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Our community
We are an academic community: our students, teaching and research staff and our Fellows all contribute to the intellectual and creative life of the College.
Home to around 600 undergraduates, 280 postgraduates, and 100 students at Cranmer Hall, St John’s is large enough to offer real breadth and opportunity, yet small enough for everyone to be known. Around 270 students live in College each year, but whether you live in or out, we encourage our students to see John’s as their home away from home.
What defines St John’s most is our people. Students and staff work side by side to make College life rich and rewarding – from academic and creative pursuits to sport, music, and volunteering. It’s a place where we encourage curiosity, practise kindness, and seek to live in gratitude.
Independent by nature
As a recognised college of Durham University, we are proudly independent in our governance and finances. That independence allows us to shape our own character, combining the best of tradition with innovation and inclusion.
It means we can respond to the needs of our community and take a considered, long-term approach to the future of the College. Our strategy, Our Vision 2025–2035, sets out how we are building a community of belonging, supporting students to thrive, and strengthening our academic and research life. It reflects what we are about as a College: a place where people are known, where ideas are taken seriously, and where students are supported to make the most of their time at Durham
College news
Discover what’s happening across College with the latest updates and news.
12 May 2026
A Greener Future for St Mary the Less
St Mary the Less, the Chapel of St John’s College, Durham, has recently completed the installation of air source heat pumps to power underfloor heating throughout the building, marking a significant step forward in the College’s environmental sustainability work. For me, it’s about leaving the estate in a better condition environmentally than we inherited it, […]
7 May 2026
Welcoming our new Fellow-in-Residence
We are delighted to welcome Dr David van der Linden to St John’s College this term as Fellow-in-Residence and Barker Visiting Fellow. David is Assistant Professor in Early Modern History at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. His research focuses on religious conflict, coexistence, and peacebuilding in early modern France. During his time in […]
27 April 2026
New Chaplain at St John’s
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Revd Sarah Heslop as our new Chaplain. Sarah studied History at the University of Oxford before working as a teacher in London, Leipzig (Germany), and Cambridge. She has been closely involved in church and community life in and around Durham for many years, before training for ordination at Lindisfarne College of […]
St John’s calendar
Five Year Reunion
A weekend reunion centred around the year group who began in 2018
Five Year Reunion
A weekend reunion centred around the year group who began in 2018
Cranmer Hall: a community within a community
Cranmer Hall, founded in 1958 as a distinct but integral part of the College, trains women and men in theology and for ministry in the Church of England and other denominations.
This means that Cranmer is a community within a community, enjoying the fellowship of a small college and the riches of a world renowned University.
