Alumni Benefits
Alumni Common Room
The Alumni House at 20 St Giles is a beautiful Grade II listed building. It was renovated in 2007 as a centre for our alumni and includes an Alumni Common Room and Alumni Guest Rooms.
St John's is the first college in Oxford to have an Alumni Common Room (ACR). This is your space in College, where you can relax, meet friends, access the internet and find out more about events and other alumni benefits. Facilities include:
- free coffee, tea and biscuits
- comfortable chairs and a writing desk
- the Alumni Library of books by (and donated by) fellow alumni
Opening hours
Monday to Friday: 9.30am-12.30pm and 1.30-5pm
Please note that the Alumni Common Room is closed at weekends, on Bank Holidays and between Christmas and New Year.
If you are travelling from afar and wish to use the ACR at the weekend, please email the Alumni Office at least 24hrs in advance, with the date and time you wish to visit and we will arrange access for you.
We have just launched a new booking system that allows our alumni to check availability, book and pay for rooms online. All that you need to access our rooms is the promotional code, which will be included in our monthly e-newsletters.
If you are wanting to book for 2024, please contact the Alumni Office for the promotional code.
Alumni are welcome to attend Formal Hall on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays during term time (with the exception of Hall closure). The cost is £28 per person and includes a three course meal and wine. Alumni are welcome to bring up to three guests, but please note that places are limited and all guests must be over the age of 18. Places at Formal Hall are booked in advance by contacting the Alumni Office, we will provide you with a link for making payment. Please note however, that you must give us at least 3 working days notice for a booking. We regret that we are unable to provide a refund for any bookings cancelled with less than 48 hours' notice.
Alumni and up to three guests are very welcome to visit any part of College, including the Gardens, during daylight hours. Please ignore the signs about visiting hours which are for the general public. It would be helpful if you could introduce yourself at the Porters' Lodge upon arrival so they are aware of your visit. If you would like to visit with a larger group, please email the Development and Alumni Relations Office who will facilitate this where possible.
Very occasionally parts of College are closed off because of events or for safety reasons.
We often receive requests from alumni for copies of matriculation and graduation photos. The photographers Gillman & Soame have a service called ImageBank which allows you to search for and order old photos. The St John's archive can be found here. Please be aware that you need to log in with an email address and the token stjohnscollege2018 before you can browse.
Please note, the College Office is running on a significantly reduced staffing level for the foreseeable future, and will be prioritising activities for current students. Please email academic.office@sjc.ox.ac.uk.
A transcript is an official summary of your academic performance and progress to date. It will only include final marks confirmed by the appropriate Examination Board. All students who commenced their studies on or after Michaelmas Term 2007 will automatically receive one copy of their final transcript from the Examination and Assessments section of the University upon completing their degree. This will be sent to the home address listed in your Student Self-Service account. For more information, see the University's Academic Transcripts pages.
Alumni who commenced their studies prior to Michaelmas Term 2007 may request a statement giving details of dates of attendance, degree course(s), examinations taken, marks achieved and degree class. Please email academic.office@sjc.ox.ac.uk.
All alumni of the University are entitled to an Oxford Alumni Card, which carries your unique identification number. It entitles you to:
- a wide range of benefits and discounts in hotels, restaurants, museums and shops in Oxford and elsewhere
- identify yourself as having a connection with the University to those on college premises
- sign up for University alumni events and services.
You can request your Oxford Alumni Card here.
So, you’re thinking about your career? Here’s how the College can help.
The University’s Career Service
The best place to start, especially if you're a current student or recent graduate, is the University’s Career Service. They have lots of helpful information that is well researched and can even offer appointments with specialist career advisers.
Some helpful links include:
- The Oxford Guide to Careers
- Research into different sectors
- Practical advice about looking and applying for jobs
- Information about Internships
Think you need more information?
Keep an eye out for our informal careers events where you can hear from members of the alumni community, who often speak about their journey from students to working in their field. Keep an eye out for these on our website, in newsletters and on social media.
Start networking using online tools available to you
LinkedIn is a great place to start looking around to see what other fellow members of St John’s are up to, and the Career’s Service has a helpful guide to networking. You can join our LinkedIn groups for all alumni and for women [coming soon].
One-to-one guidance
Once you’ve taken these steps and have an idea of where you’re headed, you may want an open and frank conversation with someone who works in the field(s) that you are interested in. You can email the Alumni Relations team (alumni@sjc.ox.ac.uk) with some information about yourself and the field that you want to go into and we’ll find a member of our alumni community who works in that field to connect you with.
You could have an informal email interaction where you get answers and advice to some basic questions, or you could enter into a more formal mentoring relationship that is sustained over a period of time. It really is up to you, but if you want the support, we’re able to provide it, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Offering your own help
If you think that you could be in a position to offer helpful career advice to a fellow alumnus/a or student, let us know.
