Johns Hopkins University hosts several programs designed to give undergraduate students visiting from other institutions access to JHU’s world-class resources, labs, staff, and faculty, and to engage with a national community of undergraduate researchers.
Richard Macksey National Undergraduate Humanities Research Symposium
Each spring, URSCA hosts the annual Macksey Symposium, which brings together students across all fields of the humanities to present their work to a national audience. Humanities-based research from undergraduates currently enrolled at any two- or four-year college or university is eligible for the symposium, held at Hopkins each March.
Learn more about the Macksey Symposium on the conference webpage, and find further details on the Apply page and the Attendance Information page.
Summer Programs
Various JHU academic departments and programs offer fully funded summer research experiences for visiting undergraduates. Accepted students spend 10 weeks living at Hopkins and participating in rigorous, faculty-mentored research projects in labs and research sites across the university.
Amgen Scholars Program
Johns Hopkins University accepts approximately 10 students per year to the Amgen Scholars U.S. Program, an undergraduate summer research experience in science and biotechnology. The Amgen Scholars Program is hosted by universities around the world and aims to provide undergraduates with the opportunity to engage in hands-on research.
Students selected for this intensive research program receive a competitive summer stipend and are housed on or near the Hopkins campus, in a community with other summer researchers. They also attend the annual Amgen Scholars U.S. Symposium. In addition to research with a faculty member, scholars participate in professional development workshops and community-building activities with the Amgen Director. At the end of the program, Amgen scholars present their research at the Hopkins Summer Research Symposium.
Students with reduced opportunities at their home institutions, first-generation college students, and students with financial need are especially encouraged to apply.
During the 10-week program, students work full-time on independent research projects under the guidance of a Hopkins faculty member, where they will have the opportunity to conduct research, analyze data, network with their peers, and build a faculty-mentor relationship. As part of the application process students are asked to identify potential mentors from the departments/fields below.
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences
- Biomedical Engineering
- Biophysics
- Chemistry
- Department of Biophysics & Biophysical Chemistry
- Department of Biology
There is also a non-exhaustive list of potential mentors from these departments available on this spreadsheet.
Eligibility
Please read the below eligibility criteria carefully. There are no exceptions to any of the listed requirements.
- Available in person for the entire duration of the program (May 31, 2026 – August 8, 2026)
- Previous research experience helpful but not required
- U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident
- Undergraduate enrolled in accredited four-year college or university in the United States, Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories
- Sophomore (with four quarters or three semesters of college experience), junior, or non-graduating senior (who are returning in the fall to continue undergraduate studies)
- A cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or above
- An interest in pursuing a PhD
Apply
The application for the Amgen Scholars Program at Johns Hopkins University opens on November 1, 2025. Applications are due by February 1, 2026.
Research Experiences for Undergraduates
Johns Hopkins hosts several Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs each year, which are funded in part or in full by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Participants come from universities nationwide to participate in summer REUs in fields ranging from nanotechnology to genetics, each managed by the primary investigator of a JHU research lab. REU scholars also participate in professional development workshops and community-building activities hosted by URSCA, and present their research at the Hopkins Summer Search Symposium in August.