York St John University

York St John University

Age: 171

History: Born of a merger in 1975 between St John's College, York, and The College, Ripon, St John's first incarnation was in York in 1841, as the Church Training College for teachers. It was granted taught degree-awarding powers in 2005 and university status in 2006.

Address: Lord Mayor's Walk, York.

Ambience: One of the country's newest universities - officially recognised in October 2006. The campus is an eight-acre site built around a quadrangle, situated in the heart of York, just outside the medieval city walls. Spectacular views of York Minster.

Vital statistics: Medium-sized institution with just over 6,000 students studying degrees and other courses in teacher training, creative and performing arts, health and humanities. Popular subjects are sport, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, teaching, film and television. Large education department. Male to female ratio is around 1:3.

Added value: Millions have recently been invested in new buildings and in revamping its ivy-clad historic structures, providing disabled access. A new learning centre (a wired-up library that houses the Yorkshire Film Archive) and a sports science, psychology and health building both opened in September 2003. De Grey Court, a new £15.5m development, was completed in Autumn 2008 along with new self-catered student accommodation. York has many pubs, restaurants, theatres, galleries and an arts centre within easy access to the campus.

Easy to get into? You need 260 UCAS points for film and television production and for occupational therapy, and 300 for physiotherapy. For most other degrees you'll need at least 200 points.

Glittering alumni: Geoff Cooke and Peter Squires, former England rugby internationals.

Transport links: Good – only two hours to London by train. York is also easily accessible by rail from other cities including Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Edinburgh. Within York, the best way to get around is by foot or by bike.

Who's the boss? Professor David Fleming is vice-chancellor.

Teaching: 34th out of 116 for student satisfaction in the Complete University Guide in 2011.

Research: 113th out of 115 in the Research Assessment Exercise in 2011.

Overall ranking: 103rd out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Nightlife: A well-developed students' union means there’s plenty of entertainment for everybody. Venues for live bands and a variety of club nights are also found in York.

Any accommodation? Yes. Most first years who want to live in halls of residence usually get a palce. Rent ranges from £88 to £145 per week.

Cheap to live there? About average. Private sector rents are around £65 to £75 per week in York.

Sports ranking: 97th in the BUCS league table.

Fees: £8,500 per year for full-time UK/EU undergraduates. International students will pay £9,000 for a BA degree.

Bursaries: Fee waivers of up to £2,000 per year are available for students from low income families.

Prospectus: 01904 876 598 / www.yorksj.ac.uk

UCAS code: Y75