Frequently Asked Questions

Newly Admitted

My student is struggling with international student paperwork. Who can I contact for help?

Contact the Office of International Services at 667-208-7001 or ois@jhu.edu.

Our family has not received any emails with next steps.

Your student is receiving information via email sent to the email address they shared on their application. Have your student check this email account for important messages about next steps.

How do we sign up for the admitted student events?

Information about the schedule of programs for admitted students is available on the student decision portal. Students can sign up for these events through their portal. Questions about the events or registration should be directed to the Admissions Office. Their email address is gotojhu@jhu.edu.

How do I add an email address to receive newsletters?

Only students can add family members as authorized users to their account. This is done in SIS (Student Information System) that a student can access once they have received their Hopkins ID. Authorized users are automatically added to the distribution list for monthly emails from the Office of Family Engagement.

How do I get a US SIM card?

Visit the nearest Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T or Xfinity store. Note that a social security number (SSN) is required for all post-paid phone plans.

[back to top]


Academics

Where should I refer my student if he/she is struggling in classes?

We offer many resources for students who may be struggling in class and/or in need of additional support, including:

If your student is struggling in a class, you should also encourage them to meet and talk with their professor or advisor. Some schools, programs, or courses may have specific tutoring options.

How do I contact a professor?

Your student should be the one in contact with their professors. It’s a great way for your student to stay on top of their studies and grades. When your student is enrolled in class, the professor either hands out the syllabus or may have it available on Blackboard. This would include their office hours and contact information which generally includes an email and phone number. Due to FERPA, the professor may discuss academic related information only with their students.

What do I do if my student has a disability or needs additional assistance?

If your student has a disability and/or needs further assistance they should contact Student Disability Services.

How does my student register for classes?

It is highly encouraged that your student meet with his or her adviser at least once a semester to make sure that they are on track to graduate. Enrollment times vary depending on the status of your student (first-year, second-year, Junior, or Senior). Please visit the Registrar’s office for more information.

[back to top]


Campus Safety and Security

Where can I find out more about safety on JHU campus?

Campus Safety and Security strives to ensure that Johns Hopkins is a place where students, faculty, and staff are able to enjoy rewarding academic and social experiences.

Collaboration is an important part of our jobs. We work with other organizations on and off campus. For example, our officers attend meetings in sorority houses, fraternity houses and residence halls. We provide dozens of safety education programs and services to help students, faculty and staff, visitors and members of the surrounding communities. We work closely with the Baltimore City Police department and other law enforcement agencies to proactively reduce crime and address quality of life issues in our community.

Is there a service that will take my student to his or her car at night or other campus locations?

Students who don’t feel safe or are ill can call Campus Safety and Security for a walking or vehicle escort on or around campus.

What is the campus safety mailing list and where do I sign-up?

JHU proactively informs you about crimes that recently occurred on or near campus so you can take the appropriate precautions. They also work to prevent similar crimes and assist us in identifying offenders. Sign up for the campus safety mailing list.

How does my student download the LiveSafe mobile application?

Johns Hopkins is providing all students, faculty, and staff with the LiveSafe app, a safety tool that gives the community a quick, convenient, and discreet way to communicate with JHU Security.

Please download LiveSafe for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play to enhance your overall safety and allow Campus Safety and Security to better protect you. Students can also report anonymously information regarding criminal or suspicious activity.

Where does my student seek help if they need to report a sexual assault?

There are a number of resources available for students:

Sexual Assault Help Line. Talk with a counselor and seek support for emotional trauma. At the University, victims may speak with a confidential counselor by calling the University’s Sexual Assault Help Line (410-516-7333).

Report to Campus Security or Baltimore City Police. Timely and accurate reporting is critical to crime prevention. Everyone is reminded to contact Campus Safety and Security at 410-516-7777or Baltimore City Police at 911 immediately to report any suspicious person(s) or activity.

Title IX Coordinator/Office of Institutional Equity (titleixcoordinator@jhu.edu; (410)516-8091). The University prohibits sexual misconduct which includes sexual harassment, sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking. For more information and lists of additional resources, visit sexualassault.jhu.edu.

For more information please visit Title IX Coordinator/Office of Institutional Equity.

What is the plan for inclement weather?

Visit the Alerts page for current information regarding the university’s operational status, the university’s severe weather and university closure procedures, and off-campus weather closing procedures.

[back to top]


Life Design Lab

How can my student start to make connections with the Life Design Lab?

First-year students, second-year students and students who have not previously worked with the Life Design Lab should start by taking Careers 101 online. The course gives an overview of the Life Design Lab’s tools and the network of employers, alumni and others that are available to your student, and jump starts their personal and career development for the rest of their Hopkins tenure. After watching these videos, they should also sign onto the career portal Handshake and consider attending industry-focused Career Academy events.

What is a Career Academy?

Each Career Academy is an industry-focused community of students, student groups, faculty, alumni, parents and employers designed to align students’ academic experiences with their professional pursuits. Academies help students build their network, explore their industries of interest, receive industry-specific news, and attend tailored events. Academies include arts, media and marketing; consulting; finance; health sciences; nonprofit and government; and stem and innovation. Learn more about Career Academies.

How can my student meet with Life Design Lab Experts?

Students can set up appointments with academy-specific Life Design Educators (formerly Career Coaches) after completing Careers 101. Coaches help students explore their interests, present their brand effectively, identify great opportunities, and build their network by connecting with professionals in their industries of interest.

The office also offers drop-in hours in Garland Hall and around campus so students can polish their resumes or interview techniques, etc. Drop-in hours can be found on Handshake or by calling 410-516-8056.

How does my student get an internship or a job?

Coming to Life Design Lab events and staying active on Handshake gives students the most opportunities to attend information sessions, apply for jobs, interview with companies on campus, and more.

More than 1,500 jobs and internships are posted on Handshake every month, and students on Handshake can receive newsletter updates from the Life Design Lab on new job and internship posts and networking opportunities. Parents also play an instrumental role in adding internship opportunities at their employers to the Handshake inventory through the Parents Internship Network (PIN). Read more about the Parents Internship Network.

[back to top]


Community Living

Who do I contact about on-campus or off-campus housing?

If your student is going to be living on campus you can contact Housing and Residential Life at 410-516-8283 or residentiallife@jhu.edu.

I want to mail large items to my residence hall. When can I do so?

Starting one week prior to move in, residence halls will begin to accept packages for your student. The date for accepting packages will be announced on the Move-In page.

Where should I be looking for off-campus housing?

The Off-Campus Housing office provides information to members of the Johns Hopkins community searching for housing near the Homewood Campus. They are here to help students who are not required to reside in University Housing as well as faculty and staff. We maintain a database with private residential and commercial properties in the area that offer leases of various lengths, including month-to-month. In addition to our website and database, our office is equipped with computers, phones, informational brochures and resources for you to utilize during your search for off-campus housing.

For more information, please visit Community Living.

What should I advise my student to do if there is a conflict with his/her roommate?

If your student is having conflicts with his/her roommate, encourage them to first sit down with their roommate to try and resolve the situation. If they are unable to resolve it amicably then they should speak with their Residential Advisor (RA). RA’s are trained to assist students with roommate issues. The Office of Residential Life also has other hall staff available to help with mediating roommate conflicts.

I want to mail large items to my residence hall. When can I do so?

Usually, starting one week prior to move in, residence halls will begin to accept packages for your student. The exact date has not been determined yet, but keep an eye on the Move-In page for updates.

What do I do if my student is struggling with homesickness?

It is normal for students to struggle with being homesick, especially if this is the first time they are spending a significant period of time away from home. One of the best ways to help students feel more comfortable with being away from home is to encourage them to get involved. There are many opportunities for your student to get involved and make new friends.

[back to top]


Dining

What exactly is the J-card used for?

It’s the students ID and library card. It’s your key. It’s your wallet. The J-Card gets your student into residence halls, the library, academic buildings, and other campus facilities. It’s also as good as cash: You can store money on your J-Card and use it to buy food and other items on- and off-campus. Make copies, do laundry, buy a pizza. Visit the J-Card website for more information.

Where can my student eat on campus?

There are a variety of on-campus dining locations for students as well as a number of off-campus merchants that accept J-Cards.

[back to top]


Financial Aid

How do I apply for financial aid?

Use the JHU Net Price Calculator to get an estimate of what you’d pay to attend Johns Hopkins. Even if you are not looking to apply immediately, or even this year, it is still a good place to start understanding the cost of a college education. You can create “what if” scenarios based on expected family income and anticipated expenses, and start to plan and save well before applying to college. Learn more about how to apply for aid.

How do I pay tuition and fees for my student?

To find out more about student account information your student will need to log into SIS.

To pay the actual bill please visit the Student Accounts office.

[back to top]


Health Services

If my student gets sick, what is the best place for them to go?

Student Health and Wellness Center is a convenient place for your student to seek treatment. Health Services is available to all students who are registered for at least one credit hour and have been assessed on-campus tuition and fees.

Learn more about student health benefits.

Where can my student work out?

Ralph S. O’Connor Center for Recreation and Well-Being is the ideal place for cardiovascular activities, weight lifting, intramural sports, and much more.

What is the nearest pharmacy to Johns Hopkins University?

There are several pharmacies located near the Homewood campus. View a complete list of local pharmacies.

Why was my student charged for health insurance?

There is no charge for office visits. Visiting students pay a nominal fee-for-service.

There are charges for laboratory tests, injections, immunizations, medications, and medical supplies. Please talk to your health care provider for details.

[back to top]


Involvement

How can my student get involved?

If your student is looking to get involved encourage them to visit the Student Leadership and Involvement office in the Mattin Building. They oversee all of JHU’s student organizations and will get your student connected with one of our 350+ organizations. Student Leadership and Involvement can also help your student start their own organization. For more information, visit Student Leadership and Involvement

My student is interested in Fraternity and Sorority Life. How do they get involved?

Each social fraternity and sorority on our campus reports to one of our four councils. The Panhellenic Council (PHC) recognizes nine sororities. The Interfraternity Council (IFC) recognizes 69 international and national organizations. Intercultural Greek Council National recognizes 8 historically-base fraternities and sororities on campus. These organizations are represented nationally by several governing organizations including: the National APIA Panhellenic Association (NAPA), the National Association for Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO), the National Multicultural Greek Council (NMGC), and the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). The purpose of IGC supports the development of brotherhood and sisterhood, leadership, community service and philanthropy. For more information, please visit the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life website.

[back to top]


Registrar

What is FERPA and why is it important to understand?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law designed to protect the privacy of a student’s education record and prohibits the university from disclosing information from those records without the written consent of the student. More detailed information on FERPA is available on the Registrar’s website.

[back to top]


Transportation

What are the different transportation options on campus?

Students have several options to get around campus as well around the city of Baltimore. To find our more information about these resources, please visit the JHU Transportation Services website.

How do I get to campus from the airport?

  1. From BWI
    1. Take a rideshare to 3400 N Charles St, Baltimore MD, 21218
    2. Take the MARC/Amtrak to Penn Station and then take the JHMI/CityLink Silver/ Purple Charm City Circulator
  2. From DCA
    1. Take a rideshare to 3400 N Charles St, Baltimore MD, 21218
    2. Take the yellow/blue line to Gallery Place Chinatown. Take the red line from Gallery Place China Town to Union Station. Take the MARC/Amtrak from Union Station to Penn Station and then take the JHMI/CityLink Silver/ Purple Charm City Circulator
  3. From IAD
    1. Take a rideshare to 3400 N Charles St, Baltimore MD, 21218
    2. Take the silver line to Metro Center. Take the red line from Metro Center to Union Station. Take the MARC/Amtrak from Union Station to Penn Station and then take the JHMI/CityLink Silver/ Purple Charm City Circulator

[back to top]