How Johns Hopkins University Use QS Student Recruitment Events to Drive Diverse Cohorts

"QS increased our opportunities to get connected with the largest number of highly qualified applicants through their graduate fairs."

Johns Hopkins University, founded in 1876 in Baltimore, Maryland, is a private research institution with a longstanding international reputation. Comprised of 10 divisions, the University operates campuses in Maryland and Washington, DC, as well as international centres in Italy, China, and Singapore. Regularly ranked among the top 10 universities in the United States, Johns Hopkins is also highly competitive globally, including in undergraduate education.

The Johns Hopkins School of Education continues to develop its recruitment strategy to ensure it remains effective in a competitive graduate admissions environment. Using QS student recruitment events, Johns Hopkins increased its face-to-face engagement with prospective students.

Strengthening in-person recruitment alongside digital marketing

Prior to engaging QS, the School of Education already maintained a strong online presence as part of its recruitment activity, however, there was a need for a broader range of touchpoints during the student journey. James McCarty, Associate Director of Admissions at the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University explained, “We started working with QS to expand our recruitment efforts.” While virtual campaigns were already established—“We already had an extensive virtual recruitment marketing plan in place via paid ads.”—the School sought to increase face-to-face engagement with prospective students. For the team, the priority was not only increasing the volume of engagement opportunities, but doing so with prospective applicants who met programme expectations. McCarty noted that QS “increased our opportunities to get connected with the largest number of highly qualified applicants through their graduate fairs.”

Participation in QS student recruitment events

The School of Education attended three QS student recruitment events and, following those experiences, committed to additional participation within the same recruitment cycle. “We attended three QS student recruitment events and were so impressed with the turnout and interactions; we also signed up for two more this recruitment cycle.”

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Outcomes: reach, lead quality, and brand visibility

Reflecting on the events, McCarty highlighted both operational delivery and outcomes: “The QS fairs are well attended, incredibly organised, and resulted in sensational prospective student leads.” For the School, the combination of strong attendance and reliable event structure supported more consistent engagement with prospective students. Beyond lead generation, he noted that the partnership supported a broader recruitment objective: visibility among a wider applicant audience.

“Their events assisted in elevating our brand to a broad, diverse, and qualified audience of prospective students.” For the School of Education, this represented progress not only in recruitment outcomes, but also in the capacity to strengthen recognition in relevant markets.

Partnership support as a contributing factor

When asked to identify a single insight that best reflected the success of the partnership, McCarty pointed to the level of support provided throughout the process. He added: “[The QS team] assisted our team through the entire process of exploring, registering, and attending events.” McCarty recognised specific QS colleagues for their role in supporting the partnership: “Ben Webb (QS Director of Client Partnership for North America), Ryan Hess (QS Regional Director for Client Partnerships) and Andrew Mark (QS Customer Success Specialist) are supportive, knowledgeable, and incredible partners.” In his assessment, “It is their care and skill that fostered a successful partnership with our institution.”

Recommendation and future plans

McCarty’s recommendation was based on the consistency of communication and overall ease of working with QS. “I would most definitely recommend QS to other graduate programme recruiters because it has been easy and seamless working with and communicating with the representatives from QS.” He also noted the benefit of in-person support during event delivery: “It was reassuring to see QS colleagues from around the country (and globe) in-person at their graduate fairs.” For Johns Hopkins School of Education, the experience informed a clear decision about continued collaboration. “Yes, we will most definitely be partnering with QS again in the future.” The team is also exploring additional recruitment activity in new regions: “I have been working with our administration and QS to explore further options for recruitment efforts in international markets; specifically in Asia.”

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