This year, Johnians have shown once again what is possible when a community comes together. Between April 2025 and March 2026, over 1,000 donors raised £2 million, which unlocked a further £2 million in matched funding from an anonymous foundation. Together, you completed the penultimate fundraising round for Dobson Free Places and brought the College closer to securing the scheme permanently.
Because of your generosity, the scheme is now 84% endowed. Importantly, through the pilot scheme, 12 undergraduates from low-income backgrounds are currently studying at St John’s without the burden of tuition fees or living costs. They are able to focus on their degrees, take part in College life and embrace opportunities that would otherwise have been out of reach.
Glen Whitehead, Development Director, expressed his thanks: “Year after year, our Johnian community demonstrates what we can achieve together. Thank you for bringing us one step closer to making this pioneering scheme a reality.”
Established in 2021, the Dobson Free Places Scheme exists to help talented students from low-income backgrounds thrive at St John’s. When fully endowed, it will fund 40 places for UK undergraduates, covering both tuition and maintenance so that students do not have to choose between opportunity and financial security.
The difference this makes is already clear. One recipient shared, “Among the many reasons why I chose St John’s was the incredible generosity of the College’s donors; I knew that, with your help, I wouldn’t have to spend my entire university life worrying if I could afford to be here.”
If you haven’t had a chance to hear from current recipients of student support, you can find out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwvjRcD4o7
With just one year left to complete the endowment, your generosity is helping to open the gate to a Johnian education for generations to come.
It’s not too late to support the Dobson Free Places scheme and help complete this final milestone by March 2027: Free Places – Johnian.
