York St John University

York St John (YSJ) is the new custodian of the King’s Manor in the city centre, having taken over the lease of the medieval buildings from the University of York. King’s Manor was once the Abbot’s House of St Mary’s Abbey and later visited by Henry VIII. Now, its extra space is a boon for the expanding young university, and conveniently located a few hundred metres from its original Lord Mayor’s Walk campus. King’s Manor opened teaching and lecture spaces to YSJ students from the beginning of the 2026-27 academic year, and is the site for the university’s public-facing law and business clinics. Reconfigurations at the main campus include an expansion to the Design Centre to cater for computer science courses with digital labs, studios and maker spaces. 

The university has been rolling out campus-wide tweaks to student life, from improving accessibility in the Temple Hall foyer to boosting catering options. YSJ is up five places in our main academic league table, helped by rising rates of student satisfaction and improved graduate outcomes. It is a consistently strong performer in our social inclusion index, and its recruitment of disabled students (31.1 per cent of the intake) ranks YSJ 13th. Support for students’ wellbeing includes bookable sessions with Blue, a resident therapy dog, whose calming presence lowers students’ anxiety. YSJ takes pride in a tight-knit community atmosphere, helped by its bijou size, and the campus is in a prime location for enjoying all that the city has to offer. 

Need to know

Category

Result

Rank

Entry standards (Ucas points)

112

89=

Teaching quality

87.7%

32

Student experience

83.2%

64

Research quality

19.6%

114

First and 2:1s

67.9%

120

Continuation rate

91%

79=

Graduate prospects

65.9%

99=

People & Planet

60.7%

30

How much it costs

UK fees

£10,050

Fees (placement year)

£1,905

Fees (overseas year)

£1,430

Fees (international)

£12,100-£14,900

Places in accommodation

1,865

Rent per week

£132-£229

Rent for catered accommodation per week

n/a

Social inclusion index

Social inclusion ranking

31=

State school (non-grammar) admissions

94.5%

Grammar school admissions

2.7%

Independent school admissions

2.5%

Ethnic minority students

8.8%

Black awarding gap

n/a

White working-class males

6.6%

First-generation students

46%

Low-participation areas

20.6%

Low-participation areas dropout

-2.1%

Mature students

12.1%

Overseas students

37.7%

Disabled students

31.1%

Student satisfaction with teaching quality

Accounting and finance

86.6%

Art and design

85.9%

Business, management and marketing

85.5%

Communication and media studies

92.5%

Computer science

83.9%

Creative writing

92.7%

Criminology

87.9%

Drama, dance and cinematics

87.7%

Education

85%

English

92.8%

Geography and environmental science

78.1%

History

94.2%

Hospitality, leisure, recreation and tourism

73.9%

Law

89.5%

Linguistics

88.4%

Music

89.7%

Nursing

94.4%

Physiotherapy

97.1%

Politics and international relations

87.6%

Psychology

80.8%

Sociology

87.9%

Sports science

94.4%

Subjects allied to medicine

86%

Theology and religious studies

83%

What is York St John University’s academic reputation?

YSJ opened with one student, 16-year-old Edward Preston Cordukes from York, who arrived on May 17, 1841, to begin his teacher training. Though still a small institution, the university has nearly 6,500 undergraduates today. Underpinning a silver rating overall in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023), YSJ earned gold for the student experience and another silver for student outcomes.

Having enjoyed a superb record on student satisfaction, as noted in the TEF assessment, feedback has cooled in recent years — but has started to recover this year. In our latest National Student Survey (NSS) analysis YSJ ranks 64th for students’ evaluations on the wider undergraduate experience (up 30 places), and it is steady in 32nd for their feedback on teaching quality. 

Fifty-eight per cent of YSJ’s submission to the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) was judged as world-leading or internationally excellent (115th). A research centre, the Institute for Health and Care Improvement, opened in 2023 to tackle issues such as health inequalities, an ageing population and pressure on the health service. 

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What are York St John University’s entry requirements — and my chances of getting in?

Full degree courses require 128-104 Ucas tariff points, with foundation years needing 48 points. A contextual offer scheme applies to all courses except professional programmes, usually undercutting advertised tariffs by two A-level grades. Applicants with multiple indicators of disadvantage can qualify for unconditional offers (this usually applies to 9 to 12 per cent of applicants). 

What are the graduate prospects and how will the university help me get career-ready?

A work-related learning approach prevails. Putting this into practice, students engage with activities such as field trips, work experience, responding to live briefs with employers, consultancy work, pitching business solutions and networking with alumni. Our analysis of the Graduate Outcomes survey shows some improvement, with YSJ inside the top-100 this year, just, at 99=, based on 65.9 per cent of leavers in high-skilled jobs or postgraduate study 15 months on. 

What is York St John University’s campus like?

Students at York St John enjoy views of the medieval gothic masterpiece York Minster from their campus in the historic city. The original quad buildings create a handsome entrance and date from YSJ’s founding as a teacher training college in 1841. As YSJ has diversified from training teachers into a much broader course offering it has spent £100 million to stay in step with its academic focus. The Creative Centre opened in 2021 as a base for degrees in drama, music, media production and computer science. The Foss building has two nursing teaching wards, community consultation rooms and skills laboratories. The Design Centre has been redeveloped for its relaunch and YSJ now occupies King’s Manor next to its main campus. 

In east London, YSJ opened a campus for postgraduate courses in 2018 at East India Dock near Canary Wharf. 

When can I visit?

yorksj.ac.uk

Everything you need to know about York St John University’s student life

The students’ union hosts more than 50 clubs and societies — such as K-pop, horror and music production. Quiz nights, karaoke, live sport and live music are hosted at the campus venue. Historic York has plenty of pubs and bars too. The Lord Mayor’s Walk campus has a sports hall, climbing wall, basketball, netball, indoor football and cricket nets, while a 15-minute walk brings students to the 57-acre sports park’s extensive facilities.

Trained counsellors and advisers on mental health and welfare also tailor their services to the needs of students. Some students may need one or two sessions with an adviser to talk about solutions; others benefit from six sessions with a counsellor.

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What do the students say?

“I've made friends through societies and expanded my knowledge and experience through projects outside specific schools and courses. There are opportunities for personal development, and having your say in the way the university is run.” Hayden, psychology with child development BSc (Hons)

What about student accommodation at York St John University?

YSJ has 1,865 bedspaces and first-years who apply by the deadline are guaranteed a place.

How diverse and inclusive is York St John University?

YSJ is 31= in our social inclusion index, down five places since last year. It succeeds in recruiting the ninth-highest proportion of students from one of the most underrepresented groups — white working-class males — (6.6 per cent) and 31.1 per cent of the intake has a registered disability (13th). 

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What financial assistance is available?

Nearly 40 per cent of undergraduates received some form of financial assistance in 2024-25. YSJ’s package of support includes £800-a-year scholarships for students from ethnic minorities with a household income below £42,000, care leavers and estranged students, and those entering with contextual offers.