St John's College Cambridge - John Crook Scholarships (entry in October 2025)

Scholars are admitted as affiliated students and take the more advanced parts of a Cambridge degree course to qualify for a Cambridge BA (Hons) in two years instead of the usual three. Following the completion of their first year of study, some Scholars may have the opportunity to opt into a one year MPhil programme, if suitable, graduating after two years with an MPhil. The intention of the scholarship is to offer the Scholars the full Cambridge experience over a period of two years.

If you meet the criteria below, you could be eligible. 

One John Crook Scholarship is awarded every year; if the competition is very strong, the Committee may decide to award two scholarships in the same round. 

What are the benefits of taking a second 2-year BA degree as an affiliated student in Cambridge?

Cambridge University is respected world-wide for the excellence of teaching. Teaching in Cambridge involves lectures delivered by academics who are experts in their fields, but not only that; Cambridge undergraduate students also receive personal tuition in the form of supervisions on a regular basis. The supervision system is one of Cambridge's greatest strengths; it allows students to explore their subject more profoundly and develop their own independent thinking, an invaluable skill for their personal, academic and career development.

Spending two years studying at Cambridge will allow you the time to adjust to the Cambridge educational system and at the same time reap the benefits of the full Cambridge experience. It is not only about learning; it is also about broadening your intellectual horizons and being part of a stimulating and diverse academic community.

John Crook and the Scholarship

Professor John Anthony Crook (1921 – 2007) was a Fellow of St John’s for more than fifty years. His door was ever-open to generations of undergraduate and graduate students for whom he seemed to have so much time to spare and to whom he offered so much valued support and advice.

Professor Crook came up to St John’s from South London on a Scholarship in 1939, being the only child of parents of modest means. After exemplary war service, Professor Crook reached the top of his chosen academic profession as Professor of Ancient History at Cambridge University. He was a world expert on Roman Law and Legal Practices and taught Greek and Latin language to classics scholars.

A donor has offered full funding for a new scholarship to be awarded in John Crook’s name and memory, which reflects the spirit of his achievements and which sets out to offer opportunities at St John’s to gifted students from similar backgrounds. The first John Crook Scholarship award was made in 2010 to Elizabeth Monaghan, an honours graduate in English from the Open University.