Johns Hopkins SAIS

The application period for Fall 2008 is now closed. We are not accepting any more applications for Fall 2008. Application materials and deadlines for Spring 2009 and Fall 2009 will be available on this webpage beginning in September 2008.

Helpful Hints for SAIS Applicants

Take your GRE, GMAT, TOEFL and/or IELTS well in advance of the application deadline and make sure you have the correct school code.
Request transcripts from ALL college level institutions early and request them early. This includes transfer and study abroad courses – while credits for these may appear on your undergraduate transcript, the course names and grades do not.
Encourage your references to use SAIS’s secure online recommendation form (only available for online applicants).
If you are using a paper application, gather all of your application materials and submit them as one complete package.
If you are using the online application, gather all your paper materials and submit them as one complete package.
Never open a sealed transcript or recommendation; we cannot accept these materials if they have been opened.
Always keep a few extra official, sealed transcripts for your own records.
Submit your application as early as possible. Late applications cannot be accepted.
If you have had a name change at any time, be sure to include an explanation along with documentation of the name change to ensure that all your materials are processed appropriately.
If submitting an online application, double-check to make sure that you have uploaded all the appropriate essays and your resume.
Please do not submit materials that are not required or are unrelated to the application process.
We can only guarantee that the first two recommendations received will be considered; please keep in mind that extraneous references may not be read.
Please adhere to the word-count limit for your essays; longer is not necessarily better.

The SAIS Admissions Office strongly prefers that applicants submit online applications as early as possible and before the appropriate deadlines. Additionally, applicants must gather and mail all supporting hard copy credentials to our office by the appropriate deadline. Individuals submitting incomplete applications will not be admitted to SAIS. Please use the Checklist as a guide to ensure that all required materials are sent to our office in a timely manner.

Students interested in attending either the M.A. or the M.I.P.P. program in Washington, DC should apply directly to the Washington, DC office.

Non-U.S. citizens interested in attending the Bologna Center for their first year of M.A. study or for the M.I.P.P. degree should apply directly to the Bologna Center. Candidates may not apply simultaneously to both the Bologna Center and the Washington, DC, campuses.

U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents interested in attending the Bologna Center for the first year of M.A. study or for the M.I.P.P. degree should apply to the Washington, DC office and indicate their desire to study at the Bologna Center by checking the appropriate box on the application form. Certain degree programs (such as Middle East Studies or any of the Asia Studies Programs) are not eligible for study at the Bologna Center. Please check the program information for whether your chosen field of concentration is eligible for study at the Bologna Center.

Please select the campus to which you intend to apply carefully as admissions are campus-specific and for the full academic year.

All application materials must be received by the Admissions Office no later than the appropriate deadline listed above.

APPLICATION FEE
$90 for paper format applications, $75 for online applications. Payment forms accepted include personal check, Visa or Mastercard.

APPLICATION FORM
Either submitted electronically via SAIS’s online form or in hard copy via postal mail. Faxed or e-mailed applications will not be accepted.

RESUME
All applicants must submit a résumé or curriculum vitae as part of the application package. Online applicants may submit these items electronically.

TRANSCRIPTS
Applicants must submit official, sealed transcripts reflecting all university-level course work. Transcripts from transfer or study abroad credits are required unless both the grades and credits are reflected on the primary undergraduate transcript. Transcripts in languages other than English must be accompanied by an official translation of the entire transcript and an explanation of the grading system of the university. Transcripts that have been opened will not be accepted as official.

Economics course work and grades described in the application form should be reflected on transcripts submitted. If the economics course work will be completed between the time of application and the time of enrollment at SAIS, transcripts must be submitted to the Admissions Office as soon as the courses are completed and before an applicant’s first semester begins. Applicants who have taken economics courses not entitled “Intro/Principles of Microeconomics” or “Intro/Principles of Macroeconomics,” and who wish to have these courses considered as equivalents, should include course descriptions and/or syllabi in conjunction with official transcripts.

If you have ever been suspended or expelled from an academic institution or failed a class for academic dishonesty, please include a brief explanation on a separate sheet of paper.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Hard copy recommendation forms are provided in the application packet. Users of hard copy forms should request that confidential recommendations be returned to them in sealed envelopes, to be included unopened in the application package. In cases where a university collects a dossier of recommendations for its alumni, it is permissible to have the institution forward recommendations directly to SAIS. Recommendations submitted through the online service are sent to SAIS Admissions electronically and should not be printed in hard copy by the recommender for submission by the applicant.

STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES
Official copies of standardized test score reports must be sent directly to our office by the appropriate testing agency. Photocopies of score reports may be submitted, but only official scores received from the appropriate testing agency will fulfill this requirement. Applicants should take the appropriate exam(s) and request that score reports be sent to SAIS by the respective application deadline.

The GRE and TOEFL exams are administered by the educational Testing Service (ETS); the SAIS ETS code is 5610-0000. No department code is required (“0000”). For information on test sites and dates visit http://www.ets.org.

The GMAT exam is administered by the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC); the SAIS GMAC code is KGB-GX-99. For information on test sites and dates visit http://www.mba.com.

Please note that SAIS is unable to receive any ETS, GMAC or IELTS score reports that have been submitted to other divisions of Johns Hopkins University.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FORMS
Applicants who would like to be considered for financial assistance must submit the appropriate Application for Financial Assistance no later than February 15. Applications and additional information can be found at http://www.sais-jhu.edu/studentservices/financial_aid/sais_finaid_apps.html. Financial aid applications should be mailed directly t SAIS Office of Financial Aid, 1740 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036.

To obtain a visa eligbility document (I-20 or DS-2019), which is required to obtain a visa or to transfer your visa to The Johns Hopkins University, you must submit financial documentation that consists of an original bank statement and/or an offer of scholarship that confirms funding for at least one year of study. Please note that the verification of financial resources is not associated with the admissions review process.

Below you will find the necessary paperwork required by Johns Hopkins to process your immigration document request. We strongly encourage you to submit the attached form, along with supporting financial verification during the application process. If you are still assembling your graduate school funding, please submit documentation as soon as it is available. If admitted to the program, following these guidelines will significantly expedite the processing of your visa.