Careers After St. John's
Johnnies have a unique education that helps them to lead meaningful lives and succeed across diverse professional fields—often trailblazing new and creative ways to make an impact. At St. John’s College, we are committed to preparing our students for life after college both in and out of the classroom: through the Program and through on-going professional development, funded internships and fellowships, and graduate school preparation.
By the Numbers
100%
All of the Johnnies who have applied to law school since 2012 have been accepted.
Preparing for a Career in Law
74%
Of our alumni were employed within 6 months of graduation.
70%
Of alumni are employed in mid-level or executive-level positions.
82%
Of our alumni say the benefits of their St. John’s education outweigh the financial costs. Only 42% on average at peer institutions.
85%
Of our alumni give the St. John’s Program “very high” marks.
81%
Of our alumni say St. John’s College prepared them well to continually learn and/or succeed in graduate school.
Alumni Success
Where are our alumni, and what are they doing?
College-funded Opportunities
Do we really pay students to prepare for careers?
Internships
How do St. John’s-funded internships work?
St. John’s College provides our students with the opportunity to secure funding for unpaid summer internships in a variety of fields. Each comes with a $4,000 stipend, which can be used for internship-related student needs such as housing and travel. Students have interned in national science laboratories, Congressional offices, publishing houses, investment firms, nonprofits and more. On average, approximately half of Johnnies have completed a St. John’s-funded internship by the time they graduate—and the college is committed to raising that number over time.
In Santa Fe, our internship program is called the ARIEL Internship. In Annapolis, it is called the Hodson Trust Internship. All are donor-funded and the college is grateful to our donors for this generous support. To see a list of recent internships undertaken by our students, visit our careers data page.
Fellowships
What kinds of fellowships do we help students attain?
St. John’s College students take advantage of two types of fellowships. The first is college-funded fellowships for supplemental coursework and career-advancement opportunities that will prepare students for graduate school or a career. The second is national fellowship and scholarship programs such as the Fulbright, Beinecke, and Davis Projects for Peace.
The college-funded fellowships are referred to as Pathways. They provide students with a maximum of $5,000 to take courses, earn professional certificates, or attend conferences. With a Pathways Fellowship, students may enroll, for example, in pre-med courses for medical school, art classes in order to build a portfolio, or education courses to earn a license to teach in public school
There are two kinds of Pathways Fellowships: General Pathways, which fund summer programs in the United States, and Global Pathways, which fund international study. Global Pathways are only available on the Santa Fe campus. All are funded by generous St. John’s College donors. To see where students have recently completed Pathways Fellowships, please visit our careers data page.
The Pathways Fellowship page for Annapolis and the Internships and Fellowships page for Santa Fe provide more information about the Pathways program at each campus.
The second type of fellowship—national fellowship and scholarship programs—are available to all college students in the U.S. Programs like the Fulbright U.S. Student program, the Beinecke Scholarship, and the Davis Foundation Projects for Peace offer a wide variety of opportunities, including post-graduate research overseas, funding for graduate studies in the U.S., and summer projects.
The National Fellowships and Scholarships page for Annapolis and the National Scholarships page for Santa Fe provide more information about these programs.
Staff at Career Services in Annapolis and the Office of Personal and Professional Development in Santa Fe assist students throughout the application process.
To see the national fellowship and scholarship programs to which our students apply, visit our careers data page.
Graduate School Pathways
What graduate schools do our students attend?
St. John’s College is known in higher education for our rigorous, classical liberal arts education. Our reputation, combined with our students’ academic readinesses, helps students gain acceptance into some of the top colleges and universities in the world: from the London School of Economics to Yale, Harvard, and Princeton. Graduates also study at great arts schools like Rhode Island School of Design, Julliard, and the Sorbonne; at top STEM schools like MIT, CalTech, and Johns Hopkins; and at local state schools and regional universities across the country including our own regional favorites: the University of Maryland and the University of New Mexico.
Our career services offices in Santa Fe and Annapolis provide a full array of services to prepare for graduate school. Visit OPPD’s preparation for grad school page or Career Service’s grad school prep page to get started.
By the Numbers
What does data tell us about our students’ futures?
Career Offices
Not sure what to do after St. John’s? Start here.
Not sure how to begin preparing yourself for a future career or graduate school pathway? Most students aren’t—which is why our career offices are here to support you from the moment you enter St. John’s College. The office in Annapolis is called the Career Development Office and the office in Santa Fe is called the Office of Personal and Professional Development, also known as OPPD. Begin your journey with them by reaching out today.
For Employers
Johnnies are self-directed learners, original thinkers, and problem-solvers.
Throughout their four years at the college, Johnnies analyze more than 200 of the most influential texts and thinkers from across 3,000 years of Western thought: from Plato and Pascal to Adam Smith and Albert Einstein. They learn the foundations of mathematics and the sciences by conducting hands-on proofs and experiments, beginning with Euclid and journeying through Darwin and Faraday. They read, write, discuss, and dissect the trajectory of knowledge—literally and figuratively.
Johnnies are self-directed learners who thrive with new and challenging material. They are sharp analysts, creative and courageous thinkers, and clear communicators. They work well in teams, too: they know how to listen, they know how to ask questions, and they know that collaborative inquiry works better for everyone. The end result? Johnnies excel at solving difficult and new problems—just like the ones facing every organization today.