Graduate Admissions

To be admitted to a graduate program in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, students must submit credentials that demonstrate they will be able to complete the requirements for a graduate degree within a reasonable time frame.

All applicants are required to complete the online application. Applicants are urged to submit all required supplementary materials electronically; doing so will avoid delays in processing your admissions file.

Begin your online application by creating an account.

NOTE: U.S. Social Security numbers are included as part of student tuition information for U.S. taxes (IRS Form 1098-T) and are used for enrollment verification through the National Student Clearinghouse. If you have a valid social security number it is to your advantage to use it, although it is not required. After the first day of classes, any change to your government ID requires presentation of your Social Security card to the Office of the Registrar.

Obtain an unofficial transcript (or transcripts)

You will need to upload unofficial transcripts from every college or university you have attended.

Obtain your letters of recommendation

• Three letters of recommendation are required for PhD applications and should be submitted before the application deadline in order for your application to be fully considered.
• Two letters of recommendation are required for applications to the MSE program and the concurrent BS/MSE program.

Prepare your Statement of Purpose

Applicants are required to submit a statement of purpose through their online application. The uploaded file cannot exceed 500KB in size. The document must also adhere to 1-inch margins and, typically, should not exceed three pages.

The Whiting School of Engineering does not require GRE General Test scores for applications to our master’s and PhD programs.

TOEFL and IELTS score submission for applicants whose native language is not English/international students

A TOEFL score of 100 is required for international applicants from non-English speaking countries. More information about English proficiency requirements can be found here.

NOTE: Professional credential evaluation is not required for an admissions decision, provided that the applicant’s transcript is provided in English. However, if you are admitted, you will need to provide professional credential evaluation. The TOEFL score can be waived if the applicant has received, or expects to receive, a BS or MS degree from an institution in an English-speaking country prior to commencing graduate studies at Johns Hopkins.

A minimum IELTS score of 7.0 is required for applicants whose native language is not English.

Financial assistance for graduate students is available through teaching or research assistantships, fellowships, and partial or full tuition remission. The actual financial aid package is specified upon your acceptance into the graduate program. Current financial aid packages include full tuition support and a stipend. Outstanding applicants are automatically considered for departmental fellowship awards. No special application is required. Second-year MSE students are encouraged to apply for a scholarship that provides 80 percent tuition remission to eligible students.

Financial assistance for the department’s graduate program comes from many sources outside the university, including research grants from federal agencies, grants from industry, corporations and foundations, and gifts from individual alumni and friends. Department sponsors are listed on this page. The Department acknowledges their valuable assistance.

Q: Can you verify that you’ve received all of my application materials?
A: To verify receipt of your application items, please contact the Graduate Admissions Office. The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering will not be able to verify this information.

Q: What are the minimum GPA, GRE and TOEFL/IELTS scores?
A: There are no minimum score requirements for GRE or GPA for an application to be considered. We do have a minimum TOEFL score of 100 or IELTS score of 7.0.

Q: What are the average GPA, GRE, and TOEFL/IELTS scores for applicants?

A: We do not calculate average scores of applicants, nor do we release information about applicants’ scores and GPAs. An average score would have no bearing on an individual applicant’s qualifications or chances of admission.

Q: I am unhappy with my GRE, TOEFL, or IELTS score. May I retake the test and have the new score submitted?

A: Yes, the Office of Graduate Admissions will automatically connect the new score to your application once the ETS submits it. While it is recommended that the new score arrive before the application submission deadline, we will accept it after the deadline given a reasonable amount of time.

Q: What if my TOEFL score is below the minimum of 100?
A: The TOEFL score requirement is enforced in most cases. Your application will be reviewed by the admissions committee, but a score below the minimum may reduce your chances for receiving an offer. The admissions process is competitive and most applicants will meet or exceed that minimum threshold.

Q: If I’m an international student graduating from an institution in the U.S., can I receive a TOEFL waiver?
A:Yes. If you are receiving a degree (either bachelors or masters) from a college or university in the United States, you do NOT need to provide a TOEFL score.

Q: Do I need to individually contact professors whose work I am interested in?

A: There is no need for you to individually contact professors during the admissions process. However, if you have an interest in a particular professor or professors’ research, you are welcome to make that interest evident in your application.

Q: When can I expect to hear about admissions decisions?
A: Once admissions decisions are made, applicants will receive notification at the e-mail address provided in the application. No automatic notifications about application statuses will be provided until decisions are made. Please note that we do have a waiting list and several rounds of acceptances. Applicants can expect results between mid-February and late April.

Q: Can admitted applicants visit the department before making their decision?

A: We host an annual Graduate Visit Day by invitation only to certain admitted students. Unsolicited requests to visit during Graduate Visit Day will not be considered. Applicants and potential students are welcome to arrange a time to visit the department on their own and at their own cost. To arrange a visit, please contact the department by email to [email protected] and provide the following information:

• Your resume or CV
• Your Statement of Purpose
• Which degree you’d like to earn – masters, doctoral, or both
• Which professors and labs you would like to visit in our department
• When you would like to visit
• Any other information that you’d like our professors to know ahead of time
• Any questions that you have for us.