A college affiliation is an association between an undergraduate student and the college they are initially assigned to when they enter York. This assignment is based on the student’s faculty (academic unit) and program (academic) or their student residence if they live on campus in their first year.

A student may change their college affiliation after new student orientation if they wish.

York University has eight faculty-affiliated colleges on the Keele Campus. The colleges include: Bethune College, Calumet College, Founders College, McLaughlin College, New College, Stong College, Vanier College and the Winters College. These colleges were created with the following goals:

• To provide meaningful communities for students and enhance the student experience for both residential and commuter students, by providing an environment in which students have access to faculty and staff who can assist them with problems and provide academic and personal guidance.

• To provide a focus for interdisciplinary interaction among faculty in support of their teaching and research.

In addition to the colleges mentioned above, there is a ninth college which also operates as a complete faculty: Glendon College. Glendon College is a separate full-service, bilingual, liberal arts campus located near Lawrence Avenue and Bayview.