China (mainland)

Introduction

The University of Manchester is one of Britain's most famous and forward-thinking universities, with a rich heritage stretching 200 years and an exciting agenda for the future. Many major advances of the 20th century began here, including the birth of the computer, the splitting of the atom and the founding principles of modern economics.

Today, research remains at the heart of the University and the quality, breadth and volume of research activity is unparalleled in the UK, with strong collaborative links with industry and public services.

The University of Manchester is one of Britain's largest single-site universities. We have a long history of hosting visiting scholars and students from China. Manchester has a large Chinese community and, to many students, it is a 'home away from home'.

World-leading research

We are recognised as a global powerhouse of research, with 93% of the University’s research activity assessed as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ in the Research Excellence Framework 2021.

Confucius Institute

The University of Manchester is the proud home of the second Confucius Institute in the UK, a partnership between The University of Manchester, the Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban) and Beijing Normal University. The Institute received its approval from Hanban in July 2005 and was formally launched in October 2006.

In addition to providing Mandarin language teaching and teacher training, the Confucius Institute also delivers a rich programme of events to promote the understanding of Chinese culture and contemporary China.

World rankings

Using different methodologies, international rankings typically compare universities from across the globe for their research performance and academic reputation.

League tableWorldEuropeUK
QS World University Ranking 2025 34 10 6
QS World University Rankings: Europe (2024)   7  
Academic Ranking of World Universities (2024) 52 15 6
Times Higher Education (2025) 53    
Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings (2024)  2 1 1
Times Higher Education ‘Most International University’ rankings (2024) 23    
QS World University Sustainability Rankings 3 1 1