Santa Fe, N.M. [May 29, 2025] –St. John’s College in Santa Fe has announced a new scholarship that will cover the full cost of tuition for New Mexico K-12 teachers with demonstrated financial need pursuing a master’s degree. This opportunity applies to St. John’s three master’s programs and is open to all 21,000 K-12 teachers in the state. Classes can be taken full-time or part-time at the college’s Graduate Institute in Santa Fe and two of the master’s programs can also be completed remotely.

Funders of the new scholarship were inspired by a desire to further this work with New Mexico teachers, including the hope that an accessible master’s degree will help teachers further their own education, enhance their effectiveness in the classroom, and provide a ladder to higher learning potential. For information on the scholarship visit sjc.edu/nmteachers.

Teachers can earn one of three master’s degrees from St. John’s: a Master of Arts in Liberal Arts (MALA), which explores the classic texts of the West; the Master of Arts in Eastern Classics (MAEC), which explores the classic texts of India, China and Japan; and the newly launched Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Classics (MAMEC), which explores the classic texts of Jewish and Islamic civilization. The MAEC and MAMEC programs are one-year programs and the MALA is a two-year program; the MAEC and MALA are also available online.

“St. John’s is regularly ranked a ‘best value college’ because our tuition and scholarships make us one of the most affordable top liberal arts colleges in the country,” said Caroline Randall, Assistant Vice President of Enrollment. “Now, thanks to our donors, we are broadening that world-class education opportunity to our state’s teachers so that they can bring the experience back to their classrooms and deepen their own learning.”

The initiative is part of St. John’s ongoing efforts to serve New Mexicans, including the educators who are vital to the future of our young people. In 2018, the college slashed its tuition by a third, moving from a tuition-driven financial model to a philanthropically driven model, and capped tuition for New Mexicans at two-thirds of the reduced tuition price. In 2024, the college began providing donor-funded matches to all Pell grant recipients and added academic bridge programs for students in need of extra support. The college has seen its share of New Mexico students steadily climb over the last several years and hopes to continue that momentum.

ABOUT ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE

St. John’s College is a singular college in American higher education. Students study over 200 great books from across 3,000 years of human thought in discussion-based seminar classes. By probing world-changing ideas in literature, philosophy, mathematics, science, music, history, and more, students leave St. John’s with a foundation for success in such fields as law, government, research, STEM, media, and education. Located on two campuses in two historic state capitals—Santa Fe, New Mexico and Annapolis, Maryland—St. John’s is the third-oldest college in the United States and has been hailed as the “most forward-thinking, future-proof college in America” by Quartz and as a “high-achieving angel hovering over the landscape of American higher education” by the Los Angeles Times. Learn more at www.sjc.edu/world-classics.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Frank O’Mahony, St. John’s College Santa Fe, 505-455-6169, fomahony(at)sjc.edu