Many may not realise that Manchester’s 2 most popular universities, the University of Manchester (UoM) and Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), have existed for well over hundreds (yes, hundreds!) of years, which is impressive in itself – but when you add the sheer number of courses taught by experts in their field, and some of the top-drawer student accommodation available throughout the city, it’s no wonder Manchester welcomes over 100,000 students every year, with most of them staying beyond that! Now, we may be a little biased, but we think Manchester is the best city in the world to study in thanks to its rich history, amazing student attractions, and downright lovely people – which all come together to give you the best recipe for your time at University.

A brief history

So, throwing it all the way back; the first school of MMU was founded in 1824, and then named the Institute of Mechanics. This was soon followed by additional schools in the coming years, dedicated to Design, Education, Domestic Science, and Commerce, and the university pretty much stayed this way until the early 1990s. However, in 1996, Her Majesty the Queen officially opened the new Geoffrey Manton building which housed additional subjects such as humanities, languages, and social sciences, which then opened the university to many more students across a variety of disciplines that began to come and study in the city. A couple of years later in 1998, the Manchester Writing School was born, which was followed closely by the introduction of the Manchester International Festival, and Manchester’s international reputation for the arts and humanities was staked in the ground.

Home to over 35,000 students, MMU has in recent years celebrated an award-winning environmentally sustainable business school and student hub, a new campus for education and health, over 175 years of the School of Art, and in 2018 commitment of £400m to develop the buildings, facilities, and public spaces throughout the University.

The University of Manchester began in a very similar way, in that there were a couple of schools that then were incorporated to form the institution as we know it. In 1851 the Victoria University of Manchester was founded from Owens College and twenty years later, the Royal School of Medicine and Surgery joined the University. It was at this point, that professors began looking to German universities for inspiration, and decided that imparting knowledge was all well and good, but the creation of knowledge (aka research) was a fundamental process, and so began their emphasis on research which is still a key factor in the university’s ethos today.

Over the next hundred years, the college expanded into various different sectors and opened multiple campuses’ across the city, acquiring facilities such as the John Rylands Research Institute and Library that is still standing, and remains loved by Mancs and tourists alike – we 100% recommend giving it a visit!

Down to the Nitty Gritty…How Do You Apply?

If you’re receiving results next week then firstly, we’re sending all of the good luck vibes your way! However, if those grades aren’t what you’d hoped for then never fear, clearing is here. In case you’re not familiar, clearing is the process universities use to fill the spaces they have remaining on courses after making their initial offers earlier in the year. So, there is nothing to say you still can’t enrol on your dream course; just stay calm and contact the universities directly.

You can head over to either the UoM clearing page or the MMU clearing page to find your dream course, see if they have spaces available, and get on the phone to the admissions office, pronto. They will tell you if you’re eligible to attend the course as planned, and if not, you can browse through a whole list of courses with places available on UCAS Track (and trust us, there’s plenty!)

We would love to hear from you whether you’re a fresher or a current student this year – what are you looking forward to? Where are you staying? (With us at Manchester Apartments we hope…) And what course will you be studying? Let us know!

Again, we’re all wishing massive good luck and congratulations to you all for results day, and after the past year we’ve all had, getting into uni is no mean feat so don’t be too hard on yourselves.