St. John's College - Liberal Arts College in the Annapolis and Santa Fe
One Great Books College. Two Great Campuses.
St. John’s is known for our interdisciplinary curriculum where students explore 200+ revolutionary books from across 3000 years. In class discussions, we probe world-changing literature, philosophy, math, science, and more, with graduates entering fields like law, government, STEM, media, and education. The third-oldest college in the US, St. John’s is hailed as the “most forward-thinking, future-proof college in America.”
Stories from St. John's College
St. John’s College to Cover Tuition for U.S. Students from Families Earning Under $75,000
New financial aid policy makes undergraduate education even more affordable.
Alex Clark (SFGI14, EC24) Presents Surprise Tuition Gift to Eastern Classics Cohort
"We don’t exist without our community, and our job is to help."
When Davis assumed her deanship in summer 2023, she was determined to serve as a bridge between faculty, students, and administration. So, as the campus began celebrating a landmark birthday earlier this year, Davis looked to its founding ethos for guidance.
Johnnies Don't Just Study Music—They Also Make It
“The world thinks of music as a fine art,” says Andy Kingston, a St. John’s College Santa Fe tutor and jazz pianist, “and we teach it as a liberal art.”
Eunbee Yu (A18) Shares Her Experiences with Alternative Education in South Korea—and Beyond
Eunbee Yu’s (A18) studies both at home and and abroad have been as varied as they have been unconventional.
Act Well Your Part: A Fall Theater Preview at St. John’s College
Annapolis and Santa Fe boast four outstanding student-produced shows this semester.
St. John’s College Releases Report on College History and Slavery
College seeks community input on how to recognize history; comment period now open.
Eva Brann, Beloved Tutor Emerita and Former Annapolis Dean, Dies at Age 95
Brann was the longest-serving tutor in St. John’s history, a 2005 recipient of the National Humanities Medal, and a fixture at St. John's College for more than 60 years.
Undergraduate Curriculum
Our students read the original writings of great thinkers across 3,000 years of history, engage in vigorous classroom discussion with fewer than 20 students around the seminar table, and study ideas across the humanities and sciences. Every student receives an interdisciplinary degree in the liberal arts. Our graduate programs are also books- and discussion-based.
Learn More about Undergraduate Program
An Affordable Education For All
St. John’s is one of the most celebrated colleges in America, and part of our mission is to make this education accessible to diverse students of all backgrounds. St. John’s offers one of the lowest private college tuitions alongside generous financial aid.
Freshman Year Tuition is Fully Covered for U.S. Students from Families Earning Under $75,000.
Meet Our Renowned Faculty
FACULTY PAGE#6
Professors Get High Marks
(Princeton Review)
7:1
Student-to-faculty ratio
16
Average class size
(no class larger than 21)
#21
Best Undergraduate Teaching
(U.S. News)
Internships and Fellowships
VIEW ALL Internships and FellowshipsSt. John’s offers paid internships for all students, paving the way for success in a variety of careers and graduate study. This is one reason that the Princeton Review has ranked St. John’s College #25 for career services.
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Genevieve DeMajistre
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)
Intern“I am interested in how scientific observations can be used in areas such as ecological gardening, wildlife conservation, and the rebuilding of ecosystems in ways that help combat climate change.”
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Apurva Sharma
Nepal Mediciti Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal
Intern“The conversations between the doctors and the patients were fascinating; it felt very professional yet intimate. I realized it is very taxing on both ends to trust someone with your life and to be responsible for someone else’s life. But it is a beautiful exchange.”
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Kasparas Adomaitis
Lithuanian Radio and Television, Investigative Journalism Division
Intern“My time at LRT helped me see that a liberal arts education is very useful when pursuing a career in journalism, as it teaches open-mindedness and passion for seeking the truth, which are both beneficial for succeeding in this field.”
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Chinazor Ike-Njoku
Harvard University
Course: Introduction to Psychology“I learned a lot about myself, the human brain, general human tendencies, and the power of forming healthy habits.”
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Alumni Success
VIEW ALL Alumni SuccessThe interdisciplinarity of our curriculum, the analytical skills developed through close reading and open discussion of big ideas, and our robust career supports prepare alumni to succeed across professional fields.
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Lydia Polgreen
Opinion Columnist
New York TimesNew York, New York
“I realized I wanted to look at and question the world just like I did at St. John’s. And to continue my inquiry because the world is open to interpretation. I had to go places and see things for myself.”
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Salvatore Scibona
National Book Award Finalist
Guggenheim FellowNew York, New York
“I am always asking myself if the work I'm doing matters, and if it’s true. Those are Johnnie questions, I find.”
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Miyoko Schinner
Founder
Miyoko’s CreameryNicasio, California
“At St. John’s, you learn how to learn, and you learn not to be intimidated.”
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Dr. Michael Fausnaugh
Research Scientist
MITCambridge, Massachusetts
“Results from the [Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite] mission have the potential to transform humanity's understanding of the Earth and our place in the universe … It is exciting and humbling to be part of this research.”
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Profile of Genevieve DeMajistre (A22)
Institution & Position
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)
Intern
Experience
Genevieve DeMajistre’s (A22) internship with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) was conducted both online and in person. Her assigned project primarily involved data analysis, and the remote aspect made it easy for her to attend mandatory seminars and optional coding workshops. While physically present, she assisted colleagues with a range of projects, including measuring the heights and widths of specific plant species to calculate biomass across varying conditions during the growing season. DeMajistre’s St. John’s education prepared her well for the experience. “Comprehending the research papers was much like reading the documents from lab,” she says. “After so much critical reading it was easier to identify what was important, what I needed to be able to define, [and] the consequences of what was being said.” She was drawn to the internship for data analysis, but her interest has since broadened to include setting up experiments, constructing their sites, and collecting data.
Profile of Apurva Sharma (A23)
Institution & Position
Nepal Mediciti Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal
Intern
Experience
Apurva Sharma (A23) interned under Dr. Prakash Paudel at one of Nepal’s leading hospitals for neuroscience, where she shadowed physicians in consultations and daily rounds, entered data during out-patient consultancies, worked with other interns to create discharge reports, and attended weekly presentations, among other tasks. Her multidisciplinary St. John’s education inspired her to look at scientific topics from different points of view. “I kept being drawn to ask questions regarding the mind through a more spiritual lens and comparing that to the doctors’ technical idea of the brain,” she says. “Engaging in this sort of speculative dialogue only made me more inquisitive about how the human mind works.” Viewing CT scans and MRIs, Sharma says, “felt strange for some reason. Perhaps because I’ve been engaging in the idea of the mind as a metaphysical one.” She found the internship experience “transformative in all respects,” and it it reinforced her desire to work in neuroscience while providing a glimpse into the day-to-day life of health professionals.
Profile of Kasparas Adomaitis (A23)
Institution & Position
Lithuanian Radio and Television, Investigative Journalism Division
Intern
Experience
A concern for political transparency and freedom of the press in his home country led Kasparas Adomaitis (A23) to intern at the investigative journalism division of Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT). Working within a team of five, he helped conduct, write, and present a range of investigations, one of which involved perusing the state archives to uncover how certain Lithuanian state property was privatized after the fall of the Soviet Union. For another, Adomaitis made English translations of ongoing investigations to be shared with foreign media outlets. “My most memorable project was investigating the migration networks of people from the Middle East through Belarus into Lithuania,” he says. “I interviewed Kurdish migrants who had crossed the Lithuanian border into detention centers.” He appreciated the welcoming support his of his mentors and notes that “having always found it difficult to find a career path that would genuinely interest me, this internship made me realize that I could pursue journalism and be good at it.”
Profile of Chinazor Ike-Njoku (SF23)
Institution & Field of Study
Harvard University
Course: Introduction to Psychology
Experience
Chinazor Ike-Njoku’s (SF23) desire to pursue a career in psychology was reinforced when she took a seven-week intensive course at Harvard, which has one of the nation’s top programs. Introduction to Psychology led by neuropsychology professor Dr. Elizabeth Phelps, encompassed the history of the discipline and current studies on a range of subfields. Ike-Njoku has always had a passion for mental health. “Having grown up and lived with several people who suffer(ed) from mental health disorders, I developed an interest in how the brain functions and how certain attitudes and behaviors can alter its functioning for better or worse,” she says. In addition to convening twice a week on Zoom, she and her classmates participated in ethical psychological research studies. Ike-Njoku felt well-prepared by her St. John’s education to tackle the course’s challenges and noted: “My professor commended my critical-thinking skills and my ability to proceed from fact to judgment. I could not have imagined a better summer.”
Profile of Lydia Polgreen
Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts
Job & Location
Opinion Columnist, New York, New York
About
Lydia left the New York Times in 2017 to be editor in chief of HuffPost, leading a team of hundreds of journalists publishing 16 editions across the globe in nine languages. She returned to the Times in 2022.
At the Times she served as deputy international editor and bureau chiefs for West Africa, South Asia, and Johannesburg—and received the 2006 George Polk Award for foreign reporting and the 2008 Livingston Award for international reporting. In early 2020, she left HuffPost to become head of content at Gimlet Media, an award-winning narrative podcasting company.
Digital Presence
Accomplishments
- 15 years as New York Times award-winning journalist
- Three years as Editor-in-chief of HuffPost
- 2006 George Polk Award for foreign reporting
- 2008 Livingston Award for international reporting
Further Study
Profile of Salvatore Scibona
Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts
Job & Location
Novelist, humanities nonprofit director, New York, New York
About
A 2008 National Book Award finalist and author of two critically acclaimed novels, The Volunteer and The End, Salvatore Scibona (SF97) serves as the director of the Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library. As director, he cultivates and supports the work of internationally renowned writers and thinkers and creates programming that enriches the broader NYPL community. As a novelist, he continues to write exceptional works of fiction.
Digital Presence
Accomplishments
- Young Lions Fiction Award, New York Public Library, 2009
- National Book Award Finalist, for The End, National Book Foundation, 2008
- Fulbright Scholarship, Creative Writing, U.S.-Italian Fulbright Commission: Rome and Catania, Italy, 1999–2000
- Selection of the New Yorker’s “20 Under 40” fiction writers, 2010
- Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts and Letters, Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts, 2019
- Ohioana Book Award for The Volunteer, 2020
Further Study
Profile of Miyoko Schinner
Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts
Job & Location
Founder, Miyoko’s Creamery, Nicasio, California
About
During her long career as a vegan baker, chef, cookbook author, and entrepreneur, Miyoko Schinner (A79) has revolutionized the vegan food industry; most recently by bringing vegan cheese into the mainstream with the award-winning vegan food company she founded and runs, Miyoko’s Creamery. “We’re not a company with a mission, we’re a mission with a company,” she says. “I am trying to revolutionize the food system to create a world that is more equitable and just, not only for humans but for all living beings.”
Digital Presence
Accomplishments
- Author of six cookbooks, including Artisan Vegan Cheese and The Homemade Vegan Pantry—The Art of Making Your Own Staples.
- Forbes 50 Over 50 member
Profile of Dr. Michael Fausnaugh
Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts
Job & Location
Research scientist, Cambridge, Massachusetts
About
Michael Fausnaugh (SF11) is an astronomical researcher advancing the frontier of our understanding of planet formation, supernovae, and strong gravity environments around black holes. Fausnaugh currently works on NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), planning observations, monitoring instrument performance, and assuring the quality of TESS data released to the public. “Results from the TESS mission have the potential to transform humanity’s understanding of the Earth and our place in the universe,” he says. “It is exciting and humbling to be part of this research and to enable the astronomical community to pursue these questions.”
Digital Presence
Accomplishments
- NASA Silver Achievement Medal for the TESS Mission, September 2019
- OSU Markowitz Award for Excellence in Observational Astronomy 2016–2017
- OSU Graduate School Presidential Fellow 2016–2017
Further Study
Books by Johnnies
VIEW ALL Books by JohnniesFrom Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, and Academy Award nominees to New York Times best sellers and O. Henry Award winners, Books by Johnnies showcases over 1000 books and dramatic works written by St. John’s alumni and faculty.
What Others Say
“St. John’s, with its famously demanding curriculum, hovers like a high-achieving angel over the landscape of American higher education.”
—Los Angeles Times
What Others Say
“What’s the highest calling of higher education? St. John’s College has some enduring answers.”
—Frank Bruni, New York Times
What Others Say
“There should be 100 St. Johnses.”
—Malcolm Gladwell
What Others Say
“The most rigorous college in America.”
—Forbes
What Others Say
“A school for the intellectual explorer.”
—Colleges that Change Lives
What Others Say
“The most forward-thinking, future-proof college in America.”
—Quartz
What Others Say
“The courage to be distinct.”
—David Brooks, New York Times
What Others Say
“A curriculum that would make Socrates proud.”
—Chronicle of Higher Education
What Others Say
“A school for self-directed intellectuals.”
—Forbes
What Others Say
“With great professors and distinguished alumni, who could ask for more?”
—HuffPost
What Others Say
“Johnnies drop words such as ‘truth’ and ‘virtue’ in casual conversation.”
—Washington Post
Continuing the Conversation
A film + podcast series featuring St. John’s faculty.