General entry requirements

The University of Manchester is dedicated to providing quality higher education to students of outstanding achievement and potential from all educational backgrounds. We are committed to a fair and transparent admissions system to identify and attract the very best students to Manchester.

Strong examination results are the main factor in the admission of students to our courses and the University accepts a wide range of qualifications.

In addition to this, we can also consider other information to ensure we admit students with the most outstanding potential. This is assessed within a structured framework and includes prior and predicted grades; evidence of knowledge and commitment in your personal statement; and teacher references. Some courses may also take into account performance at interview, aptitude tests and portfolios. Where this applies it will be stated within the course profile.

We may also consider any exceptional circumstances or personal barriers to learning that you have faced. These can be flagged up using contextual data and this allows us to build up a full and rounded view of applicants.

All admissions decisions are made within individual academic Schools. Admissions staff for individual courses reserve the right to judge the relevance and acceptability of any qualification or individual subject. Where any UK qualifications or subjects are less favoured, this will be made clear within the published selection criteria against individual courses.

You should therefore check the specific entry requirements for the course you are interested in. Every course has a dedicated web page containing entry requirements as well as other useful information.

The qualifications we accept are periodically subject to review, although we are committed to maintaining consistent entry requirements during an admissions cycle.