University of Manchester: What it's really like

Want to study at one of the biggest universities in the country, in an exciting, student-packed city? Manchester could be the place for you!

The University of Manchester at a glance:

Avtarnika, who’s an intern in the university’s Marketing and Recruitment team as well as a Manchester graduate, explains what it’s like to study there.

What is the University of Manchester?

The University of Manchester is located in the heart of the city of Manchester, UK. One of the biggest universities in the country, we teach over 400 courses, and have over 40,000 students here from over 160 countries, making for a diverse student body.

Why apply to Manchester?

The University of Manchester’s multicultural student body will give you the chance to meet students from all over the globe – something pretty unique to a university experience. It’s almost as if you’re travelling the world, learning so much about different countries and different people’s cultures.

Being so close to the city centre means you can take advantage of all the city’s different restaurants, malls, and Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria stations, so you can travel to the rest of the UK with ease. There’s a bus and coach station nearby too. This is especially useful for international students who want to get a feel for the rest of the UK whilst they study here.

Who isn’t the right fit for Manchester?

Sport, photography, media, veterinary science, and some medical subjects are not offered at the university currently, so you may want to apply elsewhere if you’re looking to study one of these degrees.

Our courses tend to have high entry requirements. Check the website for the degree you’re interested in, but a typical degree offer for A levels, for example, would be two As and a B. This is comparatively quite high, so do apply to universities with a range of offers if this is aspirational for you.

Any application tips? 

My top tip is research! I’d say this is the most important thing you can do as a prospective student. Admissions tutors can tell if you have researched what you’re interested in studying when they view your application.

Remember not to make assumptions based on a degree title. Take a look at the module titles, the types of assessment, and contact hours, to work out if it’s the right course for you.

What’s the location like?

The University of Manchester could be described as both a campus and a city university. It’s a campus university in the sense that all the buildings are really close to one another, so you don’t have to travel far for your lectures.

But it’s super close to the city centre, and that’s one of the biggest benefits for our students. You’ll likely be living close to both the city and uni, in a prime location at a pretty affordable price. There are useful bus routes into both the centre and the university itself.

There’s so much going on in the city. For students who enjoy live performance, the Palace Theatre, the Opera House, and the O2 Apollo are located nearby for concerts and live theatre. If you’re into sport, the Old Trafford cricket and football grounds are close by too.

What facilities does Manchester have to offer?

The University of Manchester has lots of great sports facilities on offer, including the Sugden Sports Centre, with its own fitness suite; the Manchester Aquatics Centre if you’re into swimming; and the Armitage Centre, where you can enjoy sports like basketball and football.

Students can use the Sporticipate app to participate in any sport you’d like, whether beginner or even close to professional level. Everyone is welcome.

When it comes to teaching facilities, we do offer online learning, including Blackboard, where you can access your course content, watch lecture recordings, and listen to podcasts. Different assessment types, from essays to posters, group presentations, and video essays keep studying fresh.

The University of Manchester has the biggest students’ union in the country, with lots of cafes and Manchester Academies, where you can attend concerts in your free time. There are also 400 societies run by the students’ union for you to join, from the LBGQT society, to baking, to K-pop. And even if you can’t find one for you, you can start your own society if you can get 15 other like-minded people to sign up!

What is the accommodation like?

At Manchester, all first-year students are guaranteed university accommodation. We have 8,000 rooms across 23 halls, with lots of options like ensuite or shared bathrooms; catered and non-catered dining; and mixed or same-sex flats.

After your first year, you can apply to stay in halls, but most students choose to rent privately and live close to the university with friends. There are around 100,000 students across the city of Manchester, so there are lots of private and university-owned options; you won’t struggle to find a place that suits you.

Because there are also so many bus routes across the city, nowhere in Manchester is too far away from the university – you won’t have any problem travelling here.

How does the university meet the needs of students with different accessibility requirements?

For students who use wheelchairs, most buildings on-campus have wheelchair access entrances and elevators. You can also use a website called Disabled Go to find wheelchair routes across the campus.

We also offer a range of financial support for students in financial need, including bursaries.

When it comes to equipment, we have magnification and screen reading software for blind and visually impaired students, as well as readback software to help with reading back text, for dyslexic students. There’s also a mind mapping software to help students structure their work too.

Ergonomic equipment including specialist chairs, desks, computer mice, and keyboards are available too. Register with the disability advisory and support service to find out more.

Want to explore more UK universities? Remember, Unifrog’s Shortlisting tool can help you put together a list of great potential courses.