The College offers many generous grants, bursaries and scholarships for various different purposes – make sure you don’t miss out on the free money you could receive! Don’t forget to check the funding available from the University as well as those offered by St. John’s.
To request any an up-to-date copy of any of these forms, please email here
Hardship Grants (St. John’s rather than Oxford’s)
If you experience financial hardship due to unforeseen circumstances at any point in your time at St. John’s, you can submit an application for a hardship grant. You may want to discuss your circumstances with the Senior Dean before submitting a form. This is able to operate due to donations to the Alumni Fund.
Deadline: N/A – submit to the Senior Dean at any time
Academic Grants
Helps cover the costs of books, materials, computing devices, computer software and other items you may require for academic purposes. Wherever possible, consult your tutor to confirm that the planned purchase is needed for your academic work, and can therefore be claimed for. Grants are credited to the subsequent term’s battels, and as of 2018/19, the maximum grant is £344. This is able to operate due to donations to the Alumni Fund.
Deadline: Completed copies of the Academic Grant form with attached receipts must be received in room 23 of the Bursary during 8th week of each term.*Academic Grants are not carried over to the next academic year, so if you don’t claim by 8th week of Trinity term you will not receive your grant for that year.*
Special Grant
Help towards travel and subsistence for purposes of an academic nature, but not necessarily of direct relevance to your course. Applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis and money is award in line with the relevancy of your intended travel. It may also be used to pay for accommodation in College if staying on for a Summer project. This is able to operate due to donations to the Alumni Fund.
Special Grant form details what you propose to do, how it benefits you and the likely costs:
- Need to show you have attempted to find funding from other sources (Departments, external bodies, Scholarships, self-funding)
- Tutor must fill in a supporting section
- One application per academic year (1st October-30th September)
- Finalists ‘unlikely to receive funds for an activity due to take place after the end of the Christmas Vac’
Deadline: Completed forms must be submitted to the College Office no later than 12 noon on Friday of 5th Week in Michaelmas Term and Fridays of Weeks 0 and 5 in Hilary and Trinity Terms. Retrospective applications are not accepted.
Vacation Grants
If you have to stay in College for the purpose of examinations, vacation study, or some College events such as helping at open days, St. John’s may (at its discretion) make grants to cover the cost of your accommodation. These grants are at the daily rate for a Grade A+ room.
Undergraduate students may apply for up to 21 days Vacation Grant for approved study purposes during each year of their course. Unused days from a year may be carried forward until the end of Trinity full term of the last year of your course. Grants awarded for days on which the student is taking University exams or required to stay in Oxford for the purpose of doing so, or special College purposes, do not count against this quota. This is able to operate due to donations to the Alumni Fund.
Form: If you are living in College, your application for a Vacation Grant should be made when you apply for Vacation Residence. If you are living out of College but in approved accommodation then you can still apply for Vacation Grant using the same form.
Deadline: The same time as the deadline for Vacation Residence (which is usually Friday of 6th week). You will be sent emails reminding you of this deadline.
Blues Squad Grants
If you are a member of a university representative team (Blues team), then you can claim up to £250 per year to cover these sports costs.
Deadline: Completed Blues Squad forms should be accompanied by receipts, countersigned by an official of the relevant university sports club, and submitted to the Sports Officer, Professor Zoltan Molnar (2015/16).
Other Grants, Prizes and Awards
St. John’s has an ever-growing list of grants, prizes and awards for which students can apply, for example the ‘Mapleton-Bree Prize for work in the Creative Arts’ or the ‘Hans Michael Caspari UN Travel Grant’. Please see the St. John’s College website for further information. Emails are also sent out to undergraduates, reminding us of the deadlines for these various awards.
Access to Learning Fund
- A scheme run by the Government and administered by the University to help students struggling to meet living costs (but not tuition fees)
- Has a long film to fill in with a lot of supporting information but guidance notes are provided
- Maximum grant of £2500