Economics > Graduate > Admissions

We only admit students for the fall semester. The application deadline is January 1 2025. We especially welcome applications from underrepresented minorities, as diversity is important in our graduate program. 

We receive about 400 completed applications for a target incoming class of about 8. The admission of each applicant is decided by the department as a whole and rests upon the applicants:

  • Academic record (especially economics and mathematics courses)
  • GRE scores, especially quantitative
  • Recommendations from scholars and instructors
  • Other pertinent information, including work experience, or the match between the research interests of the applicant and the faculty

All applicants will be notified by email. We request that applicants do not ask us to make a preliminary evaluation. This program does not accept transfer students. 

Apply Now

Requirements

All requirements, the application, and more details can be found on the Graduate Admissions and Enrollment | Johns Hopkins University (jhu.edu).

  • Unofficial transcripts from all previous college and university study. Applicants will be unable to complete and submit the online application if unofficial transcripts are not included. If your transcripts are not issued in English, you must submit documents both in the original language and English translation from a professional third party service. 
  • At least two letters of recommendation. Letters should come from individuals who can comment on your scholarly skills.
  • GRE scores. Admitted students nearly always have very high quantitative GRE scores.
  • Foreign applicants must also take the TOEFL or IELTS. All applicants who have not completed a post-secondary degree involving at least two-years of full-time study in the United States or an exempt country must take the TOEFL or the IELTS.  The test must have been taken within the previous two years.  The department requires TOEFL with a minimum score of 100 (internet-based), 600 (paper-based) or 250 (computer-based), or IELTS with a bandscore of 7 in place of the TOEFL. The TSE is not required.

Students should have a knowledge of economic theory and statistics and a strong background in mathematics, including differential and integral calculus and linear algebra. Almost all of our students enter with at least two semesters of calculus and linear algebra. In admissions decisions, we like applicants to have taken other mathematics courses as well, including more advanced calculus, differential equations, probability, and real analysis.

STEM Classification

The graduate program’s CIP code is 45.0603, “Econometrics and Quantitative Economics.”  This code is included in the Department of Homeland Security’s STEM Designated Degree Program List.