Policies and documents
Diversity monitoring
The University has a duty to publish information about the diversity of the University community. This update was published on 31 March 2026. It complements the annual Equality and Diversity report and the Gender Pay Gap report which provide a commentary on the statistics.
To read more about the University's work to advance equality, diversity and inclusion, please visit the main equality and diversity page.
In line with the Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA) Standard Rounding Methodology, numbers are rounded to the nearest 5. Percentages are provided for actual numbers and therefore do not align exactly with the numbers given.
This report benchmarks to HESA student statistics products.
Student data
This is an overview of the student population in the academic year 2024/25. It is broken down by age, disability, ethnicity (UK-domiciled only), religion/belief (UK-domiciled only), sex, sexual orientation and transgender status. All student diversity data represent the combined York and London campuses unless stated otherwise.
Promoting student diversity
Read more about dedicated support and guidance for the University's diverse community. The University's Access and Participation Plan sets out how the University will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups to access, succeed in and progress from higher education.
Student population 2024/25
Student profile UK and non-UK domiciled
| Student group | UK domiciled | Non-UK domiciled | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| All students | 8,099 | 5,754 | 13,853 |
| Undergraduate | 6,710 | 897 | 7,607 |
| Postgraduate taught | 1,020 | 4,649 | 5,669 |
| Postgraduate research | 369, | 208 | 577 |
Student profile by equality group, as a proportion of students at the degree level
| Category | Undergraduate | Postgraduate taught | Postgraduate research | All | UKHE % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAME (UK) | 8.7% | 20.5% | 10.8% | 10.3% | 31% |
| Disabled | 31.1% | 6.3% | 27.2% | 20.8% | 19% |
| Male | 34.6% | 58.0% | 33.2% | 42.1% | 44% |
| Female | 64.0% | 41.8% | 66.0% | 57.2% | 56% |
| LGB+ | 20.0% | 6.4% | 11.1% | 11.8% | 11%* |
| Mature | 18.7% | 64.8% | 79.2% | 59.6% | 62% |
| With religion | 32.3% | 88.1% | 60.5% | 61.2% | 56% |
| Transgender | 4.4% | 0.7% | 1.5% | 2% | 1.2%* |
- The data presented includes aggregated information for Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic groups. By aggregating information from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic groups, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview that accurately reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives within these communities. For a more detailed breakdown, please refer to: Ethnicity: UK domiciled students
- UK Higher Education sector data have been taken from HESA 2023/24 data
- *Advance HE Statistical Report 2024
- Percentages are calculated on known responses.
Disability: by impairment group
| Disability category | % |
|---|---|
| A long-standing illness or health condition | 1.1% |
| A mental health condition | 5.3% |
| A physical impairment or mobility issues | 0.3% |
| A social/communication impairment | 1.5% |
| A specific learning difficulty | 4.5% |
| Blind or a serious visual impairment | 0.2% |
| Deaf or serious hearing impairment | 0.2% |
| 2 or more impairments and/or disabling medical conditions | 6.3% |
| Another disability, impairment or medical condition | 1.4% |
Students may report more than one disability, so the total of these percentages does not sum to 100%.
Ethnicity: UK domiciled students
| Ethnicity | % |
|---|---|
| Asian | 4.0% |
| Black | 2.3% |
| Mixed | 3.4% |
| Other | 0.4% |
| White | 89.8% |
| Not known | 0 |
| Total | 100% |
HESA no longer collects data for non-UK domiciled students.
Religion (including no religion and not known)
| Religion | % |
|---|---|
| Buddhist | 0.4% |
| Christian | 23.0% |
| Hindu | 0.6% |
| Jewish | 0.3% |
| Muslim | 2.2% |
| Sikh | 0.3% |
| Spiritual | 0% |
| Any other religion or belief | 3.1% |
| No religion | 62.9% |
| Not available | 0.0% |
| Prefer not to say | 7.1% |
| Grand total | 100% |
HESA collects Religion and Belief data only for UK‑domiciled students. Therefore, Religion data represent all students for whom HESA collects these data, across both York and London campuses.
Religion and belief data for 2024/25 represent all students for whom HESA collects this information (UK‑domiciled students across both the York and London campuses). In previous years, Religion data reflected York‑only students. The shift to combined reporting explains the larger differences seen year on year. For example, the proportion of Christian students at the York campus decreased from 22.3% last year to 13.4% this year, while the combined institutional Christian proportion for 2024/25 is 23%.
Sexual orientation (known responses only)
HESA collects sexual orientation data for UK‑domiciled students only. Therefore, the figures represent all students for whom this information is collected across both York and London campuses.
| Sexual orientation | % |
|---|---|
| Bisexual | 14.3% |
| Gay or lesbian | 5.8% |
| Heterosexual | 67.4% |
| Information refused | 8.8% |
| Not available | 0% |
| Other | 3.6% |
| Grand total | 100% |
| Protected characteristic | Category | Applications | Offers | Acceptances | Placed applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | Mature | 8.3% | 7.2% | 9.7% | 28.6% |
| Young | 91.7% | 92.8% | 90.3% | 18.5% | |
| Disability | Disabled | 33.4% | 29.1% | 36.2% | 26.4% |
| No disability | 66.6% | 70.9% | 63.8% | 15.8% | |
| Sex | Female | 68.6% | 68.0% | 70% | 19.6% |
| Male | 31.4% | 32.0% | 30% | 18.2% | |
| Ethnicity | BAME | 11.2% | 9.0% | 7.3% | 16.4% |
| White | 88.8% | 91.0% | 92.7% | 20.2% |
- Data are taken from the University's internal database for UK applications to full-time, undergraduate first-degree courses.
- Applications/Offers/Acceptances %: the percentage of all applications/offers/acceptances for that subgroup.
- Placed Acceptances %: the percentage of applicants who accepted an offer in any particular group.
| Protected characteristic | Category | % Completion | % First/2:1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | Mature | 89.0% | 68.6% |
| Young | 89.6% | 67.4% | |
| Disability | Disabled | 86.4% | 68.9% |
| No disability | 89.4% | 67.3% | |
| Ethnicity | BAME | 90.3% | 54.6% |
| White | 89.3% | 69.3% | |
| Sex | Female | 89.7% | 72.1% |
| Male | 88.4% | 59.3% |
- Completion %: the percentage who complete their first year of study.
- 1st/2:1 degree %: the proportion of 1st/2:1 degrees awarded, out of those who received an award.
Staff data
This is an overview of our workforce profile according to protected characteristics. The statistics show the workforce profile in relation to age, disability, ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and transgender identity of staff at the university as of 31 March 2025. Note we have changed to this date to be aligned with mandatory Gender Pay Gap Reporting.
The total number of staff was 1,151. We also provide information about recruitment from 1 August 2024 until 31 July 2025.
Benchmarking against HESA 2023/24 staff statistics has been carried out using only data that HESA publishes at the sector level. HESA provides complete and comparable equality data for academic staff nationally and publishes sex distributions for academic and non‑academic staff separately. However, HESA does not publish single combined 'all‑staff' sector percentages for characteristics such as sex, ethnicity, disability, religion or sexual orientation in the 2023/24 Statistical Bulletin or accompanying open data. As a result, sector comparisons in these areas are made using the most robust HESA‑published figures available.
Workforce profile
| Protected characteristic | Category | York St John 31 March 2025 | UKHE 2023/24 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | |||
| Sex | Female | 686 | 59.6% | 51% |
| Male | 465 | 40.4% | 49% | |
| Disability | Disabled | 138 | 12% | 7.0% |
| Non-disabled | 968 | 84.1% | 93.0% | |
| Ethnicity | BAME | 166 | 14.4% | 24.0% |
| White | 935 | 81.2% | 76.0% | |
| Religion or belief | Religion - Christian | 347 | 30.1% | Benchmarking not available |
| Religion and belief - Other | 128 | 11.1% | ||
| No religion | 564 | 49% | ||
| Not known | 112 | 9.7% | ||
| Sexual orientation | Heterosexual | 879 | 76.4% | Benchmarking not available |
| LGBQ+ | 134 | 11.6% | ||
| Not known | 138 | 12% | ||
- Higher education providers in England and Wales are no longer required to return data for professional and support staff. As a result, the national data no longer provide an accurate picture of the staff demographics. York St John continues to voluntarily return these data.
- UKHE benchmarks for religion or belief and sexual orientation are not available.
Profile by age group and job group
| Age group | Academic | Professional and support | Grand total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| <20 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| 20 to 29 | 13 | 3% | 157 | 22% | 170 | 15% |
| 30 to 39 | 136 | 30% | 182 | 26% | 318 | 28% |
| 40 to 49 | 151 | 34% | 157 | 22% | 308 | 27% |
| 50 to 59 | 102 | 23% | 130 | 18% | 232 | 20% |
| 60+ | 46 | 10% | 77 | 11% | 123 | 11% |
Note: Executive Board is included in 'professional and support staff'.
Disability profile
| Disability | Number | % |
|---|---|---|
| Disabled | 138 | 12% |
| Non-disabled | 968 | 84.1% |
| Not known | 45 | 3.9% |
| Total | 1151 | 100% |
Profile by impairment group
| Disability category | Number | % |
|---|---|---|
| A long standing illness or health condition | 39 | 28.3% |
| A mental health condition | 32 | 23.2% |
| A physical impairment or mobility issues | 8 | 5.8% |
| A specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia dyspraxia / AD(H)D | 23 | 16.7% |
| Blind or a serious visual impairment uncorrected by glasses | 2 | 1.4% |
| Deaf or serious hearing impairment | 7 | 5.1% |
| A social/communication impairment e.g autistic spectrum disorder | 7 | 5.1% |
| A disability, impairment or medical condition not listed | 20 | 14.5% |
| Total | 138 | 100% |
Profile by ethnic group
| Ethnicity basic | Ethnicity detailed | Number | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) | Asian or Asian British | 74 | 6.4% |
| Black or Black British | 43 | 3.7% | |
| Chinese | 16 | 1.4% | |
| Mixed | 19 | 1.7% | |
| Other | 14 | 1.2% | |
| BAME total | 166 | 14.4% | |
| White | White | 935 | 81.2% |
| Not known | Not known | 50 | 4.3% |
| Total | Total | 1151 | 100% |
Profile by religious group (including no religion and information refused)
| Religion or belief | Number | % |
|---|---|---|
| Buddhist | 14 | 1.2% |
| Christian | 347 | 30.1% |
| Hindu | 13 | 1.1% |
| Jewish | 2 | 0.2% |
| Muslim | 40 | 3.5% |
| Sikh | 6 | 0.5% |
| Spiritual | - | - |
| Other religion or belief | 53 | 4.6% |
| No religion | 564 | 49% |
| Not known | 112 | 9.7% |
| Total | 1151 | 100% |
Profile by sex and job group
| Job group | Female | Male | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Academic | 232 | 51.8% | 216 | 48.2% | 448 | 38.9% |
| Professional and support | 454 | 64.6% | 249 | 35.4% | 703 | 61.1% |
| Total | 686 | 59.6% | 465 | 40.4% | 1151 | 100% |
The data values are binary as in line with HESA requirements we ask about legal sex (the sex stated on birth certificate or passport).
Profile by sexual orientation
The detailed responses for Sexual Orientation are aligned with the HESA Staff return definition and therefore 'Gay man or Gay woman/Lesbian' is combined as one option to select from.
| Sexual orientation (basic) | Sexual orientation (detailed) | Number | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| LGB+ | Bisexual | 59 | 5.1% |
| Gay man or Gay woman/Lesbian | 47 | 4.1% | |
| Other | 28 | 2.4% | |
| LGB+ Total | 134 | 11.6% | |
| Heterosexual | Heterosexual | 879 | 76.4% |
| Not known | Not known | 138 | 12% |
| Total | 1151 | 100% |
We started to monitor transgender identity of our staff on 1 January 2016. Responses from the question ‘Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth?’
| Gender identity | Number | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 788 | 68.5% |
| No | 12 | 1.0% |
| Not known | 351 | 30.5% |
| Total | 1151 | 100% |
Between 1 August 2024 and 31 July 2025, we had 2355 applicants, of whom 476 were shortlisted and 92 were offered the role. The columns 'applications', 'shortlisted' and 'offer accepted' show the ratio between groups in each category. 'Shortlisted' includes people who accepted an offer.
Number of applicants, shortlisted and appointed candidates
- Applicants: 2,355
- Shortlisted: 476
- Appointed: 92
Disability
| Disability | Applications | Shortlisted | Offer accepted | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Disabled | 187 | 7.9% | 56 | 11.8% | 8 | 8.7% |
| Non-disabled | 2,163 | 91.8% | 419 | 88.0% | 84 | 91.3% |
| Not known | 5 | 0.2% | 1 | 0.2% | 0 | 0.0% |
Ethnicity
| Ethnicity | Applications | Shortlisted | Offer accepted | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| BAME | 1,277 | 54.2% | 192 | 40.3% | 27 | 29.3% |
| White | 996 | 42.3% | 268 | 56.3% | 63 | 68.5% |
| Not known | 82 | 3.5% | 16 | 3.4% | 2 | 2.2% |
Religion or belief
| Religion or belief | Applications | Shortlisted | Offer accepted | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Christian | 654 | 27.8% | 136 | 28.6% | 29 | 31.5% |
| Muslim | 353 | 15.0% | 44 | 9.2% | 4 | 4.3% |
| Other religion or belief | 358 | 15.2% | 68 | 14.3% | 10 | 10.9% |
| No religion | 771 | 32.7% | 187 | 39.3% | 42 | 45.7% |
| Not known | 219 | 9.3% | 41 | 8.6% | 7 | 7.6% |
Sex
| Sex | Applications | Shortlisted | Offer accepted | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Female | 1,175 | 49.9% | 266 | 55.9% | 63 | 68.5% |
| Male | 1,147 | 48.7% | 201 | 42.2% | 27 | 29.3% |
| Other | 33 | 1.4% | 9 | 1.9% | 2 | 2.2% |
| Not known | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Sexual orientation
| Sexual orientation | Applications | Shortlisted | Offer accepted | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Heterosexual | 1,829 | 77.7% | 370 | 77.7% | 73 | 79.3% |
| LGB | 245 | 10.4% | 56 | 11.8% | 12 | 13.0% |
| Other | 58 | 2.5% | 14 | 2.9% | 4 | 4.3% |
| Not known | 223 | 9.5% | 36 | 7.6% | 3 | 3.3% |
Transgender identity
Responses from the question ‘Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth?’
| Gender identity | Applications | Shortlisted | Offer accepted | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Yes | 2,256 | 95.8% | 454 | 95.4% | 87 | 94.6% |
| No | 52 | 2.2% | 10 | 2.1% | 3 | 3.3% |
| Not known | 47 | 2.0% | 12 | 2.5% | 2 | 2.2% |
Overall, we have seen a drop in turnover down to 8% from 12% last year. In 2023/24, Black Asian Mixed Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups did have a higher percentage turnover than white ethnicities. However, in 2024/25 we have seen a marked improvement made to this figure, where now BAME staff turnover is at 10% which is 2% higher than the organisational average.
Academic year 2023/24
| % Turnover | Number of leavers | Total workforce | % of group who left | % proportion of total leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAME | 17 | 136 | 13% | 13% |
| White | 114 | 950 | 12% | 84% |
| Not known/prefer not to say | 5 | 48 | 10% | 4% |
| Total leavers | 136 | 1134 | 12% | 100% |
Academic year 2024/25
| % Turnover | Number of leavers | Total workforce | % of group who left | % proportion of total leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAME | 17 | 166 | 10% | 18% |
| White | 74 | 935 | 8% | 79% |
| Not known/prefer not to say | 3 | 50 | 6% | 3% |
| Total leavers | 94 | 1151 | 8% | 100% |
We collect data about some of the protected characteristics of our employees who use the grievance procedures or subject to the discipline and capability procedures. Overall numbers are too low to publish any diversity data. An annual report is provided to People Committee for monitoring purposes.
The policies are available on the intranet.
