A YOUNG woman who died tragically during the second year of her studies is to be honoured by her university – with a posthumous degree.

Megan Roberts was in her second year of a fine arts degree at York St John University when she disappeared after a night out in the city with friends in January 2014.

She had fallen in the River Ouse and despite a huge search it was six weeks later before her body was found downstream at Acaster Malbis.

She was just 20-years-old and since her death, Megan’s mother Jackie Roberts has become an ambassador for the Royal Lifesavers Society and supported local charity the York Rescue Boat, in ongoing campaigns to prevent future tragedies in the city's rivers

And now it has been announced she will be receiving Megan's posthumous degree from the university at a graduation service at York Minster in November.

"I'm very emotional about it,” said Jackie.

“When I got the call as soon as they started talking it was like I knew what they were going to say, it was very emotional but the whole family are really pleased with it."

Jackie said her daughter had really enjoyed her time at the university, and had already planned how to use her degree to establish a career.

“Megan wanted to take her fine art studies further and tune it in with psychology and become an art therapist. That's what she decided she was going to do.

“She had just started getting her head around where she was going to go with it, and she was very good at understanding people."

She added: "It's really nice positive thing and way to remember Megan as a person and who she was not just someone who was involved in this awful tragedy. I'm thrilled by it. It's a really nice tribute to one of their students.”

November's ceremony will not be the first Jackie has been to this year, but would mean the most to her.

"I went to one of her best friends' graduations earlier this year, because she very kindly invited me because I wouldn't be having one for Megan, which made that up a bit for me,” she said.

"I wanted to go to this one anyway to see some of Megan's friends graduate. It's going to be emotional day for a lot of people for their own degree but also remembering Megan."