York St John University

Welcome to
York St John

Group of students walking together on campus.

Group of students sitting chatting on steps in Creative Centre atrium

Visit us at an Open Day to meet our welcoming community and explore our beautiful campus.

Search our courses

Undergraduate Postgraduate Research degrees Degree apprenticeships

Study with us

Facts and figures

Why choose York St John?

Gold TEF Gold award for Student Experience Silver overall Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) rating with a Gold award for Student Experience and a Silver for Student Outcomes (TEF 2023)

A welcoming community 2025
University of the Year for Social Inclusion We are University of the Year for Social Inclusion in 2025 (The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025)

93% positivity score York St John University students responded with a 93% positivity score for how good teaching staff are at explaining things (National Student Survey 2025)

10th for overall satisfaction York St John was rated 10th (out of 102 institutions) for overall satisfaction (Postgraduate Teaching Experience Survey 2025)

City centre location No. 1
Most popular city York has been named the most popular city in the UK (YouGov 2025)

Recognised by students 84%
overall positivity score York St John University students responded with an overall positivity score of 84% (National Student Survey 2025)

84% overall satisfaction The overall satisfaction of York St John research postgraduates with their studies was 84% (Postgraduate Research Experience Survey 2024)

91% positivity score York St John University students responded with a 91% positivity score for how free they felt to express their ideas, opinions and beliefs during their studies (National Student Survey 2025)

Research opportunities 350+ students have worked on University research projects through our Students as Researchers scheme

Equal
access to education Our contextual offer scheme and mature student entry scheme promote access to higher education for all

What we stand for

Research that makes a difference

Promoting a fairer society

Impactful research is one of our cornerstones as a modern and ambitious university.

Our research seeks to have a positive impact on our community by challenging prejudice and inequity, and promoting a fairer and more just society.

Highlights

Explore the work of the Institute for Social Justice
Find out more about our research
See upcoming research events

Supporting local business

Working in partnership

We are committed to working in partnership with our local business community to address regional skill gaps.

Our expert, industry-focused academics help businesses find practical and innovative solutions to enable continued business growth.

Highlights

Explore our support for local businesses
View our range of CPD courses
Discover our degree apprenticeship opportunities
Partner with us in a Knowledge Transfer Partnership

Business consultancy conversation

Working with the community

Providing support through partnerships

We are proud to work with individuals, charities, groups and schools to serve our local community. We all have a role to play in improving lives in our region and beyond.

Highlights

Armed Forces: Courses, resources and support for the armed forces community
Community Allotments: Plots for community participation projects
Community Language School: Free language classes for children
Converge: Short courses for mental health service users
Law Clinic: Legal help and support
York St John Communities Centre: Affordable mental health services
YSJ Active: Community sport and fitness facilities

Working with the community

Celebrating our alumni

A lifelong community

Our alumni are part of the York St John University family long beyond graduation.

We celebrate the successes of our graduates and offer careers support for life, discounted postgraduate study and exclusive alumni benefits.

Highlights

Read more on our alumni blog
Discover our events for alumni
Find out about our exclusive alumni benefits
Take inspiration from our honorary graduates
Find out more about our Alumni-funded scholarships

Group of alumni on campus

Support our work

Help us change lives

We are passionate about giving students the support they need to thrive at University and throughout their lives.

You can help us with this by:

Making a donation
Volunteering with us
Supporting a scholarship
Offering corporate support

How to support us

Students looking inspired

Our University for Social Impact Strategy

Our vision

Through our excellent education and research, we will be a catalyst for change that creates a fair future.

Our values

At York St John we strive for what we believe in. Our strong values remain unchanged and underpin everything we do. We are:

Intellectually open, rigorous and curious
Dedicated to promoting fairness and challenging prejudice
Always inspiring and supporting each other to succeed

University for Social Impact Strategy

Front of campus

Must read

The latest from York St John University

York St John signs up to University Mental Health Charter

Strengthening support with a ‘whole-university’ approach to mental health and wellbeing.

Scholarship for rising star Ukrainian refugee

Award-winning hospitality worker thanks University for ‘golden opportunity’ to continue her studies. 

Silver award recognises healthy, sustainable and ethically sourced catering

On-campus catering receives prestigious Food For Life Silver accreditation from the Soil Association.

Graphic Design student creates visual campaign to promote gender equality

Fi Rowntree’s Athena Swan designs are rolled out across our York and London campuses.

International student experience ranked among the best in the UK

Employability, student support and welcoming environment all praised in the International Student Barometer.

Courses

News

Staff

Welcome to
York St John

Study with us