Welcome! We're looking forward to meeting you soon. 

In today’s message, we’ll be covering what you can expect for your arrival day and your first week(s) here at York.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our lists of Things to Do First that we shared with you last week.

A warm welcome from your college team

Hi, my name is Lenore Klassen and I manage the James College Team.

Alongside William Hamilton (College Life Coordinator), we work together to make sure that every student in James is welcomed to their new community and is able to make the most of their time at University. We’re delighted you’ll be joining us.

As your College Team, we are your first point of call for support with whatever issues you may be facing. During your time at University, if you need to contact the Team, send us an email at james@york.ac.uk.

So that we can get to know our new students, we have put together a pre-arrival survey, which we strongly encourage you to complete as far in advance of your arrival as possible.

We will shortly be inviting you to join our Google Classrooms for your accommodation block, or for our non-resident Freshers. This will assist you in meeting other James students before you arrive.

Please look for an invite email in your University email account; by accepting this invite you are agreeing to your email address being shared with other students

About your college

The University has eleven colleges and you are a member of James.

You may be living on campus in James, or off campus and you chose, or were assigned to, James based on your academic department. Whatever the reason, we are very happy to welcome you.

Undergraduate students

Follow the link below to find out more about your official welcome week, in conjunction with your Student Union, YUSU.

As mentioned in our first message, these are the only University-endorsed events, and we recommend that you only use links we share with you to avoid scammers.

Postgraduate students

If you are a postgraduate student, your experience of college life will be enhanced further, as throughout the year you will also have access to many of the events and activities hosted by Wentworth Graduate College, which is the only college purely dedicated to the graduate student experience. However, James College will remain your first point of contact for support and advice. 

In addition to YUSU above, you’ll also be a member of our Graduate Students' Association (GSA) the primary representative body for all registered postgraduate students here at York, who have put together a selection of welcome events and activities to help you settle in.

Your welcome activities will begin from Monday 11 September onwards, and be spread out over the first few weeks of the semester to accommodate for different arrival times.

Arriving at the University - residential students only

Undergraduate students

If you are moving into James College accommodation on campus, your official move-in day will be Sunday 17 September 2023.

Please make sure to arrive during your designated time slot, as this helps us to better manage the number of students moving in at a time. If you haven’t already, you can reserve / check your arrival slot via the induction module on your accommodation profile.

If you have confirmed accommodation through a University managed provider (such as Student Roost or Student Castle), your arrival date and time will be determined by the start date on your official accommodation offer.

If you have any questions about your accommodation offer, please email accommodation@york.ac.uk and james@york.ac.uk to keep everyone informed.

Postgraduate students

Many postgraduates will be asked to start arriving on campus from Monday 11 September 2023 onwards. However, depending on where your accommodation is based, this may vary:

If you have confirmed accommodation through a University managed provider (such as Student Roost or Student Castle), your arrival date and time will be determined by the start date on your official accommodation offer.

If you have any questions about your accommodation offer, please email accommodation@york.ac.uk and james@york.ac.uk to keep everyone informed.

Frequently asked questions

What if I can't get there for that date? What if my accommodation start date is later?

While we encourage all students to take part in welcome activities to help settle into University life, these are not mandatory for your degree, and you will not be penalised for missing them. 

However, all taught students are expected to arrive in time for Week 1 of the academic semester, which begins on Monday 25 September. This will be the official start of all teaching and learning for University courses. Some courses may run introductory sessions in the week prior to this.

Postgraduate researchers are expected to arrive by the beginning of October and have an induction event on Wednesday 4 October 2023. If you have any questions, please speak to your department for more information.

If you aren’t sure you’ll be able to arrive in time for this date, it is crucial you contact your academic department as soon as possible for their advice.

What if I need to arrive sooner?

Students are not able to access University owned or managed accommodation (including Student Roost and Student Castle) until their confirmed contract start date in their accommodation offer. Please ensure you plan to arrive on or after this date.

If you have an additional support need, or exceptional circumstances that will require you to arrive earlier, please contact us, our student support team and accommodation team as soon as possible to discuss earlier access.

On the day

Please make sure you arrive within your designated time slot, as this helps us to better manage the number of students moving in at a time. You can find specific information and instructions for arrivals day via our webpage below.

Upon arrival, you’ll be met by your college Second and Third Year Contacts (STYCs) who will be around to guide you through your first week at York.

Parking guidance

We are expecting a large number of students to arrive at several colleges on the same day, which will limit the number of car parking spaces available. In order to get you moved in as quickly as possible and minimise congestion, we ask you to follow this process upon arrival.

Other modes of transport

Check out our wider travel guidance.

Your first week(s) at York - residential and non-residential students

Welcome activities

Once you’ve arrived, your Students Unions and College teams have organised plenty of exciting activities for you to get involved in. Unfortunately, a number of fake pages and social media accounts attempt to target incoming students each year, so please note that the only University-endorsed events are those offered by the College and our Student’s Unions (YUSU and the GSA).

To ensure you have access to all the fantastic events your Union and college teams have organised, please make sure you purchase your official Welcome tickets below.

Make sure to also bookmark our student events page to stay on top of all upcoming events throughout the semester. 

Right to Study Checks

UK students

During your online enrolment, you will have been asked to submit a piece of evidence that confirms you have the right to study here at the University, in the UK. If you have not yet submitted your evidence via e:Vision (eg a UK passport) please make sure you do this before your course starts. More information on accepted forms of evidence can be found in your enrolment email. 

International students

If you are an international student, in addition to submitting evidence online, you will also need to attend an in-person registration event during your first few weeks, where your immigration status will be verified. Please make sure to check all dates and deadlines carefully in the emails sent to you separately about these events, and to pack your documentation with you as the original document will need to be checked at these events. 

Still packing and not sure what else to bring? Check out our guidance.

Download and check your timetable

All students at York are provided with a personalised timetable for your studies and activities, which can be viewed on your laptop, phone or printed out. This year, your teaching timetables will be released on Wednesday 13 September 2023. 

Family and Supporter Talk

On Tuesday 5 September at 7pm BST we will be hosting an online welcome talk to allow all the people who care about you to ask questions and meet college staff. Please share this zoom link with your parent, guardian, carer or supporters.

For GDPR and protection issues, if a parent, guardian or carer contacts us on your behalf, we won’t be able to speak to them about you until we’ve received written permission from you first.

Meet your student committee

On Thursday 7 September at 7pm, members of our student committee will host a Zoom webinar to talk directly to you, our new members.

Meet the team who have planned and delivered your College Freshers Week programme, find out about the role of the Committee in College life and most importantly, how you can get involved!

Additional information and events: off-campus students

If you aren’t living on campus this year, you are still a welcomed and valued member of a college on campus and your college team is here to support you every step of the way. 

In addition to our all-student freshers week activities, all local and commuting students are also invited to a mixer in the Vanbrugh Arms on Saturday 16 September at 7pm as a way to get to know one another, and feel inducted and welcomed into college.

Any residential students already moved into college are also welcome to join!

There will also be an orientation session just for James off-campus students on Monday 18 September 2023 at 2pm in PX/001 (this will be followed by the James College Sports Fair at 3:30pm in James Hall).

In case you missed it

Last week, we sent you an essential to-do list for you to complete before you arrive, including essential documentation. If you haven’t had a chance to do this yet, please complete it urgently.

Next Steps