Whilst our beloved University is indeed a relatively modern institution, having opened in 1963, you might well be surprised to learn that the first petition for a University in York was presented to the King as early as 1617. There’s efficiency for you!

It took a man called Oliver Sheldon in the twentieth century to give the idea a bit of a kick start, and in the autumn of 1963 the first 200 students were admitted; the construction of Heslington campus, the main campus as we know it today, began a year later.

The University has had five Vice-Chancellors, the first being Baron James of Rusholme, after whom James college is named. It was he that decided York should be based on the collegiate system, and also that it should focus on a smaller number of subjects, aspiring for quality rather than quantity. He decreed the main teaching methods still observed today - tutorials and seminars. Today’s Vice-Chancellor is Brian Cantor, and there are now well over 10,000 students.

The University is always looking to the future, perhaps more so than some of the more traditional universities, and the completion of Heslington East, an expansion that will transform the feel of the campus, is no exception; construction has just finished just in time for you freshers!