The University of Manchester is a place where research has international impact, where students experience outstanding teaching and learning, and where all activity is enriched by a commitment to social responsibility and the benefits we bring to society and the environment.
We were the first British university to set social responsibility as a core goal and our commitment to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) is unmatched. We're the only university in the world to rank in the top ten for social and environmental impact in every year of the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings. In 2024, we ranked first in the UK and Europe and second in the world against 2,152 universities from 125 countries that submitted data about how they are addressing the most pressing challenges facing our planet.
200 years of making a difference
Manchester was the first and most eminent of England’s civic universities. In 2024, we’re celebrating our bicentenary: 200 years of education and innovation. This milestone anniversary is a chance to reflect on our rich heritage of discovery, social change and pioneering spirit, which remains at the heart of all we do. Today, we’re a truly international university – our community includes more than 44,000 students, 13,000 staff and 500,000 alumni from 190 countries.
Our flagship bicentenary celebrations have included a four-day festival, Universally Manchester, and hosting the prestigious THE World Academic Summit, welcoming more than 500 delegates from across the globe to explore our theme: ‘Making a difference: The purpose of universities in a rapidly changing world’.
Research and innovation with impact
Ground-breaking research runs throughout our history and 25 Nobel laureates have studied or worked with us. This includes current members of academic staff, Professors Sir Kostya Novoselov and Sir Andre Geim, who shared the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics for the isolation of graphene’s properties.
Other pioneering discoveries include the work of Tom Kilburn, Freddie Williams and Alan Turing on the modern computer – the first stored-program was run at Manchester – and the development of modern economics by trailblazers Sir John Richard Hicks and Sir William Arthur Lewis. The latter, on his appointment at Manchester, was Britain’s first Black professor. Manchester also led the way with the appointment of Baroness Jean McFarlane as the first Professor of Nursing in England. McFarlane, a pioneer within the field of healthcare, established the country’s first nursing degree.
Today, nearly half of our academic and research staff work on interdisciplinary research. Our five research beacons – advanced materials, biotechnology, cancer, energy and global inequalities – are examples of how our cross-sector partnerships are helping to find unique solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges.
Our place as one of the UK’s top research universities was confirmed in the results of the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. 93% of our research activity was judged to be ‘world-leading’ (4*) or ‘internationally excellent’ (3*), and we were ranked fifth in terms of research power. We submitted one of the largest and broadest submissions in the sector, involving 2,249 researchers (600 more than the last REF in 2014).
Through our Innovation Factory, we invest in the commercialisation of research via spin-out companies and partnerships with industry. These commercialisation activities have contributed £868 million to the UK economy since 2004 and we’re ranked 8th in the Reuters Top 100 Most Innovative Universities in Europe (2019). We have a host of innovation initiatives designed to engage students, staff and local communities with the potential of research at Manchester. These include the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre and ID Manchester, a new billion-pound innovation district being developed in the heart of Manchester, alongside the University.
Studying here
Our student community is one of the largest and most diverse in the UK, with more than a quarter of our 44,000 students joining us from overseas.
World-class research forms the foundation of all our teaching and we offer more than 1,000 degree programmes across undergraduate, postgraduate taught and research. These programmes inspire learners with challenging ideas, knowledge and wisdom, helping them develop the skills employers need most and result in the University consistently ranking as one of the most targeted universities by the UK’s top 100 recruiters (High Fliers Research).
We’re committed to enhancing the quality of our learning experience and growing global access to a Manchester education. We’re making a multi-million pound investment in flexible, blended learning to create a more inclusive and international environment for learners of all ages and backgrounds. We have four global centres – in Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore – offering a growing range of online and blended learning courses that combine face-to-face and digital activities.
Our city-centre campus is at the heart of one of the UK’s most welcoming and diverse places, with up to 200 languages spoken. Manchester is also one of Britain’s most celebrated cities – judged to be the top UK city to live in for 2022 (the Economist’s Global Liveability Index).
Social responsibility
The University is ideally placed to address many of the world’s major social and environmental challenges. Our interdisciplinary teams are continually collaborating and evolving their research to find solutions to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and we are the only university in the world to have ranked in the top ten in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings for six years running.
As a civic university, Manchester contributes to the expansion of educational, social, and cultural opportunities in the city and beyond. We invest more than £15 million annually in financial support for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. More than 1,300 of our staff and alumni – more than at any other university – have volunteered their time and skills as school governors at local state schools.
The University runs four world-leading cultural institutions across our region – Manchester Museum, the Whitworth, the Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and John Rylands Research Institute and Library – which engage over a million members of the public with our knowledge and collections each year.
Our students are inspired to go beyond their studies to contribute to positive change, improving their lives and those of others. We encourage all our students to participate in Stellify, a programme of transformative activities designed to help students grow and develop into the leaders of tomorrow. Activities include taking on ethical grand challenges relating to equality, sustainability and social justice, making a difference through community volunteering and developing key skills through leadership roles or work experience. Students can even choose to work towards gaining a prestigious University award.
