Student halls in York cost from £132 to £269 a week on the 2026/27 rates we checked, across the University of York's colleges and York St John University. University of York students are allocated rooms by a randomised process rather than choosing directly. Goodricke is our all-round pick, and Limes Court is the lowest rent.
Our picks for student halls in York
These are Unifresher’s editorial picks, based on the prices, contracts and locations listed below. No hall paid to be here.
It offers shared and en-suite rooms from £193 to £231, a weekly college meal, social kitchens and short walks to the Ron Cooke Hub and The Glasshouse.
Its £132 rate is the lowest here, though University of York students should look at Halifax College at £149 instead.
It sits near the library on Campus West, with one simple en-suite price of £206 and cafes close by.
Open corridors, two Students' Union-run bars and a dining hall give its 562 or so residents plenty of places to meet.
Its catered en-suites at up to £269 are the highest weekly rate here, in a central spot beside Central Hall with its own bar.
York halls compared on price
The weekly figure is only half the story, because contract lengths differ. The table below multiplies each rent by its charged weeks so you can compare what a year really costs.
Lowest listed weekly rent. Your room type and contract may cost more.
| Hall | Type | From/week | Weeks | Contract total | Food | Bills in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limes Court | University | £1322026/27 | 44 | £5,808 | Self-catered | Check |
| The Grange | University | £1322026/27 | 44 | £5,808 | Self-catered | Check |
| Halifax College | University | £1492026/27 | 40 | £5,960 | Self-catered | Yes |
| Vanbrugh College | University | £1652026/27 | 40 | £6,600 | Catered | Yes |
| St John Central | University | £1802026/27 | 41 | £7,380 | Self-catered | Check |
| Goodricke College | University | £1932026/27 | 44 | £8,492 | Self-catered | Yes |
| Alcuin College | University | £2062026/27 | 40 | £8,240 | Self-catered | Yes |
| Constantine College | University | £2082026/27 | 44 | £9,152 | Self-catered | Yes |
| Derwent College | University | £2092026/27 | 40 | £8,360 | Catered | Yes |
| David Kato College | University | £2132026/27 | 44 | £9,372 | Self-catered | Yes |
| Student Castle York | Private | £2202026/27 | 44 | £9,680 | Self-catered | Check |
| James College | University | £2442026/27 | 40 | £9,760 | Catered | Yes |
The best student halls in York
Jump to a hall
Goodricke College
Goodricke was the first college on Campus East and has about 540 rooms around three grassy courts, with large social kitchens. The rent includes a weekly college meal, which is a helpful way to meet your college. It offers three price points, and you are within walking distance of The Glasshouse bar and Kimberlow Hill shops.
Worth knowing: Contracts run for 44 weeks, so the £193 room totals £8,492, more than some higher weekly rates on Campus West.
Key facts
Popular with: University of York
Where: Campus East
Getting in: On Campus East, near the Ron Cooke Hub and Piazza Building
Best for: All-rounder on Campus East
Halifax College
Halifax is York's biggest college at 962 rooms, in houses and flats around leafy courtyards on the edge of Heslington. It holds the university's lowest undergraduate rent, £149 in St Lawrence, and its £206 en-suites match Alcuin. Two large common rooms, a quiet study room and a computer room are on site.
Worth knowing: St Lawrence is the only £149 option; other shared-bathroom rooms here are £186.
Key facts
Popular with: University of York
Where: Campus West, by Heslington village
Getting in: On Campus West, with a free campus bus
Best for: Cheapest university rent at York
Vanbrugh College
Vanbrugh sits beside Central Hall with 402 rooms, its own V-bar and music practice rooms, and shops at Market Square within walking distance. Fairfax House, a town house on the edge of campus, is the catered bargain at £165. All undergraduate rooms listed here are catered, so food comes with the rent.
Worth knowing: Rents vary a lot: £165 at Fairfax House against £269 for an en-suite on a 38-week contract.
Key facts
Popular with: University of York
Where: Campus West, by Central Hall
Getting in: In the heart of Campus West
Best for: Central catered living with a bar
Derwent College
Derwent is one of York's oldest colleges, with about 562 rooms in 1960s buildings along open corridors that make it easy to get to know people. Two Students' Union-run bars and cafes and a dining hall are on the doorstep. We would pick it if the social side of first year is your priority.
Worth knowing: No en-suites are listed for undergraduates, and the buildings date from the 1960s.
Key facts
Popular with: University of York
Where: Campus West
Getting in: On Campus West
Best for: Socialising and catered meals
James College
James has 494 fully catered rooms set around landscaped quadrants with lakeside views, and a large dining hall at the Roger Kirk Centre. It is well placed for the Sports Centre and the Students' Union events bar. Prices sit at the upper end of the catered range, so you are paying for a tidy setting and location.
Worth knowing: Its cheapest room at £244 costs more than many other colleges' en-suites.
Key facts
Popular with: University of York
Where: Campus West
Getting in: Close to York Students' Union and the Sports Centre
Best for: Catered living near the sports centre
Alcuin College
Alcuin's roughly 542 en-suites come at one simple price, £206, in blocks around grassy squares on one of the highest points of Campus West. The library, Alcuin Bistro and The Kitchen cafe are all close. On the rents we checked, it is the joint-cheapest en-suite at York alongside Halifax.
Worth knowing: Kitchens are shared between flats rather than sitting inside each one.
Key facts
Popular with: University of York
Where: Campus West, near the library
Getting in: On Campus West, near the library
Best for: En-suite near the library
Constantine College
Constantine has about 620 rooms around the Constantine Forum common room, and it is the natural pick for anyone using the Sports Village often. Rooms have three-quarter beds and large social kitchens, and a weekly college meal is included. Kimberlow Retail Park and The Glasshouse are both within easy walking distance.
Worth knowing: The large en-suite costs £251 on a 44-week contract, or £11,044 for the year.
Key facts
Popular with: University of York
Where: Campus East, near the Sports Village
Getting in: On Campus East, near the Sports Village
Best for: Sporty students on Campus East
David Kato College
David Kato is one of the two new colleges on Campus East, with about 688 modern en-suites around a central hub of social areas, study space and a communal kitchen. Every room has a private bathroom, and a weekly college meal is included. For new-build living on campus it costs less than you might expect at £213.
Worth knowing: Contracts are 44 weeks, so even the entry room totals £9,372 for the year.
Key facts
Popular with: University of York
Where: Campus East
Getting in: On Campus East
Best for: New en-suites with a college hub
Student Castle York
Student Castle lets new University of York undergraduates live in the city centre while still belonging to Vanbrugh College, applying through the university portal. Flats have a high-spec kitchen and bathroom, and a university bus stops right outside. Your contract and rent payments are with Student Castle itself.
Worth knowing: You pay a £250 advance payment on accepting, and your contract is not with the university.
Key facts
Popular with: University of York
Where: York city centre
Getting in: 22-minute walk to Campus West, with a university bus stop outside
Best for: City living with a college attached
Limes Court
Limes Court is the cheapest hall we found in York at £132, with 143 rooms across 29 houses, each with its own communal space. It is on the quieter, suburban side of York, less than a mile from the York St John campus. Two bathrooms serve each flat of five people, so plan your mornings.
Worth knowing: Bathrooms are shared, and it is the furthest of the three York St John halls here.
Key facts
Popular with: York St John University
Where: Suburban York
Getting in: 0.9 miles to campus
Best for: Quiet, low-cost York St John living
The Grange
The Grange is one of York St John's two student villages, with 416 rooms split between shared houses and flats such as St Mary's, Grange House and Baldwin House. It has a residential feel while staying just over half a mile from campus. Baldwin House rooms start at £132, and the university notes en-suites are very limited.
Worth knowing: En-suites are limited and the university warns they go soon after applications open.
Key facts
Popular with: York St John University
Where: Close to York St John campus
Getting in: 0.6 miles to campus
Best for: York St John social life, shared houses
St John Central
A modern block of 258 rooms in the middle of York, St John Central is 0.2 miles from The Shambles and has generously sized kitchens and social areas. Everything is en-suite and the 41-week contract is shorter than the 44 weeks of the other York St John halls here, which softens the annual cost.
Worth knowing: Its £229 studios are the priciest York St John rooms here.
Key facts
Popular with: York St John University
Where: York city centre
Getting in: 0.6 miles to campus
Best for: Living in the city centre
Will the maintenance loan cover it?
The maximum loan for a student in England living away from home outside London is £10,830 for 2026/27. Most students get less, because it is means-tested. Here is how the cheapest and dearest contracts on this page compare with that maximum.
Limes Court: £5,808 over 44 weeks leaves £5,022 for everything else.
James College: £9,760 over 40 weeks leaves £1,070 for everything else.
Where students live in York
Campus West
Home to Halifax, Vanbrugh, Derwent, James and Alcuin, with the library, Central Hall and Market Square shops. Most catered University of York rooms are here.
Campus East
Goodricke, Constantine, Langwith, David Kato and Anne Lister are all here, with 44-week contracts and a weekly college meal in the rent.
Worth knowing: Longer contracts push up the yearly total, even when the weekly rent looks similar.
City centre
Student Castle and Abode (University of York partners) and St John Central (York St John) put you near shops and restaurants. Student Castle and Abode are 22 to 24 minutes' walk from campus.
Worth knowing: Partner contracts sit with the operator, not the university, and need a £250 payment on accepting.
Near York St John
The Grange and Limes Court are within a mile of the York St John campus, in more residential streets. For private houses in later years, letting agents such as Linley and Simpson have student sections.
When to apply for York halls
- 30 MarchYork St John applications opened for 2026 entry, after 10am.
- After firm, insurance or Clearing offerUniversity of York applications can be made once you hold a qualifying offer.
- 31 July, 5pmUniversity of York undergraduate guarantee deadline for 2026/27.
- A-level results dayUniversity of York room offers start to go out, firm-choice students first and then insurance choices. Results day was 13 August in 2026.
- 24 August, 12 noonUniversity of York Clearing guarantee deadline for 2026/27.
- From SeptemberUniversity of York room numbers are sent out, with the first rent instalment due in October.
of the 500 UK students in our 2026 Student Experience Survey had hit at least one housing issue. Housemates (34%), the property itself (32%) and Wi-Fi (29%) came up most, so read the contract and ask about repairs and internet before you commit.
Keep planning your move to York
FAQs
What are the cheapest student halls in York?
Limes Court and Baldwin House at The Grange are the cheapest rooms we found at £132 a week, both at York St John University. For University of York students, Halifax College's St Lawrence rooms are £149 and Vanbrugh's Fairfax House is £165 with catering. All of these are 2026/27 rates and share a bathroom.
Are first years guaranteed a room in York?
Yes at both universities, if you meet the deadlines. The University of York guaranteed 2026/27 undergraduates who applied by 31 July 2026, or by 24 August for Clearing. York St John guarantees first-year undergraduates who meet its application deadlines. Neither guarantee means your first choice of room, so list preferences carefully.
Which York halls are catered?
At the University of York, Vanbrugh, Derwent and James offer catered undergraduate rooms, from £165 to £269 a week for 2026/27. Goodricke, Constantine and other Campus East colleges are self-catered but include a weekly college meal. The York St John halls on this page are self-catered, as far as their pages show.
Can I choose my University of York college?
Not directly. You list preferences, and from A-level results day an automated allocator processes firm-choice students first, then insurance choices, selecting students at random within each round. It tries your first preference, then your next. York warns that not everyone gets one of their top three, because some room types are more popular than others.
When should I apply for halls in York?
Apply once you hold your offer. York St John opened applications on 30 March for 2026 entry, and rooms are allocated once it is your firm choice. The University of York guarantee deadline for 2026/27 was 31 July. Its applications for undergraduates are held until then, so applying on day one does not improve your chances.
What about Student Castle and Abode in York?
Both are off-campus University of York partners for new undergraduates in 2026/27, at £220 a week for en-suites on 44 weeks. You apply through the university portal but contract directly with the operator, and pay £250 on accepting. Student Castle is 22 minutes' walk from Campus West, and Abode is 24 minutes from campus.
Who are Linley and Simpson students in York?
Linley and Simpson is a Yorkshire letting agent with a student section covering private rented houses, rather than a hall of residence. It is worth a look for second year housing once you know who you want to live with. We have not priced its homes here, because individual listings change, so check rents directly.
Official resources
- York St John University accommodation Official halls information
- University of York accommodation Official halls information
- University of York rooms and prices Every college rent in one table
- University of York guarantee 2026/27 Who qualifies and by when
- York room allocation guidance How the allocator treats preferences
- York St John apply for accommodation Timeline, deposit and how offers work
- Linley and Simpson students Letting agent for private student houses
Run student accommodation in York?
Put your rooms in front of students choosing where to live. Talk to us about clearly labelled partner placements and campaigns.
How we built this guide: prices, contract lengths and facilities come from university and operator websites where they publish them, and from named listing sites otherwise. We checked them in November 2026 and each price links to its source. Rent for the contract is our own sum of the lowest listed weekly rent multiplied by its charged weeks, before any deposit, booking fee or discount. Rooms sell out and prices change, so confirm with the provider before you book. How we compare student accommodation.