University of Manchester, UK

Reconstituted in 2004 by merging the Victoria University of Manchester and UMIST, the University of Manchester, UK has an enviable reputation for teaching and research

With an enrollment of 35,655 students reading over 500 academic programmes, the University of Manchester, UK is celebrated as Britain’s largest single-site university. In 2006 the university received more applications (63,000) for undergraduate study than any other British university. Reconstituted in October 2004 by merging the Victoria University of Manchester and University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), the combined University of Manchester, UK has an enviable reputation for excellence in teaching and research. In 2005 it was awarded the University of the Year prize by the Times Higher Education Supplement and in 2006 by the Sunday Times. The 2005 survey of the world’s best universities by the Institute of Higher Education of Shanghai’s Jiao Tong University, China, ranked Manchester the 5th best university in the UK, 9th in Europe and 50th worldwide.

In 2005-06 University of Manchester, UK received £260 million (Rs.2,210 crore) from external sources for R&D activities. Little wonder that its annual research income of £191.5 million is the fifth largest of any university in the country. Moreover with an annual income of £590 million (Rs.5,015 crore), it is Britain’s only half billion pound university. 

“We believe that teaching and research should be at the heart of the university experience. The most highly prized degrees are those obtained in universities where students learn from scholars who are not only dedicated teachers, but also active researchers in their chosen fields,” says Alan Gilbert, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Manchester. Prof. Gilbert is leading a bold and exciting plan — the Manchester 2015 Agenda — which aims to vault Manchester U into the league of the world’s top 25 universities.

Manchester. An hour from Britain’s showpiece Lake District and two hours by train from London, Manchester (pop.2.5 million) is a centre of the arts, media, higher education and commerce, and is often described as the capital of northern Britain. Manchester is historically notable for having been the world’s first industrial city and for the central role it played during the industrial revolution. Today it is a bustling cosmopolis hosting people from numerous nationalities and cultures.

For those who believe that there’s more to the academic experience than study, Manchester is another city by night. It is replete with innumerable restaurants offering a wide range of cuisines, cinemas, music, clubs, and pubs. The climate in Manchester is damp and rainy with temperatures ranging between 1oC in winter to 19oC in summer.

Campus facilities. Situated in the heart of Manchester, the campus of the eponymous university is a mix of traditional Victorian buildings and modern architecture set amidst landscaped lawns and gardens. The campus is a mini-metropolis offering almost everything a student needs — lecture theatres, laboratories, computing facilities, welfare services, restaurants, cafes, bars, supermarkets and a shopping centre.

Study facilities include the John Rylands Library with its 3.5 million volumes; the world-famous Jordell Bank Observatory; a brand new music and drama building with a captive 350-seater concert hall and state-of-the-art biomedical laboratories. The campus also offers cultural attractions in the shape of the internationally renowned Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester Museum and Contact Theatre.

Sports facilities on campus include the Manchester Aquatics Centre with its state-of-the-art 50 m main swimming pool and 50 m training pool; the Sugden Sports Centre which houses a double size sports hall and large fitness studio; Armitage Centre which has facilities for five-a-side football, badminton, squash, martial arts and weight-lifting. Moreover the university also offers several football, rugby and cricket grounds.

Admission. All admission applications for full-time study programmes in British universities, including the University of Manchester, UK, are coordinated by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). A list of degree programmes can be found in the UCAS directory, available in all British Council offices in India. The university code for Manchester is M20 MANU. For entry in autumn 2008, students can begin to apply from September 1, 2007. The closing date for receipt of applications is January 15, 2008.

The minimum eligibility criterion for admission is successful completion of Plus Two. Additionally, overseas students whose mother tongue is not English have to show evidence of English language ability. An IELTS score of 6 or above or a TOEFL score of 550 is required as a minimum, although many departments ask for higher scores. For further information contact the International Development Office, Rutherford Building, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, UK M13 9PL; Tel: +44 (0)161 275 2196; e-mail: international@manchester. ac.uk; website: www.manchester.ac.uk.

Accommodation. University of  Manchester, UK offers a wide range of residential accommodation options, ranging from modern self-catering flats to traditional collegiate-style halls of residence. According to a university spokes-person, there are more spaces in university managed accommodation here than in any other British university. Most of the housing is either on campus, in the nearby suburb of Victoria Park or a mile away in Fallowfield. These neighbourhoods are chock-a-block with bars and shops catering specifically to the student community. The cost of campus housing varies between £57-£91 per week.

Degree programmes. The university offers over 500 programmes across the faculties of medical and human sciences, engineering and physical sciences, life sciences and humanities (see box).

Summiya Yasmeen