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UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION

Charity rating & review

87/100 Clarity Score · 3 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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87 /100

Clarity score

Good

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Is UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION a good charity?

UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION scores 87/100 (Good) on our Clarity Score, with 79% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts up to date. This reflects financial transparency and stewardship from Charity Commission filings — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

York · YO10 5DD Reg 1173404 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION is a registered charity (no. 1173404) working in children & youth in York · YO10 5DD. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 79% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 2 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been declining over recent years. CharityCompare's Clarity Score rates the organisation only from public Charity Commission accounts — accountability, financial health, efficiency and community support — not the quality or impact of its programmes.

In short: UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION scores 87 out of 100 (3 stars). 79% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

Overview

UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION has a Clarity Score of 87 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1173404. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £4.2m, with 79% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 2 months of operating costs. No major red flags from our filing review. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.

Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .

Overall score

87/100

3★ · Good

Cause spend

79%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£4.2m

Latest year 2021

Reserves

2 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£4.9 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 21% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION compares

Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.

Income band (£1m–£5m)87 vs 77 avg

Ranks higher than 75% of 3,014 charities in its income band.

Children & youth charities87 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 76% of 3,988 charities in this cause.

Data & confidence

Source
Charity Commission (E&W)
Accounts year
2021
Filing date
2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000
Profile reviewed
2026-06-25

High confidence — complete filing data

Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons require information beyond public filings.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales . Open Government Licence v3.0 .

Beacon report

Detailed accountability and finance metrics from Charity Commission filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

100/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION
Metric Score Value
Filing history (5 years)

100% on-time over five years = 15 pts · one late filing = 5 pts · two or more = 0 pts.

100% 15/15 pts
Trustee oversight

Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts · one or two = 0 pts (governance red flag).

100% 14 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies

Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return.

100% 10/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

73/100

Financial Health metrics for UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

3–24 months = 15 pts · 1–3 months = 7 pts · under 1 month or over 3 years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

47% 2 months · 7/15 pts
Income stability / growth

Positive or stable three-year revenue trend = 10 pts · sustained decline = 0 pts.

100% 10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

Low debt (< 30% liabilities to assets) = 5 pts · high debt = 0 pts.

100% 18% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

75/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

≥ 75% on charitable activities = 10 pts · 60–75% = 5 pts · below 60% = 0 pts.

100% 79% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency

Spends ≤ £0.20 to raise £1 = 10 pts · £0.21–£0.35 = 5 pts · above £0.35 = 0 pts (fundraising cost ÷ income).

50% 21p per £1 income · 5/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

100/100

Community Support metrics for UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

More volunteers than paid staff = 10 pts · equal mix = 5 pts · no volunteers = 0 pts.

100% 780 volunteers / 71 staff · 10/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

87/100 total · Good · 3 of 4 stars

Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.

100/100
Accountability & Transparency
73/100
Financial Health
75/100
Financial Efficiency
100/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

100/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight14 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

73/100

Reserves (months of cash)2 months · 7/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets18% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

75/100

Program expense ratio79% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency21p per £1 income · 5/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

100/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio780 volunteers / 71 staff · 10/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION revenue and expenses for 2021
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £4.2m
Total expenditure £3.8m
Charitable activities £2.6m 67%
Fundraising £1.3m 33%
Governance & admin £15k 0%
67%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2021) · £3.8m spent

  • Charitable activities67%
  • Fundraising33%
  • Governance0%

Trust indicators

Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    14 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    71 employees · 780 volunteers (11:1 volunteer-to-staff)

Fundraising Regulator

Status not yet checked

Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.

Check Fundraising Regulator →

Official register

Reg 1173404

Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Karishma Asher since 2022
  • Kaitlyn Beattie-Zarb since 2024
  • Lewis Parrey since 2024
  • Dominic Smithies since 2024
  • Tiffany Agbobu since 2024
  • Darcy Graham since 2025
  • Abigail Harrison since 2025
  • Aya Sarah Haidar since 2025
  • Anna Fay Lindberg-Newby since 2025
  • Samuel Frederick Dickinson since 2025
  • Dr Adam Peter Dawkins since 2025
  • Bhanu Kiran Dakkumalla since 2025
How we score charities +

The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK Charity Commission data. Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.

Full methodology →

Accountability & Transparency

Scored from filings

40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15), declared policies (10).

Financial Health

Scored from filings

30 points — reserves (15), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5).

Financial Efficiency

Scored from filings

20 points — program expense ratio (10), fundraising efficiency (10). Kept at 20% to avoid punishing legitimate infrastructure costs.

Community Support

Scored from filings

10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data.

Overall score

Sum of all pillar points. Translated to stars: 90–100 Exceptional (4★), 75–89 Good (3★), 60–74 Needs improvement (2★), below 60 Poor (1★).

Five-year trends

£0k £1800k £3600k £5400k £7200k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £4,181k Spending 2021: £3,833k Cause spend 2021: £2,571k Income 2022: £5,768k Spending 2022: £5,627k Cause spend 2022: £4,224k Income 2023: £5,771k Spending 2023: £5,933k Cause spend 2023: £4,477k Income 2024: £5,727k Spending 2024: £5,607k Cause spend 2024: £4,375k Income 2025: £6,928k Spending 2025: £6,383k Cause spend 2025: £5,328k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
87/100 (3★)
Income
£4.2m
Cause spend
79% of expenditure
Reg number
1173404
Scope
Local (york)
Reserves
2 months
Trustees
14
Accounts year
2021
Filing
up to date

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION's charity rating? +

UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION scores 87 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars — Good). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from Charity Commission filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10).

Is UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION a good charity to donate to? +

UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION scores 87 out of 100 (3 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 79% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are up to date. That reflects how transparent and financially healthy it looks on paper — it does not measure the real-world impact of its work, so treat it as one factor alongside the cause you care about. CharityCompare never tells you where to donate.

Is UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1173404. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION's Charity Commission registration number? +

UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION's registration number is 1173404. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1173404

How much income does UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION receive? +

UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION reported £4.2m total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.

What percentage of UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 79% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 21% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 21%.

Are UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION's accounts up to date? +

Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION based? +

UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION is listed at York · YO10 5DD, focused on children & youth.

How does CharityCompare score UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION? +

We analyse Charity Commission annual accounts using three-year averages for program expense, fundraising efficiency, and overhead; working capital from reserves vs average expenditure; liabilities-to-assets from the latest balance sheet when available. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons are not yet assessed from public data alone. See our methodology for weights and thresholds.

Does CharityCompare recommend donating to UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION? +

No. CharityCompare provides independent scores and facts from official filings. We do not tell you where to donate or earn commission from charities.

How can I compare UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENTS' UNION side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.