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Coronavirus Information

Additional policy revisions and extended deadlines for KSAS and WSE undergraduates

April 10, 2020

Dear Students:

Thank you again for your flexibility and dedication to your studies during this difficult time. As we all work through adjusting our plans for the semester amid the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are making several policy and deadline changes that we hope will ease some of the unexpected financial and academic pressures many of you may face.

Financial Aid Expected Summer Savings
Students receiving need-based financial aid are typically expected to contribute earnings from a summer job ($1,800 for first-year students and $2,600 for sophomores, juniors, and seniors) to help pay for expenses during the following academic year. However, given the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have chosen to waive those requirements for the 2020–21 academic year and to replace the funds with an institutional grant.

Medical or Emergency Leave of Absence Tuition Adjustment
We are extending the deadline to request a leave of absence and receive a partial tuition refund this semester to 4 p.m. on Friday, April 17 (previously it was March 27). The last day to take a leave of absence for the spring 2020 semester is May 1, and there is no opportunity for a tuition refund from April 18 to May 1.

To take a leave of absence, students must request either a medical leave or an emergency leave through the Office of Student Outreach and Support as described in the academic catalog. International students must also consult the Office of International Services regarding the implications of a leave of absence to their immigration status prior to finalizing any leave.

  • Students who make a request before the deadline and are granted a leave of absence will receive a 40 percent refund of their tuition for the semester, which is $11,070 as per the published tuition refund schedule.
  • Institutional financial aid and scholarships will be adjusted by the same rate.
  • Students not receiving federal financial aid may apply the credit to future expenses if they provide the university with a written authorization to do so. Please email homewoodstudentaccounts@jhu.edu with your request no later than Monday, April 20.
  • If you have a student or parent loan processed through the Financial Aid Office and wish to use the credit to reduce or eliminate your spring semester loan, please email fin_aid@jhu.edu to let us know how much of the credit you want applied to the spring total no later than Monday, April 20.
  • Only Homewood undergraduates paying full-time tuition are eligible.

For a student who takes a leave of absence, the need-based financial aid will be reinstated when the student returns to Hopkins as long as the student submits all the required application materials, continues to demonstrate need, and meets Satisfactory Academic Progress standards. Students who will need a ninth semester of study in order to meet degree requirements due to their COVID-19 leave of absence will also be eligible to receive a ninth semester of financial aid. This does not apply to students who were already on an approved leave of absence for the spring 2020 semester only prior to the COVID-19 response announced on Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Merit scholarships, such as Hodson Trust, Westgate, and state of Maryland awards will not be renewed beyond eight semesters. If you have private scholarships, you will need to check the organization’s policy. If you have any financial aid–related questions, do not hesitate to contact the Financial Aid Office.

Deadline to Drop a Course
The deadline to drop a course, previously extended to April 10, has now been extended to 4 p.m. on Friday, April 17. The deadline to withdraw from a course remains Monday, May 4. This deadline extension is intended to allow students more time to consider their educational options for summer 2020 and beyond. Students must remain enrolled in at least 12 credits to maintain full-time status and to remain in good academic standing, except for certain students graduating in May 2020, as described below.

Enrollment Adjustments for May 2020 Graduates
Students graduating in May 2020 who needed fewer than 12 credits in the spring 2020 semester to meet degree requirements will be permitted to petition to drop the courses they don’t need. Petitions will require review and approval by the student’s advising office and must be initiated before 4 p.m. on April 17. If approved, the schools will permit these students to adjust their registration to part-time for the spring 2020 term.

  • To request conversion to part-time status and the corresponding tuition adjustment, eligible students should use either the KSAS Petition to Request Part-Time Status for Spring 2020 or the WSE Petition to Request Part-Time Status for Spring 2020.
  • Students graduating in May 2020 will receive a 40 percent refund of the per-credit tuition rate associated with the number of credits they are dropping below the 12-credit full-time minimum, or $738 per credit hour based upon the per-credit tuition rate of $1,845. Institutional financial aid and scholarships will be adjusted at the same rate.
  • Students graduating in May 2020 who submit petitions should continue participating in classes and completing all required coursework and exams while their petitions are being reviewed.
  • Students graduating in May 2020 who have already been approved for a reduced course load through Student Disabilities Services are also eligible to convert to part-time status with the same tuition adjustment described above. Such students should notify their academic advising office.
  • A change to below half-time status (fewer than six credits) may accelerate repayment schedules for federal and private student loans.
  • To be eligible, students must have already applied for and be eligible for graduation in May 2020, completed 100 credit hours in residence by the end of the spring 2020 term, completed at least four semesters at Hopkins, and have no further requirements than may be satisfied through successful completion of any remaining spring 2020 course enrollments.
  • International students on visas that require full-time status are not eligible.

Academic advisers will need to confirm that a student petitioning for part-time status is eligible for May 2020 graduation and that any courses dropped will not prevent graduation in spring 2020. With fall registration starting April 20, it may take longer than anticipated for academic advisers to review the petitions. Thank you in advance for your patience.

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Transcript Notation
To ensure that prospective employers and admissions offices of graduate and professional schools can properly evaluate the performance of Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and Whiting School of Engineering undergraduate students in the spring 2020 semester, we will include a notation on students’ transcripts stating the following: “Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, final grades for all undergraduate students in spring 2020 semester-long and second-half semester courses were reported as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. Final grades for courses completed in the first half of spring 2020 were reported in the standard manner.” A similar explanation will also be added to the transcript key that accompanies all transcripts that students request be sent to outside parties.

The world has changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but our pride in your accomplishments and our commitment to you have not. We truly value having you as a member of the Hopkins community and will do all we can to help you succeed now and in the future.

Sincerely,

Ed Schlesinger
Benjamin T. Rome Dean
Whiting School of Engineering

Beverly Wendland
James B. Knapp Dean
Krieger School of Arts and Sciences