Why St John's?
St John’s offers students some of the best facilities and experiences in Oxford, along with a friendly, inclusive, and down-to-earth community. Examples of reasons to love St John’s:
- Committed to accessibility and diversity.
- Delicious, well-priced meals in hall around: see the College Website for details, including prices.
- Great value Formal Hall.
- Kendrew cafe is an open workspace 24/7 and is a great place to meet, eat, and study.
- College accommodation provided for entire undergraduate degree with heavily subsidized rent, making St John’s one of the most affordable colleges in Oxford.
- All college rooms have fridges and access to communal toilets and showers, and nearly all have sinks. Some rooms have en-suite bathrooms and a kitchen is never too far away.
- Two gyms, a rowing room, a table tennis room and a squash court.
- Frequent free food events held by the JCR including teas, lunches and a termly wine and cheese evening.
- 4 BOPs a term, which are parties organized by and held in College with student DJs.
- Fancy guest dinners happen twice a term, which is a great change to bring friends from home/outside St John’s.
- Fantastic college bar with cheap drinks, open mic nights and quizzes.
- A welcoming common room, a TV room with an Xbox and a games room with pool, darts and table football.
- A brand new 24/7 library and a separate law library (also 24 hours but only open to law students).
- Academic Grant for use on books or materials of an academic nature.
- Hardship Grants are available to help students through unforeseen circumstances.
- Special Grants which help towards travel costs for purposes of an academic nature - but this doesn’t have to be directly related to your course.
- Blues Squad Grant awarded for representing an official university team.
Please note that the above information may not be an accurate description of life within the College during the pandemic.
And the food...
Food in College:
At St John’s, we have 3 meals a day in Hall, lunch in Kendrew Café from Monday to Saturday, and also fresh coffee, shakes and homemade cakes available from Kendrew throughout the day. Prices are very reasonable as they are subsidised by the College, and are among the lowest in the University overall. Prices can be found here. Exact arrangements, like opening times and how to book meals (don’t worry, it’s straight forward), can be found here.
Places to buy food around John’s:
There is no shortage of places to buy food around the College, ranging from cheap (but wonderful and highly recommended) street venders to some of Oxfords finest restaurants. Check out some of our recommendations bellow.
Best for supermarkets - Tesco
Two minutes away from College, and has two floors! Located here.
Best for a cheap lunch - Najar’s
Situated right outside College, Najar’s often runs discounts on its falafel wraps, milkshakes, sandwiches and more. The St John’s Discount Scheme also has an exclusive morning discount.
Best for eating out - Buongiorno and Buonasera, Gloucester Green
George Street and Gloucester Green are just 5 minutes away from College, and have a number of restaurants with student discounts. One highlight is Buongiorno, which does an SJC Discounts Scheme-exclusive discount on great takeaway pizza. Located here.
Gloucester Green is less than 5 minutes walk away from College, and have a number of restaurants to chose from. A particular favourite is Buongiorno a Buonasera. John’s students get a 30% discount on takeaway pizza, accompanying their generous eat-in discounts! Located here.
Best for vegetarian/vegan - Gardener’s Arms
A well-priced pub with great vegetarian food! Located here.
Best for late nights - Soloman’s
Soloman’s is open from 8pm - 4am, so if you find yourself hungry late at night, you’ll be covered. Located just across the street from John’s.