Congratulations, you are now officially a York University student. You may have some questions or concerns about what to do after you accept your offer of admission. Below are some things you should keep in mind as a new student.
After you accept your offer of admission
Get Involved in YU Start
Once you've accepted your admission and you receive your York id number, you can then start participating in YU Start.
YU Start is a transitional program that familiarizes new students with York University's facilities, standards and operations. It will walk you through enroling in your courses and also connect you with other students who are starting their first year at York.
To find out more about YU Start, visit: http://yustart.yorku.ca/
In order to take part in Yu Start you must have a Passport York account. This is your student login to enrol in courses, manage your finances, and more. You should have already been prompted to create a Passport York account, but if you do not have one, please visit: Passport York
- You'll be asked to log in with your student number as your username and your date of birth as your password
- Then you'll create a username and a password of your own. These two things are very important so try not to forget them.
New Student Tip
Preparing for Enroling in Your Courses:
- Read over the description and expectations for the program you applied for
- Research some of the courses offered by your program.
- In order to do this, visit the program listing page (http://futurestudents.yorku.ca/programs) and find out what Faculty (i.e. Faculty of Education, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, etc.) offers your program
- Once you locate the Faculty you will be able to browse the website to find detailed information about your program
Register for Academic Orientation
Don't forget to attend Orientation Day! You can stay informed about Orientation dates by visiting the York U Orientation website - http://orientation.yorku.ca/
Unsure whether or not you should attend Orientation? Please review our Orientation blog post to find out why Orientation is important.
ACMAPS also has a Mature Student Transition Workshop specifically for first-year mature students. This workshop will inform students about campus support centres and present an overview of transferable skills for university success.
Residence Options/Commuting to York
On Campus Apartments
York has several residence options for Mature Students:
- The Assiniboine Buildings
- Passy Crescent
- 90 Atkinson Road
For more information about student housing please visit: http://studenthousing.info.yorku.ca/yorkapts/
You can also read our blog post about Living Near Campus.
Commuter Students
A significant amount of York U students commute to university each day. If you will be driving or taking public transit to access your classes, view our blog post titled "How Will YOU Get to York U?" which outlines some of your options.
For GoTransit and TTC users, there are discount cards available for students. Look under the Public Transit heading on the York U Transportation Services website (http://transportation.info.yorku.ca/) to find out how you can get a GoTransit Student Identification Card or a Student TTC Metropass.
Read over the Transportation Services website to learn about other transportation methods to get you to York U.
Funding University - Scholarships, Awards & OSAP
Scholarships & Awards
Mature students are eligible for all awards within the York U system as long as the published criteria are met.
To learn about how you can apply for scholarships and awards that are offered by York University, please visit http://futurestudents.yorku.ca/funding.
OSAP (Ontario Student Assistance Program)
OSAP is a financial aid program which offers loans and grants to post-secondary students. The amount of financial aid that you receive depends on your financial need. You can learn about OSAP and how you can apply by reading: The Rap About OSAP
If you are interested in applying for OSAP visit the following link: http://futurestudents.yorku.ca/financialsupport/osap
On-Campus Employment
York offers students the opportunity to work part-time as they study. There are various programs which allow this:
You can apply to these jobs through the Career Centre job search after filling out your Student Financial Profile.
The Student Financial Profile, or SFP for short, is an online application that is used to apply for York affiliated scholarships and bursaries, or to be considered for on-campus employment programs. In order to apply to the employment programs listed above, you must fill out the SFP at the beginning of each academic term (Fall/Winter or Summer).
Students with disabilities have the option of filling out a hardcopy version of the SFP. The paperwork is available at the Bennett Centre for Student Services and the Ross Building in these locations:
- Learning Disability Services W128 Bennett Centre
- Mental Health Disability Services N110 Bennett Centre
- Physical, Sensory and Medical Disability Services N108 Ross Building
Getting Your YU Card
The YU card is your student card and will be used as identification during your years at York. It also functions as a library card, print card, and debit card--you are able to load money on it and use it at various vendors at York, or you can get a meal plan with your YU card.
To receive your YU Card visit the YU-Card Office located at the William Small Centre room 200.
You will need to bring:
- Your York student number
- One piece of Government issued id (i.e. driver's license, passport, citizenship card, BYID card)
For more information visit: http://yucard.info.yorku.ca/
Finding Your Classes
There are several steps you can take to make locating your classes easier.
- Review the campus maps: Keele Campus Map and Gledon Campus Map
- Familiarize yourself with the building acronyms: Printable Building Acronyms Sheet
- Visit York and search for your classes prior to the start of school -- the best time to do this is after you go for your Orientation appointment or at least a week before school starts
Transitioning to University
Coming back to school after a long period away can be difficult, that is why ACMAPS offers the Mature Student First-Year Experience Program to mature students entering their first year of university.
Mature Students First-Year Experience Program
This program is free and runs for 3 months, beginning in September. The aim of the program is to assist mature students with their transition to university and help build valuable skills like note-taking, reading, critical thinking, time and stress management, etc.
If you are interested and would like to learn more about it, visit the Mature Student First-Year Experience section on our website.
York U Resource Centres
Atkinson Centre for Mature & Part-time Students (ACMAPS) | 111 Central Square | acmaps.info.yorku.ca |
Keele Bookstore
Glendon Bookstore |
York Lanes
York Hall Basement |
http://bookstore.yorku.ca |
Keele Career Centre
Glendon Counselling and Career Services |
202 McLaughlin College
Glendon Hall 111A |
http://careers.yorku.ca |
Counselling & Disability Services (CDS) | N110 Bennett Centre for Student Services | http://cds.info.yorku.ca |
Learning Commons | Second Floor of Scott Library | http://www.library.yorku.ca/cms/learning-commons |
Learning Skills Services (LSS) | N110 Bennett Centre for Student Services | http://lss.info.yorku.ca |
Student Academic Advising | *The advising centre you go to depends on what Faculty you are affiliated with* | http://acadresources.yorku.ca/advising.htm |
Writing Centres | Writing Centres also depend on what faculty you are affiliated with | http://acadresources.yorku.ca/writing-centres |
Getting Involved on Campus
Don't let your university experience pass you by without getting involved.
- Register at YU Connect to join a school club
- Become a member of the Mature Student Club: YUMSO (York University Mature Students Organization)
- Visit an ACMAPS peer mentor
- Attend a Workshop by looking over the York U Events page
All of these things are discussed in further detail in our Getting Involved on Campus blog post.