Our foundations
The earliest foundations of The University of Manchester can be traced back 200 years, but the University in its current form is very much a 21st century institution.
The University is an independent corporation which came into existence on 1 October 2004. It was established by royal charter on the dissolution of the Victoria University of Manchester and the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), both of whose rights, properties, assets and obligations were transferred to the institution by means of the University of Manchester Act (2004).
We are considered an exempt charity. As such, we are responsible to the Office for Students, which monitors our compliance with charity law obligations.