The University of Manchester's 2025 News Highlights

As 2025 draws to a close, we have the opportunity to look back on what has been an incredible year for The University of Manchester. In every area, there's something to be proud of - and to shout about! Across all of our faculties – Science and Engineering; Biology, Medicine, and Health; and Humanities, there are stories of ground-breaking research and exciting insight. Follow the links to read about them all, read on below to see our university highlights – here’s to a great year at UoM!

January

January brought the fresh start of a new year to the University, and what better way to start off 2025 than with the University of Manchester being ranked in the top 100 globally across ALL of our subject areas? In this month of resolutions, we also joined forces with healthcare provider Bupa, to bring about change on the environmental impacts of the healthcare industry.

February

The second month of 2025 saw the University placed in the top 50 of the Times Higher Education Reputation Rankings, along with the news that an economic impact report had found UoM to be an economic and social powerhouse, generating £5.95 in productivity benefits for the UK, for every £1 spent on research activities. We also took some trips abroad, with President and Vice-Chancellor Duncan Ivison strengthening ties in Asia on a visit to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, and launching  our new Africa Strategy, with a visit to our partners in Kenya.

March

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The University of Manchester again looked overseas in March, establishing a new partnership with the University of Texas, as Manchester and Austin became sister cities. Closer to home, Mayor Andy Burnham made a visit to campus, to discuss the future of devolution across Greater Manchester

April

As spring came to campus in April, we celebrated the news that five of our experts had been made Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences; we also were ranked in the top 5 of universities for spinout generation, highlighting our commitment to translating our research into real-world benefit.

May

May was a big month for Manchester Museum, as it was named European Museum of the Year, balancing globally-impactful academic research with community engagement and social responsibility. The University also launched its partnership with the Bank of England, to improve access to economics in schools.

June

As we retained our leading global position in the QS Rankings, June was also an exciting month for fans of Manchester City, with manager Pep Guardiola coming to the Whitworth Hall to receive an honorary doctorate degree from the University – hear about it in Pep’s words, here. As well as announcing our partnership with the University of Cambridge -committed to accelerating inclusive growth and innovation collaboration - we also launched Unit M, our specialist function working to tackle productivity challenges and boost regional growth throughout Greater Manchester.

July

In July, we took Professor Brian Cox out into Oldham to inspire some of Manchester’s future scientists, and saw the release of new book, ‘Building Towards the Bicentenary: A Campus History of the University of Manchester 1824-2024’, looking back across our fascinating 200-year history. A month of celebration, of course, for our graduates, as the bright July sun is blotted out in the Old Quad by tossed mortarboard hats! Here’s what a few of them said they’d miss most about Manchester!

August

Although most of our 44,000 strong student community were enjoying their summer breaks, there was a lot going on – this month saw a flurry of prestigious teaching awards bestowed on University staff as well as more good news in the University rankings, and a legacy pledge to establish medical and musical bursaries.

September

As we welcomed a new cohort of students to Manchester, as well as those returning, we also welcomed the news that we had ranked second in the UK for graduate employer interest, and were amongst the top for research partnerships in the Knowledge Exchange Framework. We enjoyed a very busy Welcome Week with our ‘freshers’ and campus was buzzing – like us!

October

Autumn – and as the leaves turn brown in the Old Quad, we look back at the 75 years since Alan Turing developed his Turing Test, and how we are still leading the way in AI research and innovation; our accreditations for supporting care experienced and sanctuary-seeking students were also renewed. Of course, we also launched our ‘From Manchester for the world’ 2035 strategy for the coming decade, focusing the foundations and leaps that will make us a great 21st century university. 

November

November brought collaboration, with the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan announcing an agreement on education discounts to graduates, meaning graduates can relocate their studies on Oxford Road, for less! November also saw the launch of ‘Challenge Accepted’ our £400 million global fundraising and volunteering campaign to tackle the world’s biggest challenges, by driving transformative change across research, student support, innovation, and culture, while backing bold solutions to pressing problems. 

December 

And here we are! As we approach the end of the calendar year, and start turning our minds to the holidays, there’s still plenty to be proud of, with ten of our Manchester academics being named in the top 1% of globally influential researchers – and the John Rylands Library winning the prestigious FX award for Museum or Exhibition Space! And that’s not to forget our winter graduates – wrapped up warm, luckily, in their robes and caps! Here’s how one graduate, Molly, got on.