York is a place to grow, explore, and embrace the moments that will shape your university experience. You'll make friends for life, discover new passions and learn invaluable skills that will set you up for a bright future. Discover why you'll love York.
Student life
Quick facts
Through the Students’ Union, we provide a high number of student societies, sports clubs, networks and volunteering projects, allowing you to not just meet friends, but also to develop your skills beyond the classroom. York is quite unusual in that instead of having all our Students’ Union services under one roof, our venues are spread out across the beautiful campus. This just means that with more for you to explore, you will most definitely find your space at York!
University of York Students' Union President, 2022/23
Campus and city living
Our safe and welcoming campus environment combined with our student-friendly city provide everything you need to make the most of your university experience.
Our campus is set within 500 acres of award-winning parkland, with lakes, wetlands and landscaped gardens. It is home to an abundance of water birds, including ducks, geese, swans and herons. You’ll also notice other wildlife on campus, including hares, water voles, rabbits, squirrels, foxes, and, on rare occasions, otters!
Live at the heart of the action on campus. Choose from a range of room types for varying budgets.
You’ll become a member of a small, distinct community - your home from home, whether you live on or off campus.
Lively, full of culture and beautiful, York is regularly voted one of the best places to live and visit in the UK.
Our campus is packed with interesting places to eat and drink, plus two supermarkets and a student-run shop.
Sustainability on campus
To achieve the extraordinary at university, you’ll need access to an exceptional and sustainable campus and its facilities.
- We're a Green Flag campus: since 2013, we’ve held the benchmark national standard for publicly accessible parks and green spaces in the UK.
- We've saved over 1 million disposable cups from landfill through our YORCUP cup-lending scheme.
- The Environmental Sustainability Academy at York provides students with the opportunity to learn about, research and work on sustainability issues.
- Our annual Sustainability Week spotlights sustainability research and the practical steps that we can take for the future.
- Our campus is extremely cycle-friendly, and we fully support our students and employees to get around by bike.
One thing I love about York is the fact that it's a campus uni, meaning that everything is so close together! Especially in the summer, it's so pretty, it literally feels like you're walking through a park when you're walking to your lectures.
George, BA Business of the Creative Industries. Watch George's vlog about his favourite places on campus.
Try something new
Make the most of your university experience. Trying new activities is a great way to meet people, have fun and develop your skills.
York has over 250 student-led societies. Get involved, meet new people, or even consider starting up your own society!
Choose from over 75 sports clubs, play for your college team, or stay active in our fitness centre.
Whether you want to play, watch, listen or perform, there are lots of ways to enjoy culture on campus.
Volunteering
Give something back to the community and boost your skill set through volunteering.
My biggest top tip would probably be to try as hard as you can to give things a chance. Whether trying a new sport or activity, or continuing with an old hobby, it’s through getting involved alongside everything else that you’ll truly feel at home
Well-connected
Located in the North of England, York is easy to get to from anywhere in the world.
With great rail links and international airports nearby, you'll never be far from exploring other major UK cities or catching up with friends at other universities.
Getting around campus and the city
It's easy to get around our campus and we're close to the action in the city centre. Everything is within walking or cycling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.
Student voices
Who better to tell you about York life than our students. Look out for the student perspective throughout these pages, or hear directly from our students:
Blog post
Hi, my name’s Lucas, and I’m a mature student at the University of York, living with my girlfriend in Leeds city centre. While this…
Blog post
Hi folks! I’m Aayan, a first year student studying PPE. I’m gonna give you a little insight into what sports are like at York…
Blog post
Hi, I’m Lily a third year PPE student who is involved (and LOVES) both college and uni netball. For those who aren’t aware, York…
Blog post
University can be a challenging time. Despite the seemingly endless amount of socials, loneliness is rife among students. Almost one in four students are…
Your support network
Our dedicated network of support services will help you to get the best from your time at York. Help is there if you need it, whether you’re studying online or on campus.
Our students' union pioneers positive change. York SU has over 400 representatives who campaign to level up your time at York.
University life can be challenging, but we're here to support you every step of the way.
Get a head-start to a brighter future
Whatever you plan to do after you graduate, we can help you to stand out from the crowd. We offer a wealth of opportunities and advice which will support your career ambitions.
- Tap into our global employer and recruiter networks
- Take advantage of our graduate mentoring scheme
- Reap the benefits of our award-winning personal development, training and placement schemes.
Earn money and build your skills by becoming a Student Ambassador.
Cost of living
Knowing you have your finances under control means you can relax and enjoy your studies. To help you plan your budget before you get here, take a look at our living cost guides.
- Undergraduate living costs guide
- Postgraduate living costs guide
- Working while studying
Shared interests
York has over 300 student societies and sports groups, bringing people together over shared activities and interests.
These are open to everyone: James and Margaux share some of their favourites.
