As part of the St John’s family, our alumni have access to a number of benefits and services provided by the College, including accommodation at 20 St Giles.

20 St Giles Alumni House

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-12pm 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.

20 St Giles alumni guest accommodation

Our booking system 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.

The system has the most up to date availability for the rooms.

Click here for alumni guest room booking.

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 of St John's and up to three guests are very welcome to visit any part of College, including the Gardens, during daylight hours.

Alumni cards and visiting College
In visiting College, we ask that alumni bring their My Oxford/Alumni Card with them, replacement cards can be obtained via the Central Alumni Office through their website.

Upon arrival, alumni of the College are asked to ignore the signs about general public visiting hours and introduce themselves at the Porters' Lodge, so they are aware of the visit. If alumni do not have their My Oxford/Alumni Card with them their name will be checked against the College records.

Visiting the College as a group
If alumni of the College would like to visit with a larger group, they are asked to email the Development and Alumni Relations Office who will facilitate this where possible.

Visiting the Library
As an alumnus of the College, visiting the Library is possible, by prior appointment by contacting the librarian.

College Closures
Very occasionally parts of College are closed off because of events or for safety reasons.

Please note the College is not open to the public while the Inspire Summer programmes are taking place (mid-July to end of August). Alumni of the College are welcome to visit the College during these times, upon presentation of their Alumni Card.

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.


Find out more about Graduations here

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. For more information, please visit the College's Graduation, Degree Certificates and Transcripts pages.

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:

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.