Overview
York wears its commitment to social justice on its sleeve. It was the first Russell Group university to sign the Social Mobility Pledge and, while competition for places is tough, a contextual admissions programme open only to state-educated applicants helps generate a more diverse student population than in many universities of a similar standing. York may have just celebrated its 60th birthday, but it has a spring in its step courtesy of three successive years of record applications. Students are drawn pretty evenly from across the UK, and one in eight undergraduates was recruited from overseas last year. Unlike many of its 1960s peers, everything at York is low-rise across two campuses on the outskirts of the city. The university is organised into 11 colleges, which are social and residential groupings rather than academic ones. These help break the institution into bite-sized student communities, while creating tribal loyalties. Recent gold award assessments under the Teaching Excellence Framework for student experience, student outcomes and the overall rating made rather better reading than this year’s National Student Survey outcomes, which once again hold York back in our ranking.
Paying the bills
The cost-of-living crisis brought the university’s social conscience to the fore, and initiatives to support students when inflation was at its peak remain in place. Budget-priced food with meals from 60p continue to be offered through the students’ union catering outlets; colleges organise free food events throughout term; digital hardship support is provided to cover repair costs or loans of equipment; the university library loans laptops and no longer charges fines on overdue items; and an off-campus rent grant of at least £100 helps students once they move off-campus into private rented accommodation in their second and third years. The means-tested York bursary pays a £2,000 accommodation discount in the first year, followed by £1,100 in cash for each subsequent year of study, for students from homes with an annual income of up to £25,000, with a slightly smaller cash payment of £1,000 in years two and three for those from homes with an income of £25,001 to £35,000. All students taking a foundation year – many of them admitted from non-traditional backgrounds under widening participation initiatives – get a bursary which is worth £5,600 for students from homes with an annual income of up to £25,000 and £3,000 for everyone else. There are more than 6,700 rooms attached to the 11 colleges, with the cheapest self-catered rooms still pegged at £3,960 for a 40-week tenancy. York is among the minority of universities to also offer catered accommodation, which costs between £5,920 and £9,520 for a 40-week contract.
What’s new?
Embedding employability skills into the curriculum is not just for modern universities. The York Strengths programme encourages first-year students to think about their existing skills, motivations and aspirations, and provides content developed with leading graduate employers to help them gain a better understanding of their strengths and areas to improve on that are important to employers. Students can then consolidate their experiences and achievements through the York Award, an employability certificate given by the university to show they have taken a proactive approach to university life and to recognise professional development inside and outwith their degree course. York was one of the first three UK universities to partner with the US company Handshake, which provides students with a network of employers as well as work and volunteering opportunities. The university has also invested in students’ mental health with the TalkCampus web platform and app, funded through the university’s Mentally Fit York alumni funding scheme. TalkCampus gives students access to an online global student community offering peer support and a 24/7 telephone line staffed by clinicians with six language options. Ongoing investment in the fabric of the university’s campuses continues. An £8m makeover of student accommodation in Derwent College on the original Heslington campus, now called Campus West, has brought the standard of rooms into line with colleges on the newer Campus East site.
Admissions, teaching and student support
‘We care above all else about opening access to those who previously have not had the opportunity to study in higher education,’ the university told us. This is a bold statement from a high-tariff university, but it is backed up by a holistic approach to admissions that takes account of mitigating circumstances and contextual information. Contextual offers can be up to two A-level grades (or equivalent) below typical entry requirements. Living in an area where few progress to university and attending a state school, or taking part in one of York’s widening participation programmes, can trigger a contextual offer. An extensive outreach programme works with hundreds of schools and thousands of children, while the university’s annual Festival of Ideas, a programme of more than 200 free events held each June, is an innovative and imaginative way of taking the university to the people and opening eyes to the potential scope of higher education. Students are well supported. A link practitioner funded by the university and the local GP practice helps streamline the accessing of specialist provision for students with mental health and wellbeing issues. The university’s Open Door team provides short-term psychological support and has student wellbeing offices in each faculty. York’s 11 colleges also have welfare teams and an intercollegiate sports programme engages 2,000 students weekly, helping to boost physical and mental wellbeing. The recent investment in TalkCampus (see What’s New?, above) gives students access to a peer-support community.