St. John’s College

Admission to St. John's College in Maryland has grown more selective over the past decade, while its ranking has gradually slipped. In the 2027 U.S. News National Liberal Arts Colleges ranking, the college was ranked 81st, having dropped from 61st in 2023. For the class entering in 2025, the college accepted 55.2% of applicants, an admit rate that is higher than 21% of peer schools among similar private liberal arts colleges. This demonstrates that St. John's admits a smaller share of applicants than most of its peers, maintaining a relatively selective gate. When students are offered admission, the college converts them into matriculants at a rate well above peer institutions. Its yield rate reached 24.9% in 2025, which is higher than 93% of peer schools. This strong pull indicates that applicants who target St. John's often have a distinct commitment to its curriculum rather than treating it casually. Prospective applicants should approach the process knowing that admission is selective and that the institution draws a focused applicant pool.

St. John's College maintains an admission test policy that is optional, considered if submitted. For the 2025 entering class, published score ranges place the middle half of ACT Composite scores between 27 and 32. Standardized testing performance among submitters is relatively high compared to peer institutions, as the college's median SAT score of 1370 is higher than 92% of peer schools in its comparison group of similarly ranked private liberal arts colleges. Even with these metrics, submitting examination results is not the norm for every applicant, as 38% of enrolled students submitted SAT scores in 2025, alongside a smaller percentage who reported ACT scores. Prospective applicants assessing their academic qualifications can use these benchmarks to gauge how their standardized testing compares against enrolled students who reported their marks.

Academic offerings at St. John's College are entirely unified rather than distributed across multiple specialized departments. In 2025, all 115 bachelor's degree recipients graduated in Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies, accounting for 100% of undergraduate completions. The master's program follows the same structure, with all advanced degree recipients finishing in that same discipline. Because every student follows this single, seminar-based curriculum centered on foundational texts, the college has no separate department rankings. The largest major is thus the only major offered on campus. In terms of early career outcomes, graduates from the liberal arts and sciences field earned a median salary of $29,852 one year after graduation, according to 2023 earnings data. For prospective applicants, this structure means academic choice is deliberately replaced by a collective intellectual track. Students should apply knowing they will immerse themselves in classical literature, philosophy, and sciences rather than pursuing pre-professional majors or technical specializations.

St. John's College maintains a small, closely knit academic community where students learn together in shared seminars. Within the continuing undergraduate student body, the largest segment of the campus, international students numbered 55, representing 15.5% of that group. Asian students in this continuing cohort numbered 13, accounting for a 3.7% share. Smaller cohorts of both international and Asian students also join each year through the first-year undergraduate class and the graduate school. White students form the majority across all levels of study, alongside modest representations of Hispanic and multiracial students. The undergraduate body is fairly balanced between men and women, while the graduate division enrolls a higher percentage of male students. For prospective applicants, this composition creates an intimate campus setting where diverse perspectives meet within a cohesive and focused learning environment.

The undergraduate student body at St. John's College consists almost entirely of traditional college-age learners, which shapes a cohesive residential atmosphere. In 2025, undergraduates aged 20 to 21 formed the single largest group at 217 students, accounting for 44.7% of all undergraduates. When combined with students aged 18 to 19 and 22 to 24, virtually the entire college division falls within standard undergraduate ages. By contrast, the graduate division draws older individuals pursuing advanced study. The largest graduate group was between 25 and 29 years old, making up 24.4% of graduate enrollment, with additional students distributed across their thirties and beyond. This distinct separation means undergraduate campus life is dominated by peers moving through the Great Books curriculum together, while graduate seminars bring together adults with varied life and career backgrounds.

International enrollment at St. John's College represents a substantial presence on campus, showing stability at the undergraduate level and growth in graduate programs. In 2025, international students accounted for 13.8% of the undergraduate student body, a share that is higher than 77% of peer schools among ranked private liberal arts colleges. This undergraduate proportion has edged slightly upward since 2016. At the graduate level, the international share has expanded more noticeably, reaching 10.7% in 2025. When looking at degrees awarded, international students are entirely focused within the same academic field due to the institution's Great Books program. In 2025, international students comprised 17.4% of bachelor's degree recipients, with all graduating in Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. Similarly, all international master's recipients earned their advanced degrees in Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. For prospective international applicants, these figures confirm that international students participate fully in the college's unified curriculum alongside domestic classmates across both undergraduate and graduate divisions.

Families exploring colleges near Annapolis will find several prominent institutions nearby. Directly adjacent at a distance of 0.5 kilometers is the United States Naval Academy, ranked 3rd among National Liberal Arts Colleges in 2027. Across the Chesapeake Bay about 27.9 kilometers away is Washington College, a private liberal arts college ranked 97th. Moving northwest toward the Baltimore metro area, University of Maryland-Baltimore County is located 22.4 kilometers from campus with a national university rank of 137th, while Johns Hopkins University sits 25 kilometers away, holding the 9th spot nationally.

Campus safety at St. John's College has shown notable improvement in recent years, with overall incident rates dropping to their lowest recorded levels. In 2025, the college recorded a crime rate per 1,000 students of 14.8, down substantially from its peak years. Disciplinary infractions form the bulk of safety-related reports on campus. Between 2023 and 2025, the most common category was liquor law disciplinary referrals, with 26 total incidents, followed by 15 drug law disciplinary referrals. Over that same three-year window, the college documented residence hall fires, along with single-digit occurrences of sexual harassment and rape, while arrests for drug violations remained rare. Violent crimes remain uncommon on this small campus, and major incidents are infrequent. For families and prospective students evaluating the environment, safety records reflect a predominantly quiet campus where security matters primarily involve internal alcohol and substance policy enforcement rather than severe threats to personal safety.