Leaving a gift in your will
Gifts and legacies transform our university.
Gifts and legacies are funding scholarships and supporting life-changing research. With your help, we can support more talented students and world-class researchers as they reach their potential.
A legacy is the greatest donation anyone can give and a gift in your will can make a significant impact and a lasting contribution for generations.
"We choose to give to the University both as alumni and current staff members because we’ve seen the impact that it makes to the lives of students receiving scholarships."
Sam and Charley Bayley, Heslington Circle Members, staff and alumni.
Sam and Charley Bayley, Heslington Circle Members, staff and alumni
Legacy News
Being awarded the Maria Bourboulis Scholarship is a great honour. I am grateful for the financial support, the time I was able to spend studying and engaging in the course and postgraduate community. Thank you for this extraordinary experience!
Isabelle Schmuck, MA in Social Policy and recipient of the Maria Bourboulis scholarship
Isabelle Schmuck, MA in Social Policy and recipient of the Maria Bourboulis scholarship
Transforming research
Through a gift in your will you can drive research either by supporting academic researchers to make new discoveries and uncover new opportunities or creating a PhD scholarship like Maria Bourboulis.
Having studied Social Work at York, Maria Bourboulis left a legacy gift in her will to support talented postgraduate students in the Department of Sociology or the School for Business and Society.
She felt strongly that the University gave her a great foundation for the rest of her professional life. Maria’s gift allows many more students to benefit from the opportunities that she had.
Heslington Circle
We are delighted to recognise the generosity of those who pledge their support to the University in their will, through membership of the Heslington Circle. As a member of the Circle you will be invited to an annual reception and other events and be kept informed of developments within the University.
Areas you could support
Gifts that allow the flexibility to be used where the need is greatest are especially valuable. They allow us to support areas including:
"As one of the first undergraduates, I am greatly appreciative of the opportunities that I was afforded and concerned about the costs for present-day students. I would like to think that a modest legacy, combined with some regular giving in the meantime, might go some way to repaying the debt I feel I owe the University and help the present generation of students.”
Key Information
The details you need to include the University of York in your will:
Our address: University of York, Heslington, York, United Kingdom, YO10 5DD
Tax exemption details: The University of York is an exempt charity under Schedule 3 of the Charities Act 2011.
How you can help
- helping to fund scholarships to attract the best students, regardless of background
- supporting our world-leading research
- contributing to our growing library and archives
- providing vital medical training and research.
Tax benefits
The University of York is an exempt charity under Schedule 3 of the Charities Act 2011. As such, any gift within your will falls outside of inheritance tax. Giving as part of your will planning can help to reduce your estate’s inheritance tax bill. You can also cut the Inheritance Tax rate on the rest of your estate from 40% to 36%, if you leave at least 10% of your 'net estate' to a charity.
I see a university such as ours as a lifeline to the future. The brightest students from all over the world will come to York long after I’m gone to study subjects we haven’t yet dreamed of in ways we can’t even imagine. It is for these students that I’ve made a bequest to York in my will.
Felicity Riddy, Legacy donor
For more information or a confidential discussion about leaving a legacy to York, please contact:
Maresa Bailey, Legacies Officer by email: maresa.bailey@york.ac.uk or call on +44 (0)1904 328218
Read our legacy brochure: Legacy brochure 2023 (PDF 
, 24,897kb).