About Us

St. John’s College is a residential college for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and visiting scholars from around the world who study and teach at the University of British Columbia. We seek to inspire a global vision and foster a spirit of community among our residents and alumni through multicultural education, intercultural understanding, and international exchange. We cultivate lasting friendships across diverse backgrounds by dining together and creating a home away from home; bringing you “the world around our table.” We bring you the world around our table. We aspire to create an atmosphere of social and intellectual engagement through dialogues, lectures, workshops, and other activities. We are committed to enriching the intellectual and cultural life of the University, as well as welcoming and engaging with off-campus communities. We strive to embody the traditions of academic excellence and public service inherited from our founders, the alumni of St. John’s University Shanghai. Our mission statement has been translated into 11 languages by our international residents and we are working on adding further translations!

Our Location

St. John’s College and the University of British Columbia are located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people. Musqueam and UBC signed a Memorandum of Affiliation in 2006.

At the College we encourage visitors to reflect on their location at Musqueam territory, following in the footsteps of one of our valued Faculty Fellows, Elder Larry Grant from the Musqueam Nation who speaks at our formal dinners and key events about the long history of these lands, and encourages everyone to reflect on the meaning of unceded.

Our Community

The College offers residential membership to graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and visiting scholars and students who share an interest in international research issues and global change studies and are committed to a better understanding and acceptance of cultural diversity. The academic life of the College is central to its mandate. Junior Fellows must have a keen intellectual curiosity which extends beyond their own academic discipline in order to fully enjoy and benefit from active participation in the College’s wide-ranging academic and social activities – lectures, seminars, workshops, theme colloquia, and performing arts.

Aside from taking up residence at St. John’s, residential membership entails active involvement in the social and academic aspects of College life. Involvement takes the form of participation on various social and academic committees, and attendance at functions and lectures sponsored by or otherwise linked with the College. The academic environment provided by St. John’s College fosters a better understanding of the UBC and global communities by encouraging dialogue and cultural awareness between residents from Canada and other parts of the world. Members of the College – graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, visiting scholars, Faculty Fellows, and other members of the University who share the scholarly objectives of cross-disciplinary dialogue and academic excellence all play an integral role in the creation of this intellectually and socially enriched community.

The Principal of St. John’s College, a faculty member who lives at the College and is an integral part of the community, holds overall responsibility for life at the College. The Principal works closely with the Associate Principal.

To meet our current Principal, Dr. Henry Yu and all the staff at the College, visit:
Meet the Principals
Meet the Staff

Vice-Provost International Office

As UBC’s international graduate residence, St. John’s College reports to the Vice-Provost International, who leads the University’s diverse and complex international activities on both campuses, and advances UBC’s International strategic priorities. You can explore the 2019 strategic plannning process here.

Vancouver Summer Program

The Vancouver Summer Program (VSP) is a four-week academic program offered by various Faculties at UBC for students from cooperating universities. The program provides the opportunity to take two academic courses while learning about Canadian practices and culture.

The VSP office is located at St. John’s College. When you enter the main entrance of the College, they are located at your immediate right in front of the main office.