Manchester
The first of Britain’s great modern cities, Manchester is a true original; a confident, creative, contemporary city that likes to do things differently.
A city that's proud to do things differently
Manchester's unique character owes much to its pioneering past. The city was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution, when wealth from textile mills and factories helped develop Manchester and establish the University’s predecessor institutions, which in turn opened the doors of education to the British working classes.
A revolutionary and progressive spirit infuses the history of both city and University. For the city, it led to new political thinking; the Chartist, trade union and suffragette movements can all trace their roots back to Manchester. For the University, it led to ground-breaking innovation in science and engineering that continues to this day, as Manchester gave the world atomic power, the first stored-program computers and the world’s strongest material, graphene.
The city has an international sporting pedigree and one of the richest and most influential arts and music scenes. There are world-class events, venues and attractions to suit every lifestyle, with a lively, culturally diverse city centre that’s easy to enjoy on a student budget.
A celebrated place to live and work
The city has been named as one of the world's must-visit travel destinations by Lonely Planet, one of the UK’s most liveable cities by The Economist, one of the ten friendliest cities in the world by Rough Guides and in 2024, Manchester was named the 12th best place in the world to go by The New York Times. In 2016 Manchester was also honoured as the European City of Science.
With a reputation for setting the pace in sport, culture and industry, Manchester has twice been voted the UK's second city by the British public.
We're part of the Oxford Road Corridor, Manchester’s world-class knowledge quarter that transforms lives through research, innovation, skills and education. Stretching out south from St Peter’s Square in Manchester city centre, the Oxford Road Corridor is a unique concentration of knowledge, business and culture. Visitors will find many of Manchester’s iconic music venues, auditoriums and exhibition spaces based within the knowledge quarter alongside a thriving nightlife and an abundance of cafés, restaurants and bars.