5,654 students applied for 834 slots, resulting in a 14.75% Early acceptance rate. And for the Class of 2026, the ED acceptance rate was even higher. 15.34%, or 849 applicants, were chosen out of a pool of 5,583. 

While this trend might seem to suggest that JHU, once all is said and done, will report the largest applicant pool and lowest acceptance rate in recent history, it’s unclear if this will really be the case. For one thing, elite schools across America have had abysmal Early-round showings due to bad press incurred in the wake of this past year of campus antisemitism. Moreover, JHU has decided to maintain its test-optional policy for this cycle, opting to phase back into required standardized tests next year. This means that “squeakers,” or out-of-their-depth students without the academic chops who apply to schools with lenient testing policies, will still be in this pool, inflating the overall numbers. 

A Breakdown of JHU’s Class of 2029 ED I Applicants

While we don’t know a ton of information about this new cohort of admits, JHU did share that 87% held part-time jobs, internships, or summer jobs during high school, while 53% were active in the arts, 61% were involved in athletics, and 43% were engaged in policy, civic engagement, or advocacy work.

Of the admitted students, 20% will be the first in their families to attend college, and 61% attend a public high school. 68% plan to enroll in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, and the remainder plan to enroll in the Whiting School of Engineering.

Ivy Coach’s Assistance with a JHU Deferral

If you’ve been deferred to JHU’s Class of 2029, this is not the end of your road. Hold onto hope, and in the meantime, Ivy Coach’s team of former elite college admissions officers is here to help you dissect what went wrong and optimize your odds of admission. Fill out our complimentary consultation form to learn more about our go-forward services, including a PostMortem for denied candidates and a PostMortem followed by assistance crafting a powerful Letter of Continued Interest for deferred candidates.