Welcome to New Students

Thank you for choosing St John’s College

We are absolutely delighted to welcome you to St John’s. St John’s is a college with a rich and dynamic history, which looks to the future with excitement and enthusiasm.

With well over 850 students and over 100 staff St John’s brings together a wide range of experiences, life-stories and world views. This is a place where well over 7000 people have studied, grown and been inspired to make the world a better place. Whatever course or degree that you are studying - know that at St John’s, global challenges and local opportunities in the Twenty First Century are faced boldly and creatively.

There is something for everyone here. Check out the many student societies. Our sports teams achieve far beyond expectations. The Chapel Choir and Bailey Theatre Company have outstanding reputations. And we take diversity within our community seriously. We are a college that is rooted in Christianity but open to all. We strive at St John's to have a safe place that will allow each member of the college to grow, learn and make meaningful friendships. 

We are a community that values kindness, respect and learning. We aim for excellence in our work and academic endeavours. We hope that you will flourish as a whole person at St John’s.

Having studied here as a post-graduate I was happy to return several decades later as your Principal. I’m looking forward to meeting and working with you in the months and years to come. We also have much to learn as a College and we will continue to evolve in many ways in the coming years. We are so pleased that you will be a part of this process and that you are joining the unique community of St John’s College.

Professor Jolyon Mitchell
Principal of St John's College

Welcome from the St John's Common Room President

Congratulations on receiving your place at Durham University and St John’s - we are so excited to welcome you!

While you have come to university to gain a degree, you will gain so much more. There is so much on offer beyond your degree and so much to experience even just here at John's and I encourage you all to get involved somehow in college life. We have a large range of sports and societies that require no experience and our open to all and if your favourite sport doesn’t exist here, you can start it up. You can attend or even organise events such as balls, talks, and even fashion shows or get involved in student governance and politics. There are just so many different opportunities on offer.

Our Freshers representatives and a group of student volunteers plan welcome week, which involves a whole program of activities, talks, and fun to help welcome you and ease your transition into university life. We are all really excited to meet you. If you have any questions or queries, please do feel free to reach out before you arrive and I’ll be more than happy to answer (johns.president@durham.ac.uk)