University of Manchester

Andy Burnham has set up residence at No 10 North at least once a week, and record numbers of students also want to base themselves in Manchester, where the main university balances academic gravitas with a hard-to-beat social scene. 

Demand for places is at record levels: Manchester attracted nearly 100,000 applications for 2025 entry, and almost 10,800 undergraduates were accepted onto courses. It is also the most targeted university by top employers, according to the Graduate Market in 2026 report by High Fliers — an accolade prized more highly than ever in an increasingly competitive market. 

Every undergraduate at the University of Manchester must undertake a work placement in the summer term after exams, under an initiative spearheaded by its vice-chancellor, Duncan Ivison. “No student should graduate having done solely three years of academia”, he said, when announcing academic courses would mimic vocational degrees such as teacher or medical training. 

It is also pioneering a shift away from lectures towards collaborative teaching spaces in which students can make sense of course content together — supported by campus upgrades such as the renovated teaching and study areas, podcasting studios, and VR experience pods at Booth Street East. Fittingly for the university where “the father of modern computing” Alan Turing worked after his codebreaking stint at Bletchley Park in the Second World War, Manchester became the first university in the world to provide the AI tool Microsoft 365 Copilot to all students and staff.

Need to know

Category

Result

Rank

Entry standards (Ucas points)

159

19=

Teaching quality

82.5%

124

Student experience

81.9%

85

Research quality

64.4%

7

First and 2:1s

86.8%

13

Continuation rate

96.5%

21=

Graduate prospects

74.7%

44=

People & Planet

59.8%

33=

How much it costs

UK fees

£10,050

Fees (placement year)

£1,955

Fees (overseas year)

£1,465

Fees (international)

£33,100-£39,900

Fees (international, medical)

£39,900-£60,900

Places in accommodation

8,140

Rent per week

£121-£222

Rent for catered accommodation per week

£178-£246

Social inclusion index

Social inclusion ranking

87

State school (non-grammar) admissions

71%

Grammar school admissions

12.5%

Independent school admissions

16.4%

Ethnic minority students

40.9%

Black awarding gap

-11.4%

White working-class males

2.1%

First-generation students

28.2%

Low-participation areas

10.5%

Low-participation areas dropout

-1.3%

Mature students

4.7%

Overseas students

41%

Disabled students

24.7%

Student satisfaction with teaching quality

Accounting and finance

84.9%

Aeronautical and manufacturing engineering

81.1%

Anatomy and physiology

82.8%

Animal science

79.4%

Anthropology

87.5%

Art and design

87.2%

Biological sciences

83.4%

Biomedical Sciences

86.8%

Business, management and marketing

81.3%

Chemical engineering

84.7%

Chemistry

83.4%

Civil engineering

81.2%

Classics and ancient history

90.8%

Computer science

80.1%

Criminology

81%

Cultural Studies

88.5%

Dentistry

66.6%

Drama, dance and cinematics

88.8%

Economics

79.2%

Education

91.1%

Electrical and electronic engineering

83.2%

English

84.9%

French

86.8%

Geography and environmental science

83.7%

Geology

88.7%

German

86.8%

History

84.5%

History of art, architecture and design

84.8%

Iberian languages

84.6%

Italian

87.3%

Land and property management

81.9%

Law

79.4%

Liberal arts

83.6%

Linguistics

80.6%

Materials technology

80.5%

Mathematics

84.2%

Mechanical engineering

80.1%

Medicine

78.4%

Music

84.7%

Nursing

87%

Pharmacology and pharmacy

82.2%

Philosophy

82.3%

Physics and astronomy

79.5%

Politics and international relations

83%

Psychology

81.5%

Russian and eastern European languages

97.5%

Sociology

81%

Theology and religious studies

87.9%

Town and country planning and landscape

84.8%

What is the University of Manchester’s academic reputation?

It was founded in 1824 as England’s first civic university and in 2004 merged with the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology to create a research powerhouse ranked joint 40th in the world in the 2027 QS list. A member of the Russell Group of research-led universities, Manchester received a £17.4 million increase in funding by Research England for 2022-23, the biggest rise after the University of Oxford and Imperial College London. In the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), 93 per cent of the university’s research was rated world-leading or internationally excellent, placing Manchester seventh in our research quality index.

The university gained a silver rating overall in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023). Manchester has educated or employed influential individuals across two centuries, from the suffragette Christabel Pankhurst and the presenter Brian Cox, a professor of particle physics in the university’s School of Physics and Astronomy, to the comedians Joe Lycett and Jack Whitehall and the actor Benedict Cumberbatch. 

Student satisfaction has historically been low — a common sticking point among research-intensive urban universities — holding Manchester back in our main ranking. Yet signs of progress are emerging: it climbed nine places for wider student experience to 85th. While student feedback on teaching quality slipped back into the bottom ten (124th) following last year's gains, developments like the Cosy Campus initiative adding welcoming, home-style retreats across one of Britain’s largest universities aim to sustain student morale. 

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What are the University of Manchester’s entry requirements — and my chances of getting in?

Entry ranges from A*A*A to BCC, while contextual offers and widening participation schemes may reduce requirements by one to two grades. Demand for places is at record levels: Manchester attracted nearly 100,000 applications for 2025 entry, and almost 10,800 new undergraduates were accepted onto courses. 

What are the graduate prospects and how will the university help me get career-ready?

The university runs numerous initiatives to boost employability, including paid research internships. But despite its popularity with top employers, it ranks only 44th in our analysis of the national Graduate Outcomes survey, based on 75 per cent of leavers being employed in highly skilled jobs or postgraduate study when surveyed 15 months after graduating. 

What is the University of Manchester’s campus like?

The university’s architecture reflects its rich history, from the original Queen’s Arch to the fruits of a £1 billion masterplan, including the £400 million Manchester Engineering Campus, the Henry Royce Institute for advanced materials, and the redeveloped Paterson building for cancer research. The Drum at University Place has a large lecture theatre and rooms for discussion groups, alongside the Alan Gilbert Learning Commons — a popular study centre open 24/7 during term time. The Booth Street East refurbishment has created Manchester’s first zero emissions academic building. 

The university has international centres in Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Singapore. 

When can I visit?

manchester.ac.uk

Everything you need to know about the University of Manchester’s student life

The Aquatics Centre reopened in 2024 with two 50m pools and diving springboards. It has strength, cardio and gym spaces as well as a jacuzzi and steam room. There are indoor and outdoor facilities at the Armitage Sports Centre, a 30-minute walk from campus, including a recently upgraded sports hall, squash courts, floodlit five-a-side football pitches, and six grass pitches. 

Students can book one-to-one specialist mental health appointments, psychoeducational workshops and therapy groups. Cosy Campus spaces have popped up around the university, with home comforts including kitchenettes, wellbeing rooms and bookable study spaces.

Students have easy access to some cultural gems: the university’s Whitworth Art Gallery is five minutes from campus and houses a collection of 60,000 pieces, and the John Rylands Institute and Library houses special collections in a historic setting. The university also has a museum, concert hall and theatre. 

There is a real buzz about the city, with 100,000 students across different institutions. To the south of the city centre, Fallowfield and Withington are the key addresses.

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What do the students say?

“Manchester is such a diverse and exciting place to study, and there’s always events, nights out and activities going on, both on campus and around Manchester itself. I joined the radio society, and I've learnt a lot of new skills, made friends, and explored career paths in media and broadcasting. I also meet regularly with my academic adviser and this consistent support has helped me adapt to university life.”
Alex, BA philosophy

What about student accommodation at the University of Manchester?

The university owns and operates almost 8,700 rooms. All full-time first-years who apply by the end of August are guaranteed a space — providing late applicants with peace of mind. For those living off campus, prices begin at about £140 a week without bills.

How diverse and inclusive is the University of Manchester?

Manchester is 87th in our social inclusion index overall, third among its Russell Group peers in England and Wales. It ranks 48= for students from ethnic minority backgrounds, with 40.9 per cent, but its selective school contingent is relatively high at 71 per cent (97th).

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What financial assistance is available?

Financial aid includes specific subject scholarships. The Manchester bursary contributes £1,300 for those with a household income below £35,000, and £2,600 for those with less than £25,000 coming in. Further support (up to £10,000) is available to students who have left care or who are estranged from their families. The Cowrie Foundation and the Bason Family partnership scholarships support black British students from socially disadvantaged backgrounds by funding tuition fees and supplying £6,000 maintenance support per year of study.