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York St John University
York

Why such low rankings?

I’m curious to understand why York St John ranks so low on the majority of league tables. Is it really that bad?

I’ve applied for accounting at several universities and have been offered places at all including Durham and Glasgow. Regardless of status or size I feel most drawn to York at John. Recently however, several people have questioned why and referred to rankings.

So what I want to know is why are the rankings so low and does it even matter?
If you look at the website for the ranking, it'll tell you what factors they consider and what weighting they apply to each factor.

Factors I've seen used are entry requirements, student satisfaction, staff to student ratio, graduate prospects, number of times the university is quoted in research, money spend per student on centralised services - all sorts of things.

So chek out each ranking and see how the university scores on each factor. Or just ignore the rankings and go there anyway!

The one ranking I would steer clear of is the QS World Ranking, as that's based (to a very significant degree) on a survey they send out to academics and employers around the word. So it's based upon preceived quality, which obviously isn't necessarily the same as actual quality.
Students on campus
York St John University
York
Reply 2
Original post by santa101
I’m curious to understand why York St John ranks so low on the majority of league tables. Is it really that bad?

I’ve applied for accounting at several universities and have been offered places at all including Durham and Glasgow. Regardless of status or size I feel most drawn to York at John. Recently however, several people have questioned why and referred to rankings.

So what I want to know is why are the rankings so low and does it even matter?

The league tables are only a guide and people quite rightly choose a university for a variety of reasons. You are going to study there for 3 or 4 years, so you need to feel you can be happy there. But the difference in ranking is huge: the CUG has YSJ 98th while Glasgow is 4th and Durham 10th. Glasgow and Durham are respected research universities which impacts on the league tables although it's nor really relevant for undergrad studies. But what you also get at Glasgow and Durham is strong employment prospects, fellow students with similar level of academic ability/qualification to yourself. The chance to network is likely to be greater and their links with the larger firms are well established.

Having said that, if you get a 2.1 and do well in the assessments and interviews your choice of university does not matter.
(edited 2 years ago)
You can punch the courses into discoveruni.gov.uk and compare outcomes.

e.g.

for accounting courses
after one year 5% at Durham left without a qualification compared to 17% at YSJ

15 months after graduating 85% from Durham are coded as having 'highly skilled work' and from YSJ it's 45%
etc.

of course it isn't necessarily true that Durham is doing anything better than YSJ - it's possible that Durham students tend to have more supportive parents or better social networks to get them interviews for the best jobs.
Durham students will typically have scored more highly in their A levels - so if you go to Durham you'll be among more 'high achievers' as measured by previous attainment.
Reply 4
Why York St. John and not university of York?
Original post by santa101
I’m curious to understand why York St John ranks so low on the majority of league tables. Is it really that bad?

I’ve applied for accounting at several universities and have been offered places at all including Durham and Glasgow. Regardless of status or size I feel most drawn to York at John. Recently however, several people have questioned why and referred to rankings.

So what I want to know is why are the rankings so low and does it even matter?

Hello,

League tables are subject to specific elements and not accurate to every course and every person. When looking for my university, I found that the Russel group universities had less of a personal feel and the lecturers did not connect with me as much. Whereas at YSJ I found that every staff member took time to get to know me and give me as much advice as they could. There was never any conditions to it, they always had every confidence in me and this was just from open days!

YSJ has a 95% employability rate just 15 months after study and 36th out of 122 for student satisfaction. These were more important to me than the league tables and the atmosphere that YSJ has cannot be measured.

It is also quite dependant on your course and modules. A university that is at the top of the league table may not necessarily have the modules or opportunities that are right for you. You should have a look at the breakdown of each course and consider which are tailored to your goals or you would enjoy the most. For example, YSJ offers great study abroad and placement year opportunities and so if that is something that interests you, it is a great factor for choosing YSJ.

If you are drawn to YSJ and it is right for you, then that is what is important, not numbers and figures. Ultimately, it is your decision and only you know what is right for you.

I hope this helps,
Lydia :smile:

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