A placement year is also known as a sandwich year or year in industry.
You can do a placement year as part of your course at York St John. It is an exciting opportunity for you to apply the skills you have learned on your course and to gain a significant amount of work experience. This will be recognised in the title of your degree at the end of your studies. Nearly all courses can opt into completing a placement year. Please check with the HELP team to confirm if your course is eligible.
On your placement year you will develop your employability skills while finding out about an area of work that interests you. You will usually be paid in the process.
The placement takes place at the end of your second year, for a minimum of 9, but usually 12 months. You will get an 85% fee reduction to your annual tuition fees during your year on placement.
You will then return to York St John to spend your fourth year completing your course, with the opportunity to support second year students sourcing their own placement.
Why complete a placement year?
Completing a placement year can provide a number of benefits, and a great opportunity to link your academic learning with real hands-on experience and includes:
Gain industry-level experience before you even graduate. This can enhance your post university applications with tangible and effective examples of professional experiences.
Earn while you learn. The average salary for a placement year in 2023 was £558 according to RateMyPlacement. However, this can often be more depending on the sector and location of the placement.
Build your confidence. The different challenges and situations you experience on placement help develop your skills and aptitudes. The Placement Year team and your academic supervisor will also support you to reflect on, and explore, these experiences.
Secure a graduate role. 46% of placement students and interns were offered graduate jobs from the company they worked for, according to information collected by RateMyPlacement in 2024.
Great addition to your CV. The skills and knowledge you gain from your placement will always be on your CV, setting you apart from others, and giving you experience to talk about in future interviews.
Applying for a placement year
If you are studying a Business or Computing Suite course, you can change to a With Placement Year route by changing your course on e:Vision. If you are enrolled on one of our other courses that do not contain a professional placement requirement (such as Teaching or Nursing), you will be given the opportunity to opt into a placement year.
To opt into a placement year, you need to be:
enrolled on an eligible full time undergraduate course, and
have achieved the minimum requirements for progression in Year 2.
If you would like more information on the placement year, or how you can change to a placement year course, please contact a member of the HELP team.
Support securing your placement and preparing for your placement year
Placement preparation sessions, a dedicated Moodle site and exclusive Handshake resources will be available to you. Within these resources you will:
find out where you can apply for placement opportunities
learn how to communicate your skills
learn how to prepare your CV, cover letter and other application materials
take part in practice interview
connect with employers offering placements, and
hear from speakers and former students who can help you.