St John’s College (Oxford): Detailed Guide, General Information and Contacts

St John’s College is located on St Giles in the centre of Oxford, about a 3 minutes’ walk from Cornmarket Street, which is the main shopping area of Oxford.

St John’s College offers funding for undergraduates in the form of scholarships, funds, and grants. These are available to international and national students alike and the scholarships are mainly targeted to students from low household income brackets. Other grants are available to aid students as well as act as rewards for excellence in their fields. More information on undergraduate funding can be found here.

For graduate students, grants, prizes, and scholarships are offered as well. Academic grants as well as travel grants and rewards for high academic excellence. More information can be found here.

The JCR organises a number of events including bops, Guest Dinners, welfare lunches, and more. The MCR, is similar and has the addition of Exchange Dinners, film nights, desserts nights, wine and cheese tastings, and more. The College has a rich and varied musical life and has a joint orchestra with St Anne’s College which performs regularly. Each term, an internationally recognised organ recitalist is invited to give a concert in the Chapel. Additionally, the Kendrew Concert series bring international renowned musicians to college 5-6 times a year and this is all fully funded.

As well as music, the College has a lively drama scene, with freshers taking part in Drama Cuppers and students in subsequent years taking part in productions in university.

As well as these opportunities, there are over 300 university societies you can join.

All undergraduate students are accommodated in College or in managed houses off the main site but adjacent to the college. Some rooms are ensuite and some have shared bathrooms between 5-6 people. All have mini-fridges and some have sinks in the rooms. Rooms are allocated through ballot in subsequent years when students live off the college site. The rooms are relatively cheaper than other colleges because St John’s itself is a wealthy college. More information can be found here.

Food is served on a pay-as-you-go system in hall for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. On every day except Saturday, Formal Hall is served where students wear gowns and eat a 3 course-meal for around £4 which is a lot cheaper than other colleges.

St John’s College facilities include a boathouse, two gyms, an indoor rowing room, squash courts, a croquet lawn, tennis courts, a sports ground and Pavilion, and many more pitches. The College Sports committee invites nominations for a range of sports prizes every year and winners and nominees are celebrated at the annual College Sports Dinner. There are college teams for most sports and St John’s welcomes novices and people wishing to compete against other colleges and universities.

The Welfare Team consists of many different people including the peer supporters, Junior Deans, fellows for different groups of people including ethnic minorities and women, and more. St John’s has free welfare, women’s and men’s lunches every other week.

• Uniquely, the College has dedicated women only times at the gyms.
• St John’s is one of the cheapest colleges in Oxford in terms of accommodation and meals due to the wealth it already possesses.
• There is a JCR picture library to choose for your room and the College provides free life-drawing classes and an annual prize for art created by students.

Tony Blair

Philip Larkin

Kingsley Amis