Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, Johns Hopkins is considered to be the first research university in the U.S.

The university was named for its first benefactor, the American entrepreneur and Quaker philanthropist Johns Hopkins. Hopkins's $7 million bequest (equivalent to $166 million in 2024) to establish the university and the affiliated Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore was the largest philanthropic gift in U.S. history up to that time. Daniel Coit Gilman, who was inaugurated as Johns Hopkins's 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 Association of American Universities. The university has led all U.S. universities in annual research and development expenditures for over four consecutive decades. The School of Medicine, established in 1893, has achieved international recognition for its pioneering biomedical research.

The university consists of ten academic divisions mostly divided among four campuses in Baltimore, with some graduate campuses in Italy, China, and Washington, D.C. The university's two undergraduate divisions, the Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Whiting School of Engineering, are located on the Homewood campus adjacent to Baltimore's Charles Village neighborhood. The School of Medicine, School of Nursing, and Bloomberg School of Public Health are located on the medical campus in East Baltimore, alongside the Johns Hopkins Hospital. The university also consists of the Peabody Institute in Baltimore's Mount Vernon neighborhood, Applied Physics Laboratory in Howard County, School of Advanced International Studies, School of Education, and Carey Business School.

Founded in 1883, the Blue Jays men's lacrosse team, which is an affiliate member in the Big Ten Conference, has won 44 national titles. The university's other sports teams compete in Division III of the NCAA, where they are members of the Centennial Conference.