Lancaster University bans applicants from York students due to longstanding Roses rivalry

Lancaster University has announced a blanket ban from applicants based in the Yorkshire area due to concern that “infiltration of York ideology” will have a negative effect on the university’s sporting performance.

The ban, which will be implemented on Results’ Day 2026, comes following a longstanding rivalry between Lancaster University and York University in the annual Roses Tournament that takes place in May.

The applicant ban will not affect the ongoing Roses competition in years to come as the Lancaster University reasserted the importance of the event in “boosting morale and the amount of money gained from campus parking.”

Lancaster has been known for its recent dominance in the Roses competition, which takes place every May with Lancaster winning the last four competitions.

This Lancaster domination is not unheard of historically, as the tournament pay homage to the War of the Roses, a conflict in which the Lancastrian-aligned Henry VII claimed victory, and a defeat that York is determined to relive annually.

Fran Boleyn, a current history professor at Lancaster, argued: “Nothing has changed since the famous battle. York is still weak and we cannot allow loser-mentality in our fine institution.”

The announcement was made to students of Lancaster University via email, in which the Senior Sporting Excellence Officer called the decision “a necessary sacrifice to protect the Lancaster community from the nasty York lot”.

The leaked email explained: “The York application policy is instrumental in our mission to build strong communities and win all sporting competitions.

Most Read

Leaked emails show Brook sent MAFS Australia a cease-and-desist after *that* dinner party

As Love Is Blind groom gets 15 years for trying to murder his show bride, here’s his apology

‘I’d end up on the no-fly list’: Choir goes viral for ‘nightmare’ behaviour on delayed flight

“As a university committed to fostering a culture of winners, we recognise our duty of care to student sporting success. In line with this, we have taken the considered step of minimising unnecessary contact with individuals from Yorkshire, ensuring our campus remains a safe, supportive, and distinctly Lancaster environment.”

The email expressed “regret” over the “financial shortfalls” of banning York applicants, but said it is “a sacrifice we are willing to make.”

Lancaster University Students’ Union President, Henry Rudor released a statement in support of the ban, saying it was a “necessary step to preserve the integrity of the Roses tradition” and compared letting York students into the university to a “fox into the hen house”.

Henry finished by saying: “This decision ensures Lancaster remains a safe space for superior sporting opinions.”

The ban has been met with resistance from University of York, who said the ban somehow is an act of “regional discrimination” and accused Lancaster of blocking York students from actually attending a top ten UK university with a good campus design.

However, Lancaster University still maintained: “The policy is a proportionate and carefully considered response to several centuries of competitive tension and Lancaster supremacy. We trust that the University of York will continue to engage in Roses annually, with predictably disappointing outcomes.”

You should probably check the date, you April fools!

For more of the latest news, guides, gossip, and memes, follow The Lancaster Tab on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Featured image (rose with edits made to original) via Sodacan on Wikimedia Commons