York is one of Britain's most distinguished and
successful universities. The University is large
enough to provide a vibrant social and cultural
environment, but still small enough to provide
a unique community feel that is welcoming and
friendly to its 11,500 students.
The main Heslington campus is on the edge of the
city. The university's eight colleges, each containing
a mix of academic offices, student accommodation
and social facilities, are grouped around a large lake
in 200 acres of landscaped parkland. These colleges,
together with residences and houses close to the
campus, provide accommodation for nearly half of
all York undergraduates, including York-based HYMS
students in their first year.
The campus is quiet and generally traffic free, easy
to move around, with fast and frequent bus services
to the city. There is an excellent network of cycle
paths, and cycling is popular both on the campus
and around the city itself.
Student life at York
Student life at York is lively and varied. Most
activities are focused on the site at Heslington, where
all major facilities are close at hand. Most colleges
provide catering outlets and bars. The campus
also has food stores, bookshops, a stationery store,
cashpoints, a fully-equipped sports centre, tennis and
squash courts, a travel agency, a health centre, film
theatres, concert halls and a second-hand book mart.
The University has over 100 student societies,
including award-winning newspapers, the country's
first independent radio station, political parties,
music societies, dance lessons, religious groups,
film production, juggling, drama, its own television
station and much more. There are also over 50
sports clubs competing at inter-college and intervarsity
level. These range from cricket, rugby and
football to potholing, skateboarding and paintballing.
HYMS students also have their own societies which
bridge the York and Hull campuses.