University of Manchester

Overview

Situated in the northwest of England, the University of Manchester is one of the UK’s largest single-site universities and it’s committed to world-class research.

The city of Manchester is one of the most exciting in the UK, with a lively nightlife and historic music legacy. Numerous world-famous music acts began life in Manchester, including the Smiths, Stone Roses, Joy Division, the Chemical Brothers and of course Oasis.

It’s also an incredibly relevant sporting city, home to two of the world’s biggest football clubs, Manchester United and City. Additionally, it’s the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and the home of the world’s longest-running soap opera, Coronation Street. What we’re saying is that Manchester is a culturally relevant city and a great place to be a student.

As the uni campus is right in the heart of the city, students have prime access to everything on offer, as well as being nice and close to university facilities.

The university in its present form was created in 2004 by combining the Victoria University of Manchester and the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST). The two institutions had worked together for hundreds of years and eventually decided to merge to form a single university.

Over the years, the two institutions have produced 25 Nobel prize winners, including Ernest Rutherford. Other famous alumni include Brian Cox, Ben Elton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rik Mayall and Jack Whitehall.

The University of Manchester has one of the largest selections of undergraduate courses on offer in the UK. Therefore, you can choose from a range of degree subjects, from the arts, social sciences and humanities to medicine, engineering and everything in between.

The course you choose will determine how long you’re studying for at Manchester. Some degree programmes take three years to study, but several courses include placement years, study abroad options or an integrated master’s year. These options increase the length of the course and usually mean you’ll be studying for four or five years.

Most degrees include optional modules, as well as core modules, meaning you can study the degree topics you’re most interested in.

It's also often possible to combine two or three subjects within an undergraduate degree in what’s called a combined honours degree. For example, it’s fairly common to study a humanities course, like history, alongside a language, such as French or Spanish.

Places are competitive at the University of Manchester and, in general, strong exam results are needed to be offered a place. Applicants for all courses must show a broad general education and have acceptable levels of numeracy and literacy, evidenced by at least grade C or 4 in GCSE maths and English (or an equivalent qualification).

Each course has specific entry requirements, which can be found on the uni’s website. Compulsory subject requirements may also apply, meaning applicants need to have studied specific subjects at A-level (or equivalent).

A variety of qualifications are accepted, including A-levels, BTEC Nationals, Cambridge Pre-U qualifications and the International Baccalaureate.

In general, to get onto a business or accounting-related degree, applicants need A-levels ranging from A*AA–ABB (or equivalent). A similar grade range is needed to be offered a place on a science-based course.

To get a place on an engineering degree, you’ll likely need A-levels of A*AA–AAB (or equivalent) and for a degree in the humanities, A-level entry requirements are usually AAA–ABB. To study for a degree in the arts you’ll need AAB–ABB (or equivalent).

The University of Manchester offers a wide range of student accommodation that caters for most undergraduate’s needs and budgets. It has traditional and modern accommodation, both with catered and self-catered options.

All full-time new undergraduates are guaranteed a place in university accommodation, provided they are joining the university on a single basis, are studying their first degree, have met the conditions of their offer and have applied for accommodation before the deadline.

Many halls of residence are based in the city centre, meaning students who live there are close to the university campus. It takes roughly ten minutes to walk from one end of the campus to the other and a bus route operates as well.

Situated between the city and the suburb of Fallowfield is Victoria Park, which is home to seven halls. This leafy area is only a 15-minute walk from the university and there are frequent buses. Next to Victoria Park is Rusholme, which is famous for its Curry Mile.

Fallowfield is another area with numerous halls of residence. The vibrant suburb is a mix of students and locals, around 2.5km south of the campus.

The University of Manchester has a careers service that helps students explore different sectors and jobs, find work experience and make successful job applications.

The service has various resources that will help you decide what kind of job or sector you want to move into once you’ve graduated. For example, their prospects planner produces a report on your best job matches, based on a set of questions and answers.

The careers service is also proactive in helping students and graduates find work experience opportunities, internships, volunteering projects and jobs. Various resources will help you search for and find relevant opportunities for you.

You’ll also find help and support for writing CVs and job applications, as well as preparing for interviews, psychometric tests and assessment centres. Organised events and sessions, such as careers fairs and employer presentations, also provide a good chance to learn more about industry sectors and meet people who are already employed.

Manchester has several scholarships and bursaries available for students who meet the required eligibility criteria. For the 2021/22 academic year, scholarships and bursaries included the Manchester Bursary, the Foundation Year Bursary, the Undergraduate Access Scholarship and the Study Abroad/Placement Year Support Package.

Financial support is available to eligible students from any degree course through the Manchester Bursary. This bursary pays £2,000 each year to eligible students who come from a household income of up to £25,000 a year and £1,000 each year to eligible students who come from a household income of between £25,001 and £35,000 a year.

The Foundation Year Bursary is worth up to £4,000 a year and is available to students who meet the criteria and are registered on an undergraduate foundation year.

As you might expect, the Study Abroad/Placement Year Support Package is for eligible students who choose to study abroad as part of their course and is worth up to £2,000 a year.

You can find more information about the available scholarships and bursaries, and their eligibility criteria, on the University of Manchester’s website.