St John’s alumni benefits
The visitor policy currently permits St John’s alumni and their guests to enter the College, along with other members of the University and those visiting for specific education or research purposes. Please check the main College website for updates about closures pertaining to alumni (and CAMCard holders).
Access to College is via the Great Gate or alternatively the Forecourt wicket gate (opposite Taylors Guild) between 9:30am – 4:30pm every day. Additionally, alumni are always welcome to attend Chapel services at 6.30pm.
Alumni are welcome to enter Chapel if it is open.
Enjoy the Buttery, Bar and Café in Second Court.
Punts can be used if available. Punts should be booked in advance using this online form: Punt reservation request form
Toilets are available at the Fisher Building, I First Court, the Buttery/Bar/Café in Second Court and E staircase Chapel Court.
No parking is available to alumni on site.
Find more visitor information here .
Directions and a map are also available .
St John’s guest rooms can be booked by alumni for a maximum of three consecutive nights. The accommodation is located at 9 Pound Hill, a 3 minute walk from Northampton Street Porters Lodge. The 2024/25 prices are £74.53 for single occupancy and £101.53 for double occupancy.
To book please fill in the online booking form. You can contact the Accommodation & Bookings Office on 01223 338691.
Please note that children under the age of 16 cannot be accommodated in College. All rooms are subject to availability. Rooms are unavailable during the Christmas vacation period.
Johnians who matriculated as undergraduates six or more years ago and Johnians who began a course of graduate studies three or more years ago, if not currently in residence, are welcome to dine in College up to three times per academic year at College expense. Exceptions are Saturdays, dates when there is a College function and the month of August.
Accommodation is available on the night you dine, if a guest room is available. See rates and booking details above.
Dinner bookings should be made through the Fellowship and Events Administrator on 01223 338731, by email at FellowsSteward@joh.cam.ac.uk or by using our dining privileges form a minimum of 7 days before you wish to dine.
A spectacular new Buttery, Café and Bar has opened to meet the demands of 21st century studying and eating. All three venues are filled with natural light while maintaining a sense of homeliness. The new Buttery is located in Second Court and can be located via the map.
Alumni are welcome to make use of these contemporary and stylish spaces to eat, drink and meet when they are visiting College.
Opening hours at all three facilities vary according to term/holiday periods. Opening hours for Summer Vacation 2025 are:
Café:
Monday – Friday 08:00-17:00
Weekend 08:30-17:00
Buttery: Monday to Sunday
Breakfast : 08-10am
Lunch: 11:30am -1.30pm
Dinner 06pm – 7.30pm
Bar : Monday to Sunday (Subject to events)
3pm to 10pm
Johnians are welcome to use the College punts. Punts cost £18 per hour for alumni and should be booked and paid for by filling out this online form: Book Now | St John’s College Punt Society
Punts can be hired from March to the end of November between 9am and 5pm, with the last punt being available at 4pm. Please note that there are a few days when punts are not available (e.g. during the set-up to the May Ball, and some days in the summer holidays when they’re booked by College groups). Punt occupancy is restricted to 6 people, including the punter. Keys can be collected from the Northampton Street Porters’ Lodge. More information about the College’s Punt Society can be found here.
Johnians are always welcome to attend College Chapel Services. During Full Term, Choral Evensong takes place at 6.30pm every day, and there is a sung service at 10.30am on Sunday. Details may be found on the Chapel webpages.
College members are permitted to climb the Chapel tower with up to seven guests during daylight hours. Keys to the Chapel tower are available from the Forecourt Porters’ Lodge. Please note that guests musts wear appropriate footwear and abide by the Chapel tower access conditions.
Johnians and their guests are welcome to visit the Old Library without prior appointment on Wednesdays during term time from 2pm to 4pm. However, because it is closed on certain days throughout the year, it’s best to contact the Old Library before making a trip to College by email special.collections@joh.cam.ac.uk or telephone 01223 339393. Johnians wishing to consult material held in the Old Library should arrange an appointment in advance by contacting the Library, specifying what material they wish to consult.
The newer Working Library welcomes all St John’s alumni wishing to visit or study during staffed hours, usually 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. The new Library can be contacted at library@joh.cam.ac.uk or 01223 338600. Discover more about the College’s Old Library, Working Library and Archives.
Due to limited space, we are unable to routinely offer car parking to Johnians unless parking has been provided for a specific event.
When parking is available, it is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Vehicles are left at the owners’ risk. Public parking is available nearby on Castle Hill, Park Street and at the Grand Arcade. Cambridge is served by a number of Park & Ride services.
As an alumnus/a of St John’s, you have access to a programme of alumni events in College, around the UK and overseas, including lunches, informal meet-ups, networking events, seasonal drinks and lectures, as well as matriculation reunion lunches and dinners in College. Additionally we host many online events, including talks from Fellows, interviews with Johnians, concerts and networking opportunities.
We will keep you updated on news from College and the alumni community through our publications and monthly enewsletter.
You can join Johnian Hub to connect directly with other Johnians.
Johnians are invited back from time to time to dine with peers at a variety of reunion occasions in June/July and September. Details of forthcoming events are given below.
We are pleased to share dates for reunions in 2025. Years are given by matriculation, or admission.
Please keep your contact details updated to ensure you receive an invitation.
2025
Date Occasion Year group
Saturday 14 June Johnian Lunch* 1962, 1965, up to and including 1959
Saturday 5 July Johnian Summer Dinner 1985, 1994, 1995
Sunday 6 July Johnian Summer Lunch* 2010, 2015
Saturday 6 September Johnian Autumn Dinner 2003, 2005
Saturday 20 September 50 Year Dinner* 1975
*Johnians will be able to invite a guest to the Johnian Lunch, Summer Lunch and 50 Year Dinner.
Contact the Fellowship and Events Administrator by email to: fellowssteward@joh.cam.ac.uk
McMahon Studentship to prepare for practice in the profession of law
This studentship aims to help remove financial barriers to entry to the profession of law. A candidate must be a member of the College or College Alumni who bona fide intends to prepare for practice in the profession of the law, and intends to commence a course for the Bar or Law Society final examinations or for the Common Professional Examination. A member of the College who has been placed in the first or upper second class (or is judged to have reached that standard) in each Approved Examination taken may be elected to a studentship, but the McMahon Law Studentships Committee may recommend for election a member of the College who has not met that condition if they consider that an exception should be made in his or her case.
Candidates should note that the purpose of the McMahon Fund is to provide default funding in the event that they fail to obtain funding from other sources for the Common Professional Examinations, Legal Practice Course or the Bar Professional Training Course. Candidates who intend to qualify for the Bar will generally be expected to have applied for a scholarship from one of the Inns of Court for assistance in the funding of their study for the Common Professional Examinations or the Bar Professional Training Course.
Please refer to this notice to ensure you fit the criteria.
Completed application forms should be sent to scholarshipsadmin@joh.cam.ac.uk. The closing date for applications is 29 June 2025.
Johnian Hub is our online social and professional network exclusively for Johnians. There are groups where you can meet others with similar interests, a feed on which you can post updates and achievements, and a job board with employment opportunities.
If you are not already a member, sign up for a Johnian Hub account here.
Hundreds of Johnian Hub members have indicated that they are willing to offer professional guidance or mentoring to other Johnians. See our mentoring resources and guidance for selecting a Johnian mentor.
The Johnian network is there for you – all you need to do is reach out.
Johnian magazine highlights the personal and professional lives of alumni, and it is mailed twice a year in spring and autumn. It is also available in a new-look digital format, and you can read the autumn 2024 issue (and back copies) on this website.
At the start of Michaelmas term alumni receive the College annual The Eagle, which summarises the previous academic year.
If you choose to give financially to the College, you will also receive our donor magazine The Marguerite, which includes articles from bursary recipients and information on our fundraising priorities.
While 96% of all contactable alumni choose to receive one or more of our publications, the number who have requested to receive these digitally has grown by more than 400% in the past few years. You can update your preferences at any time.
We’re eager to hear about and share what Johnians get up to, and there are some amazing stories on our news pages. Our alumni blog is an extension of Johnian magazine and is updated monthly, often multiple times, with short articles, interviews and long reads.
Pitch your topic to the editor if you want to write.
Sent every month to just under 12,000 Johnians, our enewsletter is the most regular and direct link between alumni and St John’s.
It acts as a summary of what’s going on in College and in the wider alumni community, and each edition includes a selection of College updates, latest blog posts, upcoming event details and occasionally a recipe from the BDR.
Keep us up to date with your contact details and communication preferences (including opt-out), using the online form below.
Make sure we know your current email address to ensure you receive email briefings or update your preferences to opt-out using our online form.
University of Cambridge alumni benefits
Additional University benefits and services are available for alumni and former postdocs. These include the CAMCard and cantab email.
St John’s College reserves the right to modify or withdraw its alumni benefits at any time without prior notification.