Welcome
Your college, department and the Students’ Union run fun and exciting welcome and induction events, giving you a great first week at York.
Welcome highlights
Find out what’s happening via your timetable, your college welcome, the Students' Union website or by asking your Second and Third Year Contact (STYC). See also the international student welcome for activities to welcome you from overseas.
Not sure what to expect?
See the York Student Television arrivals report for a flavour of what happened last year.
Don't miss official events - any 'must attend' events like central induction and introduction to your department will appear in your timetable.
Outline of welcome week events
| Fri 12 - Sun 14 Sep 2025 |
Arrivals weekend Your college welcome talk |
|---|---|
| Mon 15 - Tues 16 Sep 2025 |
'Find your feet' campus trail Vice-Chancellor and York Students' Union welcome |
| Wed 17 - Fri 19 Sep 2025 | Meet your academic department |
Students' Union welcome
Details of York Students' Union welcome events are available from Tuesday 26 August 2025. Find out all the amazing things you can get involved in, join clubs and societies that you like the look of and start enjoying the amazing opportunities at York.
Watch out for fake freshers events - see York SU's guide on how to spot fake freshers tickets.
Note: Photography will take place during Welcome Week, which may be used for marketing purposes by the University of York. If you have any concerns or would prefer not to feature, please email communications-support
What is uni like?
You'll meet new and different people in Freshers' Week. Here's what current students think about Freshers' Week and getting the most out of your time at York.
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Studying sociology at York! Freshers tips, student life and extracurricular opportunities
Posted by Ruby on 17 July 2024 Hi! I’m Ruby and I’m in my second year studying Sociology with Social Psychology at the University of York. I’ll be talking about why…
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Joining the York community: an interview with our students
Posted by Katrina, James and Kabeer on 3 July 2023 What’s it like to settle into the York family? We sat with three students to talk ducks, dreams, dinners, and the everlasting magic of…
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Freshers’ Week as a student who doesn’t drink
Posted by Amelia on 19 June 2023 Hi! I’m Amelia (she/her) and I’m a first year French and German student, living in Halifax College. Before university, I was worried about Freshers’…
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How not to lose your shirt: advice I wish I got for Freshers’ Week
Posted by Ed on 13 June 2023 Oh, Fresher’s Week, Freshers’ Week, wherefore art thou Freshers’ Week? As a former fresher, I can attest to the roller-coaster that is Freshers’ Week…
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Fresher’s week as an autistic student
Posted by Angharad on 6 December 2022 Hello, I’m Angharad, and I’m a first year undergraduate studying Biology. I’m also autistic! For me, this means I can find socialising difficult and…
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My experience starting university: an autistic student’s perspective
Posted by Samara on 6 December 2022 Hello, there! My name’s Samara and I’ve just completed my first term at university where I’m studying Theatre: Writing, Directing and Performance. As an…
Find out more on our blog, Student voices.
Get health and safety services sorted
- Register with a doctor in York as soon as possible. Unity Health Centre is the closest surgery to campus or search the NHS website for GP surgeries in the area.
- Sign up for the free University of York SafeZone app to make it easier for our Security team to respond if you need assistance on campus.
Register to vote
Don't forget to register to vote in York - the University cannot do this for you.
You are entitled to register at both your home address and your university address. You can vote at both addresses in local elections but you can only vote once in national elections.
City of York Council guidance for students registering to vote
Finance problems?
Your student finance payments (if you've applied) will be made by your student finance provider shortly after your course begins provided you have completed enrolment (see item 2 of Things to do). If you haven't received your loan, check:
- You've completed enrolment
- You've submitted your application and all the correct supporting evidence
- Your bank details are correct on your application – check your online account
- You've signed and returned your declaration form
- You’ve allowed five working days for the funds to be paid into your bank account.
If you have checked all this, contact the Student Loans Company.
If you are a home student and the first instalment of your loan or grant is delayed, you may be eligible for assistance funding. For details of all financial advice and support offered by the University, see our finance information for current students.
If you have successfully applied for a Tuition Fee Loan and/or Maintenance Loan/Grant, please ensure your offer letter from your student finance provider lists the correct course and the University of York as your institution.
If either of these are incorrect and it is before your course is due to start then these can be changed by accessing your student finance online account.
If your course has started then please email a scanned copy of your letter to student-records
Any delay in changing your institution or the course you are taking could mean that you will not receive your loan on time.