Graduate applications

Graduate students are students reading for a 1 year MPhil degree (a taught or research course), a 3 year PhD degree, any other taught postgraduate course, and students of Clinical Medicine or Veterinary Medicine. St John’s College will consider applications for any of the full-time graduate courses offered by the University. 

St John’s College does not consider applications for part-time graduate courses, other than from those who are already members of the College. 

We cannot consider applications from members of other Cambridge colleges except through our Research Scholarships Competition (which includes the Benefactors', Craik, J.C. Hall, Paskin and Pelling Scholarships). Former and current students of other Cambridge colleges are asked to contact the St. John's College Graduate Office for further information on the College's transfer policy before nominating their preference colleges on the Graduate Application Form within the Applicant Portal. Please note that members of other Cambridge colleges who have already been awarded full funding from other funding bodies before 1 March 2018 are not eligible to enter the 2018 Research Scholarships Competition.

The Application Process

Applicants for graduate courses should apply to the University in the first instance, and application should be made through the University’s Graduate Admissions Office at the Board of Graduate Studies for most graduate courses; exceptions are the PGCE, MBA and Clinical Medicine. Current undergraduate members of St John’s College wishing to apply for graduate courses should initially consult their College Tutor.

Once you have been accepted by the University your application form will be circulated to the colleges on your preference list.  In order to be considered by St John’s College you should list us as one of your preference colleges. (NB Applicants who wish to be considered for a Bradlow Scholarship, a Dr Manmohan Singh Scholarship or in the Luisa Aldobrandini Studentship Competition, in the years when those competitions are available, must name St John’s College as their first preference college). You will not receive any communication from the colleges other than from the college which offers you a place. The process of obtaining a college place can be quite lengthy but the University's Graduate Admissions Office will endeavour to find a college place for everyone who has been offered a place by the University.

If St John’s College is able to offer you a place we will write to you with details of our offer. We will also send basic information about College accommodation. More detailed information will be provided at a later stage. Any offer of a place will be made on condition that you satisfy the University’s academic and financial conditions for admission. We will ask you to keep in contact with us until those conditions have been met.