The Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, the university was named for its first benefactor, the American entrepreneur and philanthropist Johns Hopkins.Today, the university is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.

Johns Hopkins is considered the first research university in the United States. Hopkins' $7 million bequest to establish the university was the largest philanthropic gift in the history of the United States up to that time.Daniel Coit Gilman, who was inaugurated as Johns Hopkins' first president on February 22, 1876,led the university to revolutionize higher education in the U.S. by integrating teaching and research.In 1900, Johns Hopkins became a founding member of the American Association of Universities.The university has since led all U.S. universities in annual research expenditures.

Johns Hopkins is organized into 10 divisions on campuses in Maryland and Washington, D.C., with international centers in Italy and China.[ The two undergraduate divisions, the Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Whiting School of Engineering, are located on the Homewood campus in Baltimore's Charles Village neighborhood. The medical school, nursing school, and Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Johns Hopkins Children’s Center are located on the Medical Institutions campus in East Baltimore. The university also consists of the Peabody Institute, Applied Physics Laboratory, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, School of Education, Carey Business School, and various other facilities. The university also has graduate campuses in Italy, China, and Washington, D.C.