Frequently Asked Questions

Volunteering: As you’re supporting local communities, YUSU’s volunteering projects are completely free to join. You just need to register as a member on the YUSU website to get started.

Societies, Sports, and Media Groups: Memberships are varied and are largely dependent on the group. Some groups offer memberships per semester or annually, and some groups are completely free to join!

To find out more about particular group memberships, check out our A-Z of student groups.

You can join any activity regardless of your previous experience. Student groups are your chance to develop new skills, meet new friends and to find new interests!

No. YUSU is a registered charity and separate organisation from the University. We hold the University accountable by always challenging them to continue to make the student experience at York more inclusive, better value for money, and fair for all. Sometimes we may work closely with the University on specific initiatives, events, or activities but we remain as two separate and independent organisations.

It is completely free to be a member of YUSU and you’re automatically enrolled when you start at York. But you do have to pay to join groups and attend certain events - but every penny you spend with us goes straight back into the Union!

Both YUSU Freshers tickets and College Freshers tickets will be available to buy from Thursday 24 August at 10am, at freshers.yusu.org/freshers-events

All College and YUSU Freshers’ tickets are only available from yusu.org. YUSU only work with York Parties for late night events and York Parties sell tickets for their weekly club nights after Freshers’ at their website www.yorkparties.com

There are companies and individuals that target new students with fake Freshers’ events that either don’t exist or may not be properly regulated, and which are not run in partnership with the University or YUSU.

Watch out for ticket promoters who:

• Use personal accounts on social media (rather than business accounts)
• Direct you to websites other than yusu.org to buy tickets
• Don’t have an exact location for their event included in the information
• Use Whatsapp or other private messaging to communicate their events
• Make you feel pressured to buy a ticket
• Ask for paypal deposit or other bank transfer instead of buying a ticket on a webpage

Absolutely! We employ lots of student staff during term time. With a range of positions and very flexible hours, it’s a great way to earn money alongside your studies. Take a look at our Work for Us page to stay up to date with available positions.

The first week of Freshers’ is mainly organised by your college committee, and each college puts on a Freshers’ week for their members. Your College Freshers’ ticket grants you access to all events organised by your college over Freshers’ Week. This includes entry to your college-specific club nights, which will be announced by your college, and the on-campus Access All Areas event on Wednesday 20th September.

The University of York Students’ Union (YUSU) also put on a number of Freshers’ events across the first few weeks of the semester that can be attended by any student, regardless of college. The International Student event, Freshers’ Fair, and the Self-Care Fair are free to attend (though some sessions at Self-Care Fair may require a fee). YUSU’s Comedy Night, Viking Raid, and Fight Night are all ticketed and cost £10 per event.

The College x YUSU bundle contains your College Freshers’ ticket, as well as tickets to Comedy Night, Viking Raid and Fight Night at a discounted price compared to if you purchase all tickets individually. Please note there are a limited number of the bundle tickets available, and are allocated equally across each college so everyone has the same chance to buy a bundle!