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The overall ranking is decided by students from this institution rating them in a 2026 Whatuni review. This forms the basis of the Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCAs for short).
4.04.14.01113 Student reviews
Sort:Latest reviewsYork St John University is situated in a beautiful county of the United Kingdom, it is a safe and diverse university, and a city with a lovely community feel. The university's Student Union is always working to develop and improve, while maintaining some of the students' favourite activities and events, which is great for keeping the student experience alive. The nightlife is better than many other cities, and there are actual hundreds of pubs to choose from, alongside a good selection of clubs. At the university, everyone is made to feel welcome and at home - no matter who you are or where you come from. Different cultures are expressed freely - and every student has the opportunity to exist as who they are. The campus has a beautiful mixture of old and modern architecture - bringing in the new, whilst simultaneously maintaining its history. I do, however, believe that the student support network could be improved in some ways, alongside the teaching for some particular subjects.
It’s a lovely place right in the city centre with plenty of accommodation options near by. Public transport is frequent. Staff have a good relationship with their students and treats each person as an individual. Support is easy to access from the beginning.
Affordable university among all in UK
Its such a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. It has a true community spirit. Not a huge fan of the higher management of the uni. They've cut a lot of budgets and ive heard they're considering cutting some courses that are very important to me.
Worst aspect - coal yard accommodation - problems with running water and maintenance issues not being fixed as prestige were apparently wanting to sell the building and didn't want to spend unnecessary money on fixing it before then
Lovely, close knit campus and very personal feel as a student. Lots of new facilities.
Such a nice community to be a part of
It’s a very nice university with a chill atmosphere. The student support from tutors is really good
Best aspects is the support (once you get it). Worst aspects is accomodation team and accessing support.
Best is the lectures and people at university and job opportunities. Worst is the sports are not that competitive and could have improvement with running and assistance
There are lots of societies and the students union hosts lots of events, which makes it a great way to meet new people and save money, earning student deals! The lecturers are so nice and the campus is easy to navigate and a quick walk into town.
The campus is really friendly and has a lovely atmosphere, and the student support system is fantastic.
I love my tutors. Especially on the acting course, they're all so lively and take on what we say on board to change the classes to fit to something we like and can do. They're extremely disability inclusive, they try and fix modules so that everyone can be involved in some way or another. And if they don't have an answer, they'll go out and find it (or help you find it).
18-24 years
YSJ is incredibly central to town, unlike UoY, and is within walking distance of a lot of what you're going to want from the city. As a language and linguistics student, I think the facilities are really good, and all the tutors are lovely. My experience with student support has been okay, although not the greatest, but when I was having counselling sessions with the wellbeing team, the person I had was lovely and really helped. It's also a very small campus; much more like a sixth form college campus, which is really useful and makes going between classes a lot easier.
Best aspects: One of the best things about my experience at York St John has been the strong sense of community. The campus is a really welcoming environment, and because it’s a smaller university, it’s easy to build meaningful relationships with both lecturers and other students. My course has felt very supportive, with lecturers who are approachable and genuinely invested in student success. The location is also a huge positive — being so close to York city centre makes student life enjoyable while still having a calm, close-knit campus atmosphere that’s great for studying. Worst aspects / improvements: While the supportive environment is a real strength, one area that could be improved is communication around timetabling and assessment deadlines, which can sometimes feel a bit last-minute. Additionally, expanding study spaces during peak assessment periods would be helpful, as the library can get very busy. That said, the university is clearly responsive to student feedback, and I’ve seen positive changes being made over time.
It’s a nice university in the centre of York with lots on at the SU. Staff are generally helpful and supportive.
The SU has loads of amazing events and is a lovely place aesthetically. There are gorgeous seasonal plants around campus such as snowdrops, crocuses and lavender. It’s a small uni so it’s easy to get in touch with tutors and to build relationships with staff who understand the way you work. It’s easy to set up a society and there are many already in existence running throughout the week. They run such fun events and make it really accessible to find a community and create a social life, though it can be lonely for the first part of first year. It’s also a really central campus so it’s easy to pop into town, there is a GP on campus too and we graduate in the Minster ! There are sometimes communication issues which could be improved such a confusion around class start/end times, which classes are mandatory or not and also the student course events such as exhibitions and showcases don’t have a great platform yet for people to find out about them. Cross course collaboration could be improved
Very central and the vibe is very welcoming and friendly
4.4
best aspect: meeting new people, studying and having all the facilities i need to do what I need to do, the student events are really fun and I feel that I have support. worst aspect: finance and cost of living and studying
Course hours are long but necessary, I feel that I can book a tutorial whenever I need and that I have support from lecturers, the only thing I would say is sometimes the feedback is not as relevant or useful as it should be.
I had some trouble with my flatmates but the team were there for me throughout, common areas were always kept clean and tidy by staff and they were there to support us with any queries or concerns. I don’t think I could have had a better experience living there apart from the flatmate situation but that was not their fault.