St John’s is a vibrant, international and socially diverse College community. We are proud of the breadth of ideas, experience and cultures which are shared by members of our College. Through our teaching and research, we seek to transform lives and to have an impact on society throughout the world.

Philanthropic support has enabled St John’s to thrive as a centre of academic excellence for over four and a half centuries.  From the Founder, Sir Thomas White, onwards, gifts from alumni and friends have had a transformative impact on every aspect of the College. 

This remains true today, with philanthropy underpinning many of the College’s activities, from the financial support we provide to our students, our many graduate scholarships, and our access and outreach activities to the tutorial system itself, the world-class research conducted by our Fellows, and our exceptional buildings and facilities. 

You can read about our current fundraising priorities in the sections below. If you would like to make a gift to the College you can do so by heading to the How to Give page. Alternatively, if you have any questions and would like to discuss the options available please contact the Development Office by  email  or by telephone: 01865 610 885.

The tutorial system is at the heart of St John’s.  It is what distinguishes Oxford and Cambridge from all other universities and for many students it is the core of their university experience.  St John’s world-class tutors are central to the College’s reputation for academic excellence, but the system is expensive to maintain and certain subjects face funding challenges.  The support of alumni and friends helps to guarantee that St John’s will be able to maintain its exceptional tutorial provision in all the subjects it offers for the long term. 

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‘As a new undergraduate from a small state grammar school in rural Norfolk, I felt extremely fortunate to be coming to Oxford to study Chemistry and have a place at St John’s. I soon realised that St John’s is a very special place – because of the facilities, the architecture, the gardens, and above all the quality of the tutorial teaching I received.’ Dr Michael Prior (1974, Chemistry) 

St John’s has a number of measures in place to ensure that no student is prevented from making the most of their time in College because of financial constraints.  All students have access to a range of grants to support their academic activities, and the College provides both hardship funding and means-tested bursaries for undergraduate students, and around 70 scholarships for graduate students.  These measures are essential to ensure that the College can continue to attract the very best students regardless of their financial circumstances. 

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‘It is a real privilege to study for a Geography DPhil at Oxford and it would not be possible without your support...I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to be a student in this special place.’ Alice Watson, (2018, Geography and the Environment) 

MT19 access summary - Inspire Year 12

St John’s is committed to ensuring that the best and brightest young people, from all backgrounds, are able to access the world-class education for which the College is renowned.  St John’s has a range of access and outreach activities including the Inspire Programme, which works with pupils in schools across our linked regions of Ealing, Harrow, East and West Sussex and Brighton & Hove to raise aspirations, improve confidence, and support applications to leading universities like Oxford.  Through this programme the College aims to make a St John’s education open and accessible to all high-achieving pupils. 

‘I feel this programme really helps to give us all that extra push so that we can extend to the best of our abilities because we are all capable. This just gives us more knowledge which helps to make us understand a variety of subjects.’ Pupil participant from Ealing  

Library & Study Centre

St John’s is fortunate to have many outstanding buildings, both ancient and modern.  These spaces all require constant renewal and fresh investment to ensure they remain of a consistently high standard.  The innovative new Library and Study Centre, opened in 2019, is a prime example, and opportunities remain to support the third phase of the project: the restoration of the Old and Laudian Libraries.  Additionally, the College hopes though philanthropy to establish a fund to defray future large capital expenditure, such as the major refurbishment of a Quad.  This will enable St John’s to plan for major capital expenditure without placing greater strain on the endowment. 

‘The Library & Study Centre has been universally popular among the students; many appreciate the great natural light, peaceful atmosphere for studying and the beautiful design of the interior spaces.  The stunning view across the garden from the Upper Reading Room and the Mark Bedingham Seminar Room are often particularly appreciated.’ Dr Petra Hofmann, College Librarian  

Ilya Chevyrev

Oxford is renowned throughout the world for its research output.  St John’s is committed to supporting research at various levels by: funding a programme of Junior Research Fellows; providing an annual research allowance for all Fellows; and awarding funding for high-quality research projects that would not usually be considered by external funding bodies.  Philanthropy is key to supporting the ground-breaking work of our Fellows. 

'The unique opportunity provided by the JRF at St John's College has been invaluable for my career development' Ilya Chevyrev (Junior Research Fellow, 2016-2020) 

If you would like to make a gift to support research at St John's, please contact the Development Office