University of York

University of York
Motto	In limine sapientiae (Latin)
Motto in English	On the threshold of wisdom
Established	1963
Type	Public
Endowment	£7.5 million
Chancellor	Greg Dyke
Vice-Chancellor	Brian Cantor
Staff	3,091
Students	13,270
Undergraduates	9,105
Postgraduates	4,165
Location	York, UK
Campus	Heslington, Heslington East and King's Manor
Colours
Affiliations	1994 Group European University Association White Rose University Consortium Worldwide Universities Network N8 Group
Website	www.york.ac.uk

The University of York (informally York University, or simply York, occasionally abbreviated as Ebor. for post-nominals), is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects. In 2003 it attracted the highest research income per capita of any UK university. The university has built a reputation in less than half a century that places it among the top 20 universities in Europe, and the top 70 universities in the world, according to the THE-QS World University Rankings (known from 2010 onwards as the QS World University Rankings). In the last Research Assessment Exercise in 2008, York was also named as the 8th best research institution in the United Kingdom.

The University attracts a student body with a wide range of backgrounds, including a large number of internationals and a relatively high number of state school students in comparison to other well-ranked universities according to The Times Good University Guide. Situated to the east of the city of York, the university campus is approximately 200 acres (0.81 km²) in size, incorporating the York Science Park and the National Science Learning Centre. Priding itself on its wildlife, renowned campus lakes and greenery, the institution also occupies buildings in the historic city of York. Every student is allocated to one of the university's eight colleges, as is the case at the traditional collegiate Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Durham. In May 2007 the university was granted permission to build an extension to its main campus, on arable land just east of the nearby village of Heslington. The land was removed from the green belt especially for the purpose of extending the university.

History

Origins

The Yorkshire Philosophical society

The first petition for the establishment of a university in York was presented to King James I in 1617. In 1903 F. J. Munby and others (including the Yorkshire Philosophical Society) proposed a 'Victoria University of Yorkshire'.^[9] The then College of Ripon and York St John also at one time considered purchasing Heslington Hall as part of a proposed new campus.

Establishment

Oliver Sheldon (1894–1951), co-founder of York Civic Trust, was a driving force behind the founding of the University, according to the Borthwick Institute for Archives. The University of York was opened in 1963, admitting 200 students. At the time, the university consisted of three buildings, principally the historic King's Manor in the city centre and Heslington Hall, which has Tudor foundations and is in the village of Heslington on the edge of York. A year later, work began on purpose-built structures on the Heslington Campus (see below), which now forms the main part of the university.

Founding principles

Baron James of Rusholme, the university's first Vice-Chancellor, said of the University of York that "it must be collegiate in character, that it must deliberately seek to limit the number of subjects and that much of the teaching must be done via tutorials and seminars". Due to the influence of Professor 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.

List of Chancellors

Vice-Chancellor Brian Cantor

• George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood (1962–1967)
• Kenneth Clark, Lord Clark (1967–1978)
• Michael Swann, Lord Swann (1979–1990)
• Dame Janet Baker (1991–2004)
• Greg Dyke (2004–Present)

List of Vice-Chancellors

• Eric James, Baron James of Rusholme (1962–1973)
• Dr Morris Carstairs (1973–1978)
• Professor Berrick Saul (1979–1993)
• Professor Sir Ronald Cooke (1993–2002)
• Professor Brian Cantor (2002–Present)

Reputation and academic rankings

The Times University Guide said of York that "The university is increasingly recognised as a permanent fixture in the top rank of British higher education" and that "No university had a better record for teaching quality". The Sunday Times said, "York is one of Britain's academic success stories, forging a reputation to rival Oxford and Cambridge in the space of 40 years. In some regards — teaching, for example — it has a recent track record better than that of Oxford, according to the official assessments of teaching quality."

Campus

Heslington campus

Central Hall

In 1964, work began on the campus facilities in the grounds of Heslington Hall. The marshy land was drained, the winding lake which dominates the campus was built, and the area was landscaped. The original buildings were designed by architect Andrew Derbyshire, and assembled using the CLASP system of prefabricated construction, hence York's inclusion among the so-called plate glass universities. The buildings are connected by numerous covered walkways and bridges. Most of the university's arts departments occupy premises in the college buildings, while many of the science departments have their own buildings.

A landmark building is Central Hall, a half-octagonal concert hall used for convocations and examinations, as well as theatrical and musical performances. 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 in on March 13th 2010 it has been available again for full booking. It is going to be used as the location for the main Fresher Week event this year. 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. The Raymond Burton Library was also recently nominated for a SCONUL Design award.

The campus lake, which is the largest plastic-bottomed lake in Europe, has attracted a large population of wild and semi-wild waterfowl. These include greylag, Canada, barnacle and snow geese, coots, moorhens and large numbers of ducks, including mallards, tufted duck, and common pochards. There is also a growing population of black swans and a few great crested grebe. The southern end of the lake has been established as a bird sanctuary. Fishing is permitted in season, on purchase of a licence.

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.

The Heslington campus 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.

A view of the university's main academic library, north-west from near Langwith College at the Heslington campus

King's Mano

The King's Manor Library in summer

Located in York city centre, approximately three miles (5 km) from the main Heslington 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. It is home to the Archaeology, Medieval Studies and Eighteenth Century Studies departments, and is regularly used by other related departments such as History. It has a public restaurant and is used for art displays.

Not far from the King's Manor is the Minster Library, in Dean's Park. Students and staff of the University are able to use the Minster Library, which shares staff and cataloguing with the main University library, and holds the huge collection of early books belonging to the Dean and Chapter of York Minster.

Colleges

There are eight colleges at the University of York, and every student is a member of a college. Staff may choose to join a college if they wish. All the colleges are of equal status, but each has its own constitution. The day-to-day running of the colleges is managed by an elected committee of staff and student members chaired by the college's Provost. Each college has a Junior Common Room for students, which is managed by the elected Junior Common Room Committee, and a Senior Common Room, which is managed by elected representatives of the college's academic and administrative members. The colleges are deliberately assigned undergraduates, postgraduate students and staff - both male and female - from a wide mixture of disciplines.

Wentworth College at Night

Heslington Hall and Derwent College

By date of construction the colleges are:

Name	Foundation	Website	Named after
Derwent College	1965. (It also has Derwith, a joint residential extension of Derwent and Langwith, built in 1988)	Website	River Derwent.
Langwith College	1965	Website	Langwith Common (and an abandoned village of Langwith).
Alcuin College	1969	Website	Alcuin of York, scholar and advisor to Charlemagne.
Vanbrugh College	1968	Website	Sir John Vanbrugh.
Goodricke College	1968	Website	Astronomer John Goodricke.
Wentworth College	1972 (refounded in 2001)	Website	Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford.
James College	1990	Website	Lord James of Rusholme
Halifax College	2002	Website	E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax

• Wentworth College is a postgraduate only college. It originally had undergraduates as well, but became postgraduate only at its refounding in 2001
• James College was originally postgraduate only, but changed to accept undergraduates in 1993
• Halifax College was originally Halifax Court, but received college status in 2002.

Some of the university's academic departments have their headquarters in one of the college building complexes.

There are also several off-campus residences, including Constantine House, 54 Walmgate, and Fairfax House.

The Sunday Times noted, "The colleges are tight-knit communities within the university and enjoy a healthy rivalry." The colleges share practical features of the halls of residence of other UK universities, as well as the traditional Oxbridge/Durham colleges.

Future expansion

The Hull York Medical School is based next to Alcuin College and in Hull on the former site of Humberside University

Over the next decade, the university plans to increase student numbers by around 5,000,^[16] and to introduce a number of new subjects. The Law School and the Department of Theatre, Film and Television studies recruited their first students for the 2008-9 academic year. Departments of Pharmacy and Dentistry are planned. These intentions are based upon calculations of expansion of university numbers nationally, and a re-targeting of the University's assets. For most of its history, the core strengths of the university were regarded as the departments of technology (Physics, Computer Science, Electronics), the departments of social and political sciences (Social Policy and Social Work, Sociology, Politics, School of PPE) and the departments of traditional liberal arts (History, English). Successes in cancer research lead to a re-structuring of the Chemistry and Biology departments to bring them closer together, the founding of a Health Sciences department, the establishment of courses in Nursing and Midwifery, and the creation of the Hull York Medical School or HYMS. This entry into medical and health care training has led to a change in the University's priorities.

On the arts side, the university is building upon its reputation for fostering interdisciplinary studies. The Centre for Medieval Studies has been regarded^[who?] as at the forefront of combining history, art history, archaeology, literary studies, architectural studies and drama to give a more rounded view of historical events and culture. This model has been successfully replicated with the establishment of the Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies. The opening of the Centre for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies was in 2007, admitting the first postgraduate students in 2008. At the same time, the Department of English and Related Literature intends to expand upon its literary studies by placing more emphasis on creative writing and performance linked to the new Department for Theatre, Film and Television. The university's Chancellor Greg Dyke has funded a professorship in the new Department of Theatre, Film and Television. On 6 November 2007 an Institute for Effective Education was launched, to improve knowledge of teaching and learning processes and promote the most effective.

For a number of years, the university's expansion plans have been limited by planning restrictions on the Heslington campus. The City of York planning conditions stipulate that only 20% of the land may be built upon, to retain its character. The campus is currently at 19.8% of capacity, so the addition of a new Humanities and Education Research Centre, called the Berrick Saul building, is on 'brownfield' land.

In 2003-04, plans were finalised for a 70 hectare extension to the campus, provisionally called Heslington East, designed to mirror the existing Heslington West campus. This will be built on arable land between Grimston Bar park and ride car park and Heslington village. After a lengthy consultation and a public inquiry into the proposals in 2006, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government gave the go-ahead in May 2007.

Designs are progressing for the site and for the new buildings, and on 14 May 2008 the City of York planners approved the design for the first residential college, Goodricke. In the York Press of 28 July 2008 Shepherd Construction was named as the builder of the first building. The current proposal includes landscaping the whole area, constructing a lake with marsh borders, planting light woodland and many specimen trees, and maximising biodiversity. Several departments will move to new, purpose-built facilities on the extension, with Law and the York Management School being the first, in one building. Heslington East will be connected to the existing campus by a network of pathways and light transport links. The university began construction in 2008, with the first buildings, including Goodricke college, coming into use in October 2009.

Support for off-campus accommodation

The University publishes an annual code of practice for student accommodation to help students living off-campus.

Science Park and on-campus organisations

Next door to the university on the York Science Park are organisations including the Higher Education Academy, the Digital Preservation Coalition the National Non-Food Crops Centre, the York Neuroimaging Centre, the York JEOL Nanocentre, the North Yorkshire office of Natural England, the UK head office of AlphaGraphics, and the Leeds, York & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.

Entry standards

Heslington Hall

Information for entry standards gathered from the 2005-2006 academic year by the HESA shows that the average student at the University of York achieved a UCAS tariff of 436. An A grade at A-Level is equivalent to 120 points, and an A at AS worth 60 points.grade the average entrant can be assumed to be achieving three or more A-Levels at grade A.

York has the 8th highest entrant UCAS points of British universities.

Official teaching statistics

The 2003 QAA report on the institution gave it the best of their three possible outcomes saying that "broad confidence can be placed in the soundness of the university's current and likely future management of the quality of its academic programmes and the academic standards of its awards."

The latest Teaching Quality Assessment data for the University of York is listed below. In cases before November 1995 a numerical value, out of 24, is not used. In these cases "Excellent" is the highest possible grade followed by "Satisfactory" and then "Unsatisfactory". Under the newer system the quality of teaching is marked out of 24. 22/24 or higher is equivalent to "Excellent" on the old scale 20 out of 23 departments gained an "excellent" rating.

Department	Date of Last Assessment	Result
Archaeology	November 2001	24/24
Architecture	March 1994	Excellent
Biology	March 2000	24/24
Computer Science	March 1994	Excellent
Economics	January 2001	24/24
Educational Studies	October 2001	24/24
Electronics	January 1998	24/24
English	November 1994	Excellent
Health Sciences (Nursing)	January 2000	21/24
History	October 1993	Excellent
History of Art	May 1998	21/24
Language and Linguistic Science	February 1996	22/24
Management	March 2001	22/24
Mathematics	October 1998	22/24
Music	February 1995	Excellent
Philosophy	December 2000	24/24
Physics	November 1999	24/24
Politics	November 2000	24/24
Psychology	February 2000	24/24
Social Policy	February 1995	Excellent
Social Work	November 1994	Excellent
Sociology	November 1995	23/24

Research assessment

York has an impressive reputation for research with 19 Units of Assessment out of the 23 in the 2000 Research Assessment Exercise receiving a rating of 5 and three 5* (where 1 is the lowest and 5* is the highest possible) ratings in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise. The Department of English and Related Literature and the Department of Computer Science were later upgraded from 5* to 6* (indicating successive 5* grades), and the Department of Psychology has been rated 6* for funding. Using these statistics, York was ranked the sixth-best research institution in the UK. The proportion of staff submitted as research active in each Unit of Assessment was above 80%.

Central Hall and lake

The campus from the air looking south

Unit of Assessment	2001 Rating
Community-based Clinical Subjects	5
Nursing	5
Psychology	5* (later 6* for funding)
Biological Sciences	5
Chemistry	5
Physics	4
Environmental Sciences	4
Pure Mathematics	5
Applied Mathematics	5
Computer Science	5* (later 6*)
Electrical and Electronic Engineering	3a
Economics and Econometrics	5*
Politics and International Studies	5
Social Policy and Administration	5
Social Work	5
Sociology	5
English Language and Literature	5* (later 6*)
Linguistics	5
Archaeology	3a
History	5
Philosophy	5
Music	5
Education	4

York is a founding member of the Worldwide Universities Network which supports worldwide collaboration in teaching and research. The university has been awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize four times - in 1997 for the work of the Department of Computer Science; in 2005 for the work of CNAP, the Centre for Novel Agricultural products which explores the potential from the biosphere to reduce the global economy's dependence on fossil reserves and fuel , in 2007 for the work of CHE (the Centre for Health Economics and in 2009 for the work of Social Policy Research Unit of the Department of Social Policy and Social Work.

Health economics was pioneered at York and the university leads the world in the methodological development of cost-effectiveness analysis of health care technologies, is home to two prominent Health Economics journals and has been home to many prominent names in Health Economics (including current Lead Health Economist at the World Bank Adam Wagstaff, ex-deputy chair of NICE Tony Culyer, current ISPOR director Paul Kind, ex-ISPOR president Mike Drummond, current chairman of York Primary Care Trust Alan Maynard OBE, Andrew Briggs, Carl Klaxton, Mark Sculpher, Alan Williams, Peter C. Smith and Hugh Gravelle).

There are around eight applications for every undergraduate place, and a low dropout rate of 4% (only Oxbridge, Bristol, and UCL are lower).

In 2007 York became the only British University to have an academic department – Chemistry – win the Gold Athena Swan Award for its commitment to the careers of women in science. The Department of Psychology has won a Silver Athena Swan Award, the first in the country to do so, Biology also has silver, and the university as a whole holds the Athena Swan bronze award.

League tables

Traditionally regarded as a 'Top 10 university', York has consistently been present near the top of the UK league tables, coming second only to Cambridge in the Daily Telegraph league tables from 2002 to 2006, beating Oxford into third place. It is one of the youngest Universities in the world to be ranked top 100 in the overall THE-QS World University Rankings (known from 2010 onwards as the QS World University Rankings). In the same table York is listed as 34th for Biomedicine.

The Sunday Times released averages of all its tables over 10 years, ranking York as 6th in the country from 1998 - 2007.In 2000 the Sutton Trust named York as a leading university in the UK, placing it 6th overall.

List of academic departments

• Department of Archaeology:-
  • Head of department: Professor Julian D. Richards, MA(Cantab), PhD(CNAA), FSA, MIFA.
  • Location: King's Manor
• Department of Biology:-
  • Head of department: Professor Dale Sanders FRS
  • Location: Biology, Heslington Campus
• Department of Chemistry:-
  • Head of department: Professor Paul Walton
  • Location: Chemistry, Heslington Campus
• Department of Computer Science:-
  • Head of department: Professor John McDermid, OBE, MA(Cantab), PhD(Bham), FREng, CEng, CITP, FBCS, FIEE, FRAeS, ITLM, MIoD
  • Location: Computer Science, Heslington Campus (Will move to Heslington East)
• Department of Economics and Related Studies:-
  • Head of department: Professor Peter J. Simmons, BA(Exeter), MSc(LSE), PhD(Soton)
  • Location: Alcuin College, Heslington Campus
• Educational Studies:-
  • Head of department: Professor Judith Bennett, BA, PCCE(York), MA, PhD(KCL)
  • Location: Langwith College, Heslington Campus
• Department of Electronics:-
  • Head of department: Professor John A. Robinson, PhD, PEng, CEng
  • Location: Physics and Electronics, Heslington Campus
• Department of English and Related Literature:-
  • Head of department: Professor David Attwell, BA(Natal), MA(Cape Town), PhD(Texas)
  • Location: Langwith College, Heslington Campus
• Environment Department:-
  • Head of department: Professor David Raffaelli, BSc(Leeds), PhD(Wales)
  • Location: Environment Department, Heslington Campus
• Department of Health Sciences:-
  • Head of department: Professor Christine Godfrey
  • Location: Seebohm Rowntree Building, Heslington Campus
• Department of History:-
  • Head of department: Professor Bill Shiels, PhD(London)
  • Location: Vanbrugh College, Heslington Campus
• Department of History of Art:-
  • Head of department: Professor Mark Hallett, BA(Cantab), MA, PhD(Courtauld Institute, London)
  • Location: Vanbrugh College, Heslington Campus
• Department of Language and Linguistic Science:-
  • Head of department: Professor Susan Pintzuk PhD(Pennsylvania)
  • Location: Vanbrugh College, Heslington Campus
• York Law School:-
  • Head of department: Professor Stuart Bell
  • Location: Sally Baldwin Buildings, Heslington Campus (temporary placement, to be moved to Heslington East on completion)
• The York Management School:-
  • Head of department: Professor Steven Toms MA(Oxon), MBA, PhD(Nottingham), ACA, PGCE
  • Location: Heslington Campus (to move to Heslington East)
• Mathematics:-
  • Head of department: Professor Stephen Donkin, MA(Oxon), MSc, PhD(Warwick)
  • Location: James College, Heslington Campus
• The Hull York Medical School:-
  • Head of department: Professor Ian Greer MD, FRCP(Glas), FRCPE, FRCP, FRCPI, FRCOG, FMedSci
  • Location: HYMS, Heslington Campus (University of Hull)
• Department of Music:-
  • Head of department: Dr Jonathan P. Wainwright MA (Dunelm), PhD (Cantab)
  • Location: Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, Heslington Campus
• Department of Philosophy:-
  • Head of department: Professor Tom Stoneham, MA(Oxon), MPhil, PhD(London)
  • Location: Derwent College, Heslington Campus
• Department of Physics:-
  • Head of department: Professor Brian Fulton, BSc, PhD(Birmingham), CPhys, FInstP
  • Location: Physics and Electronics, Heslington Campus
• Department of Politics:-
  • Head of department: Professor Matt Matravers BSc, PhD(LSE)
  • Location: Derwent College, Heslington Campus
• School of Politics, Economics and Philosophy:-
  • Head of Department: Professor M. Qizilbash BA(Cantab) MPhil, DPhil (Oxon)
  • Location: Derwent College, Heslington Campus
• Department of Psychology:-
  • Head of Department: Professor Susan Gathercole PhD (City)
  • Location: Psychology, Heslington Campus
• Department of Social Policy and Social Work:-
  • Head of Department: Professor Mary Maynard BA, MA(York), PGCE(London)
  • Location: Alcuin College, Heslington Campus
• Department of Sociology:-
  • Head of Department: Professor Roger Burrows BSc, MSc (Surrey), FRSA^[79]
  • Location: Wentworth College, Heslington Campus
• Department of Theatre, Film and Television:-
  • Head of Department: Professor Andy Tudor, BA(Leeds)
  • Location: Genesis 6, Heslington Campus but moving to Heslington East

The university also hosts a number of interdisciplinary research centres, including the Borthwick Institute for Archives, Centre for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies, the Centre for Modern Studies, the Centre for Medieval Studies and the Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past.

The campus is also home to the National Science Learning Centre. Opened in March 2006 by then-Prime Minister Tony Blair, it serves as the hub for a £51 million national network of centres dedicated to revitalising science teaching in schools. It is operated by the White Rose University Consortium (which comprises the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York) together with Sheffield Hallam University.

Student activities

University Radio York (URY), the student radio station, is the oldest independent radio station in the United Kingdom, and winner of the Student Radio Awards Best Station Award 2005. Nouse, the oldest student newspaper on campus, was established in 1964 and was 2005 NUS/Mirror Student paper of the year; one of its rival newspapers, 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. It also won Best Small Budget Publication at the 2006 NUS/Mirror National Student Media Awards.

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. The University of York Filmmaking Society is a student-run filmmaking group; since 1999 its members have made two feature films and many shorts, some of which have been shown at national film festivals. York Student Cinema, operating since the late 1960s, show around 30 films a term using a professional 35 mm projector and a full size cinemascope screen in one of the largest rooms on campus.

The Lemon Press, York's satire magazine, was launched in 2009 and has rapidly gained popularity in both its print and online formats. In 2010 it won the NUS Award for Best Student Media, having existed only one year. The Yorker is a rapidly growing online publication set up by students as an independent company in 2007; it was nominated for the Guardian Student media awards after running for only a few months. The Zahir is a cultural/philosophical magazine that has been running since 2005. In early 2009 Haus Magazine was also launched focusing of fashion and youth culture. 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. The students' union is known as YUSU, but is properly called the University of York Students' Union. Its membership is currently the entire student population of the university. In addition to the students' union, there is a Graduate Students' Association (the GSA) which performs many of the functions of the Students' Union for postgraduate students, including representing postgraduates on university committees and Council.

Every summer term the students take part in the Roses Tournament, a sports competition against Lancaster University. 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 extreme (YUCC, ultimate frisbee).

The University of York Music Society and the University of York Drama society are two of the largest student societies on campus; both now collaborate with the Central Hall Musical Society in staging an annual musical. Other performing societies include the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, PantSoc who stage the annual student pantomime, and ComedySoc who run a variety of student comedy events throughout each term. FUSION was recently founded to promote the ever-growing urban music scene and to raise money for charity. In 2004 a student at the university established York Carnival—a day celebrating music and the arts in the centre of York. Its original aim was to encourage links between the University of York and the residents of the historic city and to encourage participation in the arts. It has grown in to a large annual event, attracting crowds of up to 5,000. The Lords of Misrule are a group of current and former graduate students at the Centre for Medieval Studies at King's Manor who enjoy bringing the theatre of the Middle Ages to life. Since their inception in the 1960s. the Lords have been performing dramas and adaptations of medieval texts in their original languages, frequently in historic locations. Their performances strive to present the spirit of medieval drama to a modern audience. The group's most recent performances were in the York Mystery Plays on 11 and 18 July 2010, performing the Curriers' Pageant of the Transfiguration of Christ. http://www.yorkmysteryplays.co.uk/

The York Union Society, the University of York's debating union, competes in intervarsity tournaments against other universities. There are also very active political societies on campus with the University of York Labour Club (YULC) and the University of York Conservative and Unionist Association campaigning on issues both on and off campus, as well as organising debates and talks by high profile speakers. In recent years there have been visits by Ed Miliband, David Davis, Nick Clegg, David Blunkett, Anthony Giddens, Ruth Lea, Dominic Green and David Willets. There is also a branch of People and Planet, which campaigns on environmental and ethical issues.

Provisions for lesbian, gay bisexual and trans (LGBT) students at the university are divided among two distinct organisations. YUSU LGBT is a part of the students' union and represents LGBT students within the union, as well as providing welfare support and conducting awareness raising campaigns on campus. LGBT Social organises social events aimed at LGBT students and their friends. While remaining separate, these two groups generally have strong links to each other and to the staff LGBTI forum, which offers largely similar provision to staff members of the university.