Shared Humanity

St. John’s College is a welcoming place for all students. Because of the common curriculum, the small size, and the commitment to learning on the part of everyone on the campuses, students find a community that embraces diversity of background and thought. In fact, diversity is a vital component of what makes classroom discussion so enriching. By reading great books and struggling together with the fundamental questions that they raise, students and faculty learn from their differences and discover more deeply their shared humanity.

The college was recently ranked #4 in the United States by the Princeton Review for “lots of race/class interaction” because different types of students interact frequently and easily.

Who We Are

Students across two campuses in Santa Fe and Annapolis represent:

• Geographic diversity: Students come from most states and territories and over 20 countries. In recent years, about 20% of students have been international students. The college welcomes students from all backgrounds, including undocumented students.
• Racial and ethnic diversity: Over 35% of students identify as students of color.
• Socioeconomic diversity: St. John’s has extraordinarily high socioeconomic diversity among top liberal arts colleges, including more than 20% of students who are Pell recipients and more than 15% who are the first in their families to attend college. The college is ranked a “best value” among liberal arts colleges due to our affordability, which is made possible through a combination of our $35,000 tuition, need-based financial aid, and merit scholarships.
• Educational diversity: St. John’s breaks the educational mold, so unsurprisingly our students do too. Johnnies attended public, private, and parochial high schools, went to high schools overseas, earned their GEDs, and over 8% were homeschooled.
• Diversity of gender and sexuality: St. John’s has close to equal numbers of men and women, and we have an active LGBTQ community, earning the college a #20 ranking by the Princeton Review for being LGBTQ-friendly.
• Diversity of religion, spirituality, and thought: Students are drawn to St. John’s from all thought, religious, and faith and no faith backgrounds across a wide spectrum, and the college prides itself as a home for students who engage in civil discourse—in and out of the classroom—despite their differences.

See current freshman class profile.

Clubs and Organizations

The diversity of the student body is reflected in all clubs and organizations but many groups embrace differences of culture, background, sexual orientation, and religion. If there’s an activity or organization that doesn’t yet exist at the college, students may launch their own by finding a group of other interested students to start a club.