University of York

Origins The first petition for the establishment of a university in York was presented to James I in 1617. In 1641, a second petition was drawn up but was not delivered due to the English Civil War in 1642. A third petition was created in 1647 but was rejected by Parliament. Oliver Sheldon a director of Rowntree's and co-founder of York Civic Trust, was a driving force behind the campaign to found the university. Establishment John Bowes Morrell was the driving force behind the university's establishment. The university started with six departments: Economics, Education, English, History, Mathematics, Politics. Due to the influence of Graeme Moodie, founding head of the Politics Department, students are involved in the governance of the university at all levels, and his model has since been widely adopted. York's first two colleges, Derwent and Langwith, were founded in 1965, as was the University of York Library. These were the first residential colleges. They were followed by Alcuin and Vanbrugh in 1967 and Goodricke in 1968. In 1972 this was followed by Wentworth College. In 1993, therefore it was decided that the college should become open to undergraduates. For a number of years, the university's expansion plans were limited by planning restrictions. The City of York planning conditions stipulate that only 20% of the land area may be built upon, and the original campus was at full capacity. In 2004, plans were finalised for a 117 hectare extension to the campus, initially called Heslington East, designed to mirror the existing Heslington West campus. They are now known as Campus East and Campus West. The plans set out that the new campus would be built on arable land between Grimston Bar park and ride car park and Heslington village. The land was removed from the green belt especially for the purpose of extending the university. After a lengthy consultation and a public inquiry into the proposals in 2006, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Ruth Kelly gave the go-ahead in May 2007. was founded in 2014.In May 2008 the City of York planners approved the design for the residential college, Goodricke. In The Press on 28 July 2008, Shepherd Construction was named as the preferred contractor for the Goodricke College buildings. The proposal included landscaping the whole area, constructing a lake with marsh borders, planting light woodland and many specimen trees, and maximising biodiversity. Construction began in 2008, with the first buildings, including Goodricke college, coming into use in October 2009. It was decided that rather than create a new college that an existing college should be moved. Goodricke College was selected for this and moved onto the new campus in 2009 with James taking over its building on Campus West. Goodricke was officially opened by the then Duke of York (later Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor) in April 2010. In 2012, the same process took place with Langwith moving to Campus East and Derwent taking over its previous buildings. In 2014 Campus East saw the establishment of the ninth college, named Constantine College after the Roman emperor Constantine the Great, who was proclaimed Augustus in York in 306 AD. ==Campus==

Campus West In 1964, work began on the campus facilities in the grounds of Heslington Hall. The marshy land was drained, the winding lake that dominates the campus was built, and the area was landscaped. The original buildings were designed by architects Sir Andrew Derbyshire and Sir Stirrat Johnson-Marshall, with input also from the Vice-Chancellor Lord James, Professor Patrick Nuttgens and the Registrar, John West-Taylor. The new structures were assembled using the CLASP system of prefabricated construction, hence York's inclusion among the so-called plate glass universities. It has played host to the Wailers, George Melly, Soft Machine, Pink Floyd, and Paul McCartney. Performances by big-name acts have been rarer at the university following a 1985 the Boomtown Rats concert, during which the cover of the orchestra pit was damaged. A ban on pop performances, and in particular dancing, in Central Hall was imposed by the university, although it has occasionally been relaxed. Central Hall is still used for classical concerts and since a rock concert was held there on 13 March 2010 it has been available again for full booking. Public concerts are regularly held in the music department's Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, the Arthur Sykes Rymer Auditorium and in some of the colleges. University library The University of York Library opened in 1965 two years after the university itself opened. The building was designed by Robert Mathews, Johnson-Marshall and partners. The primary site of library comprises a series of three linked buildings to the north side of the University of York's West Campus: the JB Morrell, the Raymond Burton, and the Fairhurst buildings. Originally just consisting of the JB Morrell, in 2003 the Raymond Burton library was added to the site, designed by Leach Rhodes Walker architects and houses both the Humanities research reading room and the Borthwick institute for archives. The Raymond Burton Library was also recently nominated for a SCONUL Design award. In 2012 the Library had a £20 million renovation incorporating the neighbouring Fairhurst building, now housing the majority of libraries study spaces including the postgraduate study lounge. Grounds The campus lake is the largest plastic-bottomed lake in Europe. The decision by Sir Andrew Derbyshire and Stirrat Johnson-Marshall to give the university a lake had two motivations: one, to give the university a distinct image and identity while also creating areas to foster community; and two, more practically to create a drainage basin for the relatively flat agricultural site as it was feared the construction of the new buildings would increase the risk of flooding. However, the use of this name varies, which challenges it's authenticity. It has been applied to the whole lake, to the Derwent fish pond, and to the end of the lake around Wentworth. No historic use of the term has been found to add support to any of these terms use. Other parts of the campus support a large rabbit population. On at least one occasion, students have been cautioned by the university for hunting rabbits. Campus West has both indoor and outdoor sports facilities, including an all-weather AstroTurf pitch and County standard cricket pitch. A large, tent-like structure allows for indoor sport, gymnastics and dance. In 2013 it was reported that the university was planning a major redevelopment of Campus West, which would also result in the creation of a tenth college. Heslington Hall was built in 1568 Heslington Hall is a Grade II* listed rebuilt manor house consisting of a central nine-bay two-storey block with attics and two two-storey wings at each end. It is built of brick in English bond with sandstone ashlar dressings. The original Manor house was constructed in 1568 for Sir Thomas Eynns, the Secretary and Keeper of the Seal to the Council of the North; and his wife Elizabeth. At the outbreak of the Second World War, the house was vacated by the family, allowing it to be taken over by the Royal Air Force as the headquarters of No. 4 Group RAF, part of RAF Bomber Command. The hall was not re-occupied by the family after the war. In 1955 the hall was given Grade II* listed building status. When the university was founded, Sir Bernard Feilden supervised its conversion into the administrative headquarters of the university. and moved its Physics of Life group to the Science Park in winter 2019. York Conferences are located on the university campus. King's Manor Located in York city centre, about from the main Heslington West campus, the historic King's Manor began as the Abbot's House of St Mary's Abbey and went on to become the headquarters of the Council of the North following the dissolution of the monasteries. For many years after 1966, the King's Manor housed the Institute of Advanced Architectural Studies (IoAAS). The IoAAS was a postgraduate institute primarily specialising in providing mid-career education for architects and others. In particular, it became well known for its one-year Diploma Course in Conservation Studies. The university announced in 2024 that it would stop using King's Manor for teaching and research due to the cost of maintaining the property and problems with accessibility, with the departments moving to the main Heslington campus. The research centres in humanities, medieval studies, renaissance and early modern studies, and eighteenth century studies, moved to Heslington Hall in 2025, while the Department of Archaeology is planned to move to the Berrick Saul Building in summer 2026. The lease for the site, owned by City of York Council, will be taken over by York St John University in 2026. Campus East Several departments have purpose-built facilities on Campus East, including York Law School. In October 2010, several departments moved into new facilities on Campus East including the Department of Theatre, Film and Television and the Department of Computer Science. Campus East also includes the York Sports Village and a new purpose built £1.1 million Olympic-sized outdoor velodrome, the only one in Yorkshire or the North East of England. Other properties The university owns several other properties including Catherine House, Constantine House, 54 Walmgate, and Fairfax House. The university publishes an annual code of practice for student accommodation to help students living off-campus. ==Organisation and administration==

Colleges York is a collegiate university and has eleven colleges. List of pro-vice-chancellors • Matthias Ruth (2019–2025) • Pro-vice-chancellor of research • Kiran Trehan (2019–present) • Pro-vice-chancellor of partnerships and engagement • Ambrose Field (2019–present) • Pro-vice-chancellor of global strategy • Tracy Lightfoot (2019–present) • Pro-vice-chancellor of teaching, learning, and students Finances In the financial year ending 31 July 2024, the University of York had a total income of £515.5 million (2022/23 – £496.6 million) and total expenditure of £379.4 million (2022/23 – £496.6 million). Key sources of income included £260.1 million from tuition fees and education contracts (2022/23 – £256.3 million), £54.8 million from funding body grants (2022/23 – £59.4 million), £100.4 million from research grants and contracts (2022/23 – £96.8 million), £10.1 million from investment income (2022/23 – £7.1 million) and £4.1 million from donations and endowments (2022/23 – £3.2 million). UYMP maintains online catalogues for composers and their music. At present, there are a total of twenty-seven house composers and thirty-one associate composers. UYMP has so far published more than one thousand projects in twelve sections. Among the composers whose music is published by UYMP are David Blake and Anthony Gilbert. ==Academic profile==

Rankings and reputation performance over the past ten years QS placed York at 162 for 2023 and at 167 in 2024 and 184 in 2025. The University of York is ranked 29th globally in the QS Sustainability Rankings for 2024. All three major national rankings place York in the top 21, with The Times placing it at 17, The Guardian at 21 and The Complete University Guide at 20 for 2023. In The Sunday Times 10-year (1998–2007) average ranking of British universities based on consistent league table performance, York was ranked 6th overall in the UK. In 2000, the Sutton Trust named York as a leading university in the United Kingdom, placing it 6th overall. On 25 November 2010 York was named "University of the Year" at the Times Higher Education Awards, achieving praise from the judges for its "success in combining academic excellence with social inclusion, as well as its record in scientific discovery". In 2014 York was named the eighth best university under 50 years old in the world, and first within the United Kingdom. In the Times Higher Education rankings York is listed as 34th for Life Sciences & Biomedicine in 2015. In 2018 CWTS Leiden recorded there to have been 2833 publications by York between 2013 and 2016 which placed it at 425 in the world by quantity and 128 in terms of its proportion of top 10% publications. Overall world rankings for York by ARWU placed it between 401 and 500 for 2021. In the 2022 Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities the top-ranked research disciplines at York were sociology (49th), atmospheric science and economics (both ranked in the range 51–75). Admissions In the academic year, the student body consisted of students, composed of undergraduates and postgraduate students. The university is consistently designated as a 'high-tariff' institution by the Department for Education, with the average undergraduate entrant to the university in recent years amassing between 142–151 UCAS Tariff points in their top three pre-university qualifications – the equivalent of AAB to A*AA at A-Level. There are around 6.2 applications for every undergraduate place, and a completion rate of 93.2% with around 80% of graduates graduating with a First/2:1. 17.9% of York's undergraduates are privately educated, the joint 20th highest proportion amongst mainstream British universities. In the 2016–17 academic year, the university had a domicile breakdown of 80:5:16 of UK:EU:non-EU students respectively with a female to male ratio of 56:44. 56.2% of international students enrolled at the institution are from China, the third highest proportion out of all mainstream universities in the UK. In response to 'financial challenges' reported in January 2024, the university will lower entrance requirements for international students to the equivalent of BBC at A Level and the equivalent of a 2:2 degree for postgraduate courses. ==Student activities==

Representation in winter The students' union is the University of York Students' Union and is referred to as YorkSU. Its membership is currently the entire student population of the university. It merged with the postgraduate union, the Graduate Students Association (GSA) in 2024. In 2008 YUSU was able to open its first Union-run licensed venue The Courtyard. Each college has its own JCRC or students' association which provide a variety of services, including college events and student welfare services; they also organise the Freshers' Fortnight activities in their college. Non-partisan political societies are well represented at the university, with the York Student Think Tank, which produces student policy research and hosts informal debates; the York Dialectic Union, which hosts speakers and debates; and the debating society, which competes in inter-varsity debating tournaments against other universities. There are also party political societies on campus with the University of York Labour Club, the University of York Liberal Democrat Society, the University of York Conservative and Unionist Association and the University of York Green Party Society; campaigning on issues both on and off campus, as well as organising debates and talks by high-profile speakers. There is also a branch of People and Planet, which campaigns on environmental and ethical issues. Additionally, there is an active Palestinian Solidarity Society, and multiple pro-Palestinian protests and encampments have appeared over the past few years. There are multiple organisations for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBT) students. The York SU LGBTQ+ Network is a liberation society built into the students' union, which represents LGBTQ+ students by campaigning for issues on campus, offering welfare & support and running events for all LGBTQ+ students to attend, such as cabaret evenings and chilled mixers. YorQueer, formerly the LGBTQ Social Society, also organises social events aimed at LGBTQ+ students and their friends. In November 2024 the two officially merged, however as of May 2025 they still use both the YorQueer and Network labels for different events. They have strong links with the Staff LGBTI+ Matters Forum, which offers a largely similar provision to staff members of the university. Additionally, the 2024/25 academic year saw the creation of the Sapphic Society, which "aims to provide an uplifting and inclusive space for all students interested in Sapphic culture, identity and history". Student Union bars and venues The university's Students' Union run a number of bars and venues across both campuses, namely The Courtyard, The Kitchen, The Glasshouse, The Lounge and Vanbrugh Arms. Additionally, the Union also ran a venue known as D-Bar (located in Derwent College) but had to temporarily close it due to the COVID-19 pandemic. D-Bar later reopened as a cafe during refurbishments of Derwent, before fully reopening in 2022. Shortly after reopening as a bar, D-Bar was hosting an LGBTQ+ event when it was gate crashed by Derwent College Rugby team which was criticised on social media by the then-LGBTQ+ Officers, Matt Rogan and Daniel Loyd. In 2020, Patrick O'Donnell, the president of YUSU, unveiled a new, purpose built venue named The Forest which would be used for a wide variety of events. Later that year, Brian Terry, the then Student Activities Officer, had the venue used as part of a week long Freshers Fair, advertising societies and clubs to students in a Covid-safe environment. In 2021, The Lakeside Tap was opened to replace The Forest but was closed the next year. Media York Student Television (YSTV) was founded at the university in 1967 and is England's oldest student television station. YSTV once held the world record for longest continuous television broadcast under a single director. It was named the best student television station at the 2012, 2014, 2019 and 2025 NaSTA Awards. The University of York Filmmaking Society was a student-run filmmaking group; between 1999 and 2014 its members made two feature films and many shorts, some of which were shown at national film festivals. University Radio York (URY) is the oldest independent radio station in the United Kingdom and winner of the Student Radio Awards Best Station Award 2020. Nouse was established in 1964 and was 2005 NUS/Mirror Student paper of the year and 2009 NUS Best Student Media. It has also won multiple Guardian Student Newspaper awards throughout the past decade, for both its pioneering website and outstanding individual journalists. Its rival newspaper, Vision, was named Guardian Student Newspaper of the Year for three consecutive years between 2002 and 2004—the only time this has occurred in the 27-year history of the prestigious awards—and won it again in 2007. In 2011, it won the award for a fifth time, making it the most awarded student newspaper in the United Kingdom. It also won Best Small Budget Publication at the 2006 NUS/Mirror National Student Media Awards. Matrix, the campus feminist newspaper, was founded in 1990 and ran until 2000, and was then relaunched in 2006 as Matrix Reloaded. The Lemon Press, York's satire magazine, was launched in 2009, in both print and online formats. In 2010 it won the NUS Award for Best Student Media. The Yorker is an online publication set up by students as an independent company in 2007; it was nominated for the Guardian Student media awards At the end of the 2013/14 BUCS season York came 38th out of 145 participating institutions. As well as BUCS every summer term the university take part in the Roses Tournament, a sports competition against Lancaster University, which is the largest inter-university tournament in Europe. The venue of the event alternates each year between York and Lancaster, and involves numerous sports clubs, including the conventional (football, hockey) and the more unusual (octopush, ultimate frisbee). Lancaster are leading York with 30 wins to 28, with one draw in 1974. The university has also previously also been in the White Rose Varsity Tournament. This started in 2005 against York's other university, York St John University. York won all six of the tournaments held. In 2011 attempts to try and increase the competitiveness of the competition saw York St John replaced by the University of Hull. York won all 3 tournaments against Hull, which resulted in it being scrapped in 2013. In 2014 a new tournament, "College Varsity", was created, which was held between the colleges of the University of York and the colleges of Durham University. Arts can be seen. The University of York Music Society and the University of York Drama Society are two of the largest student societies on campus; with each having performances and/or concerts every week during term. Central Hall Musical Society performs a number of shows and showcases every year. Other performing societies include the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, PantSoc who stage a student-written pantomime three times a year, and York ComedySoc, who perform a comedy show every week. ComedySoc sends two shows to the Edinburgh Fringe each year: The Shambles and The Dead Ducks. Both troupes perform throughout the year and have received critical acclaim for their shows at the Edinburgh Fringe. Long Boi Long Boi was a 70-cm tall Indian Runner-Mallard Duck cross that lived by Derwent College, and became an unofficial mascot to the university. In 2022 students campaigned to erect a life-sized statue of Long Boi due to his 'cultural significance' and 'contribution to student life'. In response, the union president said that he would explore possible options to construct a statue. In spring 2023, after several months without a confirmed sighting, the university announced that Long Boi was presumed to be dead. A fundraising campaign raised enough money to commission a life-size bronze statue of Long Boi by sculptor Neil Mason. The statue was formally unveiled by BBC Radio Presenter Greg James in The University of York's Central Hall on 26 September 2024. However, on the night of 14 November 2024, the statue was vandalised and sustained damage to its left leg. It was later removed indefinitely, and a subsequent investigation failed to identify the responsible party. ==Notable alumni and academics==

is an alumna of York.|upright York has a large number of alumni who have been active in politics, including at least twenty Members of the United Kingdom Parliament, five members of the House of Lords, two Members of the Scottish Parliament, one Member of the European Parliament and several ministers of other governments around the world. The former President and former Prime Minister of Portugal Aníbal Cavaco Silva, completed his doctorate in economics at York. The former Governor-General of Belize Colville Young holds a doctorate in linguistics from York. The Senior Vice President of the World Bank Group Dr Mahmoud Mohieldin holds a master's degree in Economic and Social Policy Analysis from York. The university is also represented by alumni educated in the liberal arts such as English literature, social sciences, economics, philosophy, medieval history, and music. The author Anthony Horowitz attended York and graduated in 1973 with a degree in English literature and art history. Greg Dyke, Chair of the Football Association and British Film Institute, is a former student, and graduated in 1974 with a BA in Politics, returning to York as university Chancellor from 2004 to 2015. Writer, critic and broadcaster, Victor Lewis-Smith, studied music in the late 1970s. The comedian Harry Enfield studied Politics, graduating in 1982. The current Director of the Natural History Museum, Sir Michael Dixon, has a PhD in zoology from York. Presenter and former web developer Tom Scott graduated with a degree in linguistics from York. Businesswoman and ''Dragons' Den'' star Sara Davies graduated from York with a business degree in 2006. The comedian Rosie Wilby, created of The Break Up Monologues Podcast and the show, Nineties Woman, graduated in 1992. Rosie Wilby was one of the founding collective members of Matrix, the campus feminist newspaper, 1990–2000. More recently, due to expansion into areas of technology, it has also produced notable computer scientists, such as the Ethereum co-founder Gavin Wood, computer scientist Chris Lilley, and computational biologist Sue Jones. Prominent academics associated with the University of York include the distinguished literary teacher F. R. Leavis and anti-apartheid activist Adrian Leftwich. ==See also==