St John's College

St John's College The official page of St John's College, University of Cambridge.

24/09/2026

Punting is normally best enjoyed on a lazy summer afternoon, four St John’s students are spending 12 days proving it can also be an endurance sport as they travel 204 miles from Oxford to St John’s.

Charlie Swinfen, Stefan Narinian, Beth Erskine, and Ryan Vowles are covering an average of 19 miles a day punting across country to support the Alzheimer’s Society. Initially they hoped to raise £5,000 but, having already reached their target, they are now aiming for £10,000.

Travelling from Oxford to Northampton, Peterborough and Ely, the team hopes to arrive back at College in time for the start of Michaelmas Term, almost two decades after St John’s students last completed the journey.

Follow their progress on Instagram

“Exceptional young people, with the potential to thrive at St John’s, should see us as a destination they should serious...
07/09/2026

“Exceptional young people, with the potential to thrive at St John’s, should see us as a destination they should seriously consider.”

Students from 142 schools and colleges will join St John’s this autumn. 👏🎉🧳

Some headline figures for our new undergraduate cohort: 📖

• 73.4% of UK entrants are from state schools and colleges

• 9% of UK entrants are from Free School Meal backgrounds

• 52.2% of the cohort are women 👩‍🎓

• More than half of UK entrants come from outside London and the south-east

• Students are joining us from 22 countries 🌎

• The College received 1,501 applications in the 2026 admissions round ✍️

• A-level entrants achieved an average of more than three A*s each, while International Baccalaureate entrants averaged 44 points💫

Tributes have been paid to a distinguished St John’s researcher renowned for his life’s work in African history.John Ili...
24/08/2026

Tributes have been paid to a distinguished St John’s researcher renowned for his life’s work in African history.

John Iliffe MA PhD LittD, Emeritus Professor of African History, and a Fellow of St John's College, wrote many notable books on Africa and specialised in Tanzania, where he taught at the University of Dar es Salaam for several years.

He became a Fellow of St John’s College in 1971, when he was appointed University Assistant Director of Research in History.

From 1980-90 he was Reader in African History and was Professor of African History from 1990 until his retirement in 2006. He was working on his latest research until recently and died on Thursday 20 August.

“African history owes John a staggering debt in his sheer curiosity, his extraordinary appetite for gruelling hard work, his courage in publishing in so many areas of others’ expertise, perhaps above all his intellectual capacity to lodge intimate human anxieties, hopes, obligations, determination and expectation in long spans of continental-wide change and continuity," said Professor John Lonsdale, Emeritus Professor of Modern African History and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge.

Professor Malcolm Schofield, Emeritus Professor of Ancient Philosophy, and a Fellow at St John’s, described Professor Iliffe as ‘a historian of great distinction’.

“John was a very private person, but in St John’s an unfailingly friendly and courteous presence among us, often with a twinkle in the eye."

Fast-thinking St John's students will face Oxford in University Challenge, TV's toughest team quiz tournament, on Monday...
23/07/2026

Fast-thinking St John's students will face Oxford in University Challenge, TV's toughest team quiz tournament, on Monday 27 July.

St John’s latest University Challenge squad honed their general knowledge skills in the regular quizzes in the College Bar ahead of filming of the iconic TV show in which they went head-to-head against University College, Oxford.

Team captain Liam Plimmer, a PhD English student, Callum Thomas, PhD student in Zoology, first-year Mathematics undergraduate Aurelia Walker, and PhD Mathematics student Jonathan Watts recorded the episode earlier this year.

Their reserve player is final-year medical student Yusuf Adia and their mascot a toy eagle named Evie – named for the College of St John the Evangelist.

Understandably, the result is a closely guarded secret, so the team wouldn't answer the question: how well did you do? Fresher Aurelia buzzed in with a swift: “No spoilers allowed.”

The episode will air on BBC2 on Monday 27 July at 8.30pm. Viewers can also watch on BBC iPlayer.

07/07/2026

Want to know how to make a competitive application to Cambridge?

Dr Jonathan Padley, Tutor for Undergraduate Admissions at St John's, will give his advice and answer questions during multiple timetabled sessions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week.

You can also meet our subject specialists during the Cambridge Open Days, go on student-led tours to explore St John's, see our accommodation and facilities, and attend admissions talks to help you make the most of your visit.

📅 9–10 July

Plan your visit and view the full programme: joh.cam.ac.uk/apply/outreach-and-open-days/open-days

07/07/2026

Are you coming to Cambridge Open Days?

Senior Tutor, Richard Partington, who leads students' education and academic experience at St John's, shares his top tips to help you make the most of your visit.

We present to you our latest University of Cambridge graduates.Now this really is St John's. 🎓👏📸 Geoff Robinson
02/07/2026

We present to you our latest University of Cambridge graduates.

Now this really is St John's.

🎓👏

📸 Geoff Robinson

BOOM! That's a wrap on another academic year.St John's students know how to throw a party so on Tuesday night a drone an...
25/06/2026

BOOM! That's a wrap on another academic year.

St John's students know how to throw a party so on Tuesday night a drone and fireworks display illuminated the Cambridge sky as we celebrated the end of Exam (Easter) Term in style at the 7th best party in the world. As featured in The Times today.

📸 Geoff Robinson

Tributes have been paid to a world-renowned St John’s College engineer famed for founding Cambridge University Rugby Lea...
22/06/2026

Tributes have been paid to a world-renowned St John’s College engineer famed for founding Cambridge University Rugby League Football Club, who has died at the age of 78.

Dr Richard ‘Dick’ Ernest McConnel BE ME DPhil PhD was a Fellow in Engineering and formerly College Lecturer, Supervisor and Director of Studies in Engineering, Director of Studies in Management Studies, Tutor and acting Junior Bursar of St John’s, as well as a University Lecturer in the Department of Engineering.

He died on Saturday 13 June 2026.

Professor Tom Hynes, Emeritus Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Fellow of St John’s, said: “Dick was a greatly valued colleague. As Director of Studies for many years, he was the pillar of Engineering in College.

“His supportive but relaxed and laconic style, together with his wicked sense of humour, made him popular with students, staff and colleagues.”

Dr McConnel’s pioneering research focused on composite steel and concrete structures, lightweight domes and large span roofs.

He is internationally renowned for his expertise in structural mechanics, including for his contribution to the authoritative reference book, 'Space Grid Structures', which covers the geometry, design, and construction of lightweight, three-dimensional frameworks.

Dr McConnel was a prominent figure in College and University sports. The native New Zealander’s arrival at St John’s as a College Lecturer in 1980 was the catalyst for the establishment of Cambridge University Rugby League Football Club.

He was also a keen rower and a former Senior Treasurer of the College's Field Clubs and Cambridge University Hockey Club.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a new light-emitting system that could eventually improve canc...
29/05/2026

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a new light-emitting system that could eventually improve cancer imaging, smartphone screens and low-energy computing.

The discovery emerged from a collaboration between St John’s physicist Dr Rakesh Arul (pictured) and chemists in the laboratory of Professor Akshay Rao, after they noticed an unexpected effect in molecules attached to microscopic particles containing rare-earth metals.

“We were seeing surprisingly bright emission from states that are normally considered optically dark,” said Dr Arul, Research Fellow.

“In the process of unravelling the mystery, we found that this bright emission came from a normally dark molecular state, the triplet, which is conventionally forbidden from emitting light via the rules of quantum mechanics.”

Researchers say the discovery could improve medical imaging because longer-lasting light signals are easier for scanners to distinguish from surrounding tissue. This could help doctors detect smaller tumours or track biological processes more accurately.

The same principle could also help reduce energy consumption in consumer electronics, which waste significant amounts of power.

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