Welcome to New Students

Thank you for choosing St John’s College

This is a College with a rich history but a place which looks to the future with excitement and imagination.

In this community, the Fairtrade movement was founded and shaped by undergraduates. Here, the first women trained for ordination in the Anglican church. Here, the opportunities and challenges of communication in a digital age are taken seriously.

It is a place next to Durham Cathedral and Castle on a World Heritage Site. Our students and staff are involved in the diversity of the North East of England; in sport, music, theatre and serving local communities. Some use football as a way of helping young people to resist drugs. Some travel to India to teach in schools. Some lead churches in deprived areas.

Most of all, we are a community of respect, fun and learning. We aspire that all staff and students aim for excellence within the academic sphere. Undergraduates, postgraduates and those training to be church leaders achieve outstanding degrees. But we are also concerned about excellence for the whole person. 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 Christian college but open to all. We strive for all at St John's to have a safe place that will allow them to grow, learn and make meaningful friendships.

We have also much to learn as a College and we will evolve in many ways in the coming years. We are delighted that you will be a part of this process. It is and will continue to be an exciting place to be.

Revd Professor David Wilkinson
Principal of St John's College

Welcome from the St John's Common Room President

On behalf of all the students you will be joining, it's a privilege to welcome you to the St John's College family. 

I have been elected student president for this academic year and have just completed my degree at John's. During that time I have learned quite how special this place is, and I hope you do too. This is a place where people truly look out for each other, and I hope you feel that from the moment you arrive on the Bailey, then for your entire degree, and for your life beyond. 

You have come to Durham to study, to learn, and to grow. But I hope you will see that this extends beyond your degree, and in John's you will find that your college forms a fantastic part of your life whilst you are here. I would encourage each new student reading this to get involved in college life. From our largest events to our fantastic sports teams and societies, a huge portion of college life is run by the students here, and you have both the joy of being part of this community and the power to shape it. It follows that am sure I will see many readers of this letter become active members of the student leadership here, and chances are one of you will be writing this text's replacement in a few years' time!

As I write, a team of Freshers' Representatives are excited to welcome you when you arrive and are planning out a whole programme of things to do when you get here. Please know that there will be many people there for you, to support you and to put you at ease.