About St. John's College

Quick Facts about St. John's College

 

FOUNDED: The College was founded in Annapolis in 1696 as King William's School and chartered in 1784 as St. John's College. A second campus was opened in 1964 in Santa Fe. St. John's is a four-year, co-educational, liberal arts college with no religious affiliation.

CURRICULUM (undergraduate): Integrated arts and sciences program based on a chronological study of seminal works of Western civilization. The following curriculum is required of all undergraduates:

  • Seminar: 4 years -- philosophy, theology, political science, literature, history, economics, psychology.
  • Mathematics: 4 years -- geometry, astronomy, algebra, calculus, relativity.
  • Language: 4 years -- Ancient Greek, French, English composition, English poetry.
  • Science: 3 years -- biology, chemistry, atomic theory, physics.
  • Music: 1 year -- theory, composition.

DEGREE GRANTED (undergraduate): Bachelor of Arts.

FACULTY-STUDENT RATIO (undergraduate): 1 to 8

CLASS SIZE (undergraduate): Seminars of about 20 students are led by 2 faculty members. Tutorials and laboratory sessions usually have 12 to 16 students led by 1 faculty member.

ACCREDITATION: St. John's is accredited by the Maryland State Department of Education, by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, by the American Academy for Liberal Education and by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.

LIBRARY FACILITIES: The libraries in Annapolis and Santa Fe contain over 100,000 and 60,000 volumes respectively. Each library houses a number of special collections, and each campus has a music library.

LOCATION: The 36-acre eastern campus is located in the heart of historic Annapolis, which is the capital of Maryland and also a seaport town close to Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Nestled at 7300 feet above sea level in the Sangre de Christo Mountains, the 250-acre Santa Fe campus offers both spectacular scenery and the cultural attractions of the Southwest.

Annapolis
Population: 50,000
Nearest Metro Area: Washington, DC (32 Miles) Baltimore (27 miles)

Santa Fe
Population: 62,000
Nearest Metro Area: Albuquerque (57 miles)

STUDENT ENROLLMENT (undergraduate): Each campus strives to keep student population at 450-475 students. Freshman classes usually represent 30-35 states and several foreign countries. Minority representation is about 8% college-wide. The ratio of men to women is about 10 to 9.

SECOND CAMPUS OPTION: Any student in good academic standing may apply for transfer to the other campus for the upcoming academic year.  They must notify the Registrar’s Office of their intention to transfer by the third Monday in February of the previous year.  Those students who wish to apply for financial aid must also file their new financial aid forms by March 1.  All intercampus transfers must be approved by the deans of both campuses and may be restricted by limitations in various campus resources, such as available space and staffing.”

RECREATION AND STUDENT LIFE: Both campuses offer extensive intramural sports programs and extracurricular art courses. Each has soundproof music practice rooms, an art gallery, and a music library. Major clubs and activities include student government, a newspaper, a yearbook, a film society, drama groups, a literary magazine, and opportunities for community service. The Annapolis campus has easy access to boating, sailing, and crew, while the Santa Fe campus offers martial arts, yoga, skiing, rafting and rock climbing.

RESIDENCE HALLS (undergraduate): Annapolis students live in eight dormitories: six historic buildings are arranged around a central quad; two modern dormitories face College Creek. Santa Fe dormitories are small modern units, clustered around central courtyards. About 82% of the students live on campus. Freshman are guaranteed a room on campus. Dormitories are coed by floor. There are no fraternities or sororities.

ADMISSIONS (undergraduate): Applicants are expected to have pursued a college preparatory course of study, including substantial sequences in mathematics, foreign languages, and the physical sciences. Requirements include a short set of reflective essays, two letters of recommendation, and transcripts of all academic work. The GED is accepted. SAT or ACT scores are optional, but they may prove helpful. Interviews and campus visits are recommended.

Application Deadlines (undergraduate):
For Fall Term rolling, March 1 preferred
Winter Term rolling, December 15 preferred
(Winter term applies only to a limited class of freshmen on the Santa Fe campus, who matriculate in January and join the rest of the sophomore class the following fall.)

SAT Scores of Current Freshmen * 
Middle 50% Verbal 650-750
Middle 50% Math 580-680

* Combined classes, fall 2007, 74% reporting

FEES: For academic year 2008-2009
Tuition $38,854
Room and Board $9,284
Required Fees $300 A typical student budget would include about $275 for books, $800 for personal expenses, and transportation according to the distance of the students' home from campus.

FINANCIAL AID (undergraduate):
All financial aid awards are based on need. About 65% of the students receive some form of assistance, and more than half receive grant aid from the college in addition to loans, jobs, and grants under federal programs.
Average Total Aid Package - $25,786
Average Loan - $5,254
Average Grant Assistance - $20,453 (College, federal, and state)
Work Expectation - $2,560
Percent need met through grant aid - 65%
Percent need met through loans/jobs - 35%