University of York

Plans for a university in York first appeared in 1617. A petition drawn up in 1641 was never sent to London because of the Civil War, and a later petition to Parliament was rejected. Discussions resumed in the 1820s, but the foundation of Durham UniversityDurham UniversityDurham University, legally named the University of Durham, is a research university in Durham, North East England, and a member of the Russell Group. Founded under an 1832 Act of Parliament and granted a Royal Charter in 1837, it describes itself as England’s third oldest university and has a collegiate system in which all students belong to one of 17 colleges. Its current Vice-Chancellor and Warden is Karen O’Brien and its Chancellor is Fiona Hill; it had 21,588 students in 2023/24.Open the full entry in 1832 dashed York’s hopes.⁠[1]

In 1947 local citizens applied unsuccessfully to the University Grants Committee for a university. In 1948 the York Academic Trust established the Institute of Advanced Architectural Studies and the Borthwick Institute.⁠[1]

In 1959 another approach was made to the University Grants Committee, and in April 1960 the government approved the establishment of the University of York.⁠[1][2]

In 1963 Queen Elizabeth II granted the university a Charter of Incorporation, making it an independent corporation with charitable status.⁠[3]

On October 9, 1963, the first students arrived at Heslington Hall. That year the university had 28 academic and administrative staff, 216 undergraduates and 14 postgraduates. Its inauguration took place in York Minster the same month.⁠[2][4]

On October 22, 1965, Queen Elizabeth II opened Derwent and Langwith Colleges. By the end of the 1960s the university had completed five colleges, three laboratory buildings, Central Hall, the Library, the Sports Hall, the Music Centre and the Jack Lyons Concert Hall, and it had 2,500 undergraduates, twelve times the original intake.⁠[2]

The Science Park opened in 1991 with Smith & Nephew as its first tenant. On September 19, 1994, the university went live on the web for the first time. During the 1990s its student numbers grew from 4,300 to 8,500.⁠[5]

The Hull York Medical School, run jointly with the University of Hull, opened in October 2003.⁠[6]

Planning for Heslington East, later called Campus East, began in earnest in 2002 and required years of master-planning, an eight-hour city planning meeting and a public inquiry. Goodricke College opened in 2009 as the first building on the site and was officially opened in April 2010; Langwith College moved to the new campus in 2012, and Constantine College was established in 2014 as the university’s ninth college.⁠[6][4]

On November 25, 2010, the university was named University of the Year at the Times Higher EducationTimes Higher EducationTimes Higher Education (THE) is a London-based higher education news and data company. It grew out of the Times Higher Education Supplement, launched in 1971, and is best known for its World University Rankings, founded in 2004; it has been owned by the private equity firm Inflexion since 2019.Open the full entry Awards. In June 2011 it launched the York Festival of Ideas with 20 public events; by 2019 the festival featured more than 200 talks, exhibitions, performances and other activities.⁠[4]

In 2012 the university joined the Russell Group of research-intensive universities, its membership taking effect on August 1, 2012, together with Durham University, the University of ExeterUniversity of ExeterThe University of Exeter is a research university in Exeter, England, United Kingdom, with campuses in Exeter and Cornwall. It traces its roots to a School of Art founded in Exeter in 1855, became a university under a royal charter in 1955 and joined the Russell Group in 2012.Open the full entry and Queen Mary University of LondonQueen Mary University of LondonQueen Mary University of London is a research-intensive university in London, United Kingdom, formed from four historic institutions, the oldest of which, the London Hospital Medical College, was founded in 1785. It is a member of the Russell Group.Open the full entry. That year the Library reopened after a £20 million refurbishment, opened by the alumnus Anthony Horowitz.⁠[4][7]

In 2018 Central Hall, Derwent College and the Campus West landscape were given Grade II listed status by Historic England.⁠[4]

Charlie Jeffery was inaugurated as Vice-Chancellor in October 2019 and served until 2026. In his inaugural speech he announced that the university had completed its divestment from fossil fuel companies.⁠[4][8]

In October 2022 the university’s Court appointed Heather Melville as its seventh Chancellor, for a term running until August 31, 2027; her inauguration was celebrated on January 18, 2023. She has spent more than 40 years advancing inclusive cultures in corporate and international banking, technology and professional services settings, is a partner at the CEO advisory firm Stork & May, and was awarded an OBE in 2017.⁠[9]

Ken Badcock became Interim Vice-Chancellor and President in September 2026. He joined the university as Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost in May 2023, after holding roles including Acting Principal and Deputy Principal at Royal Holloway, University of London, from 2018 to 2023; he had earlier spent 13 years as Professor of Engineering at the University of LiverpoolUniversity of LiverpoolThe University of Liverpool is a research university in Liverpool, England. It grew out of University College, Liverpool, founded in 1881, became an independent university by royal charter in 1903 and is a founding member of the Russell Group.Open the full entry, also serving as Executive Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Science and Engineering, and before that 13 years at the University of GlasgowUniversity of GlasgowThe University of Glasgow is a research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1451, it describes itself as the fourth oldest university in the UK, and it is a member of the Russell Group.Open the full entry.⁠[10]

On September 17, 2026, the university announced the launch of the Institute for Good Society, a research and policy institute at its University of York Mumbai campus in the Powai Business District, to study issues such as artificial intelligence, urbanisation and climate change; its initial research streams cover responsible corporate governance, sustainable finance, inclusive economic growth and the social and economic impact of arts, culture and the creative industries. The campus’s first students are taking degrees in computer science, artificial intelligence, cyber security, business, finance and the creative industries.⁠[11]

On the HESA standard registration population basis, in 2024/25 the university had 15,810 undergraduates, 210 other undergraduate students, 4,890 taught postgraduates and 1,435 research postgraduates.⁠[12]

The university describes a 500-acre campus with eleven colleges and more than 40 departments and centres; it reports record group research income of £107 million in 2024/25 and a £45 million new Institute for Safe Autonomy.⁠[13]

The university was ranked joint 168th in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027 and joint 158th in the QS World University Rankings 2027; it received an overall Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework 2023 and was joint 10th in the Times Higher Education ranking of REF 2021.⁠[14]

The university has received six Queen Elizabeth Prizes for Higher and Further Education, formerly the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes: for the Department of Computer Science (1996), the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (2005), the Centre for Health Economics (2007), the Social Policy Research Unit (2009), the Department of Archaeology (2011) and the York Structural Biology Laboratory (2019).⁠[14]

The university’s Chancellors have been Lord Harewood (1963–1967), Lord Clark (1967–1978), Lord Swann (1979–1990), Janet Baker (1991–2004), Greg Dyke (2004–2015) and Malcolm Grant (2015–2022).⁠[8]

Its Vice-Chancellors have included Lord James of Rusholme (until 1973), Morris Carstairs (1973–1978), Berrick Saul (1979–1993), Ron Cooke (1993–2002), Brian Cantor (2002–2013) and Koen Lamberts (2014–2018).⁠[8]

The university describes itself as a public higher education institution and an exempt charity regulated by the Office for Students. The Council is its corporate governing body and trustee board, the Senate its academic governing body and the University Executive Board its senior management and leadership body; it has three academic faculties. The latest amendments to its Charter and Statutes were approved by the Privy Council in April 2025.⁠[15][16]

University of York: Official website: https://www.york.ac.uk/ (opens in a new window).⁠[17]

LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Public profile: https://www.linkedin.com/school/UniOfYork (opens in a new window).⁠[17]

YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: Public channel: https://www.youtube.com/universityofyorkuk (opens in a new window).⁠[17]