Applicants and offer-holders information and updates concerning coronavirus

The University of Manchester is closely monitoring national and international developments in relation to coronavirus and taking action as appropriate.

As a result, a decision has been made to cancel or postpone on-campus recruitment events with large visitor groups.

Unfortunately, this includes guided campus visits and University accommodation tours.

We realise that the cancellation and postponement of events will cause inconvenience and disappointment, however the health and wellbeing of our students, staff and visitors are our highest priority at this difficult time.

The University offers a range of information, advice and guidance to prospective students on our website, including our ‘Manchester Live’ webinar series.

We're working to develop additional online resources to provide students and advisers the opportunity to speak to staff, learn more about our programmes of study and get a flavour of life at Manchester.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused, but believe this is the best decision for the safety and wellbeing of our staff, students and visitors.

Yes, we’ll be running a virtual event from 15-19 June 2020.

Due to the recent government guidance that has been released, all upcoming events on campus are cancelled until further notice.

We're working hard to make alternative arrangements, including online provision of information. We'll update these webpages with further detail when they are available.

UCAS have specific information pages for students from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where the latest updates for a range of different qualifications are published:

• Students in England
• Students in Scotland
• Students in Wales
• Students in Northern Ireland

We're doing everything we can to limit any impact the coronavirus may have on current applications to study at Manchester.

Currently, our academic Schools and admissions teams are working hard to process all applications as normal and provide decisions as soon as possible. However, there may be a delay in decisions due to the present situation and admissions teams working remotely.

No. We're aware that due to the unprecedented nature of the coronavirus outbreak that all applicants to The University of Manchester will have faced some disruption this year and we don't require applicants to submit individual mitigating circumstances.

Not at this stage. We need to await further information from the UK government regarding the awarding of qualifications before we can review or confirm any decisions in this regard. We'll keep all offer-holders updated in light of any new information or changes that may affect your offer of admission to The University of Manchester.

The UK government has confirmed that although exams have been cancelled, students will be awarded with a calculated grade/s. Calculated grades issued by official awarding bodies will have equal status to qualifications taken in other years and so will be accepted as normal for 2020 entry. The Department for Education (DfE) has announced that A-level results for 2020 will be released to students as originally planned on Thursday, 13 August 2020.

Students may also, if they wish, have an opportunity to sit examinations in the autumn 2020, or in summer 2021. As soon as we have details of the processes involved, we'll update our guidance here.

No, we'll be confirming places based on the official calculated grades to be released by the relevant exam boards and won't be basing decisions on predicted grades.

We're aware that education systems in the UK and around the world have been disrupted and we're monitoring the situation. We'll be as flexible as we can where applicants aren't able to meet the conditions of their offers in the way they expected, or at the time they expected.

At this stage, you don't need to let us know of any closures that affect you. We'll be in touch if this changes and will keep this page updated as well.

The Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that A-level results for 2020 will be released to students as originally planned on Thursday 13 August. We therefore hope that students will be able to log in to UCAS Track on Thursday 13 August to see the outcome of their application but are currently waiting to receive further details of when results will be made available to universities.

We need to await further information from the UK government and UCAS regarding the awarding of qualifications and processes involved before we can confirm whether it will be an option for you to defer your place, should you choose to take the exam assessment later in the year.

We need to await further information from the UK government and UCAS regarding the awarding of qualifications and processes involved before we can review or confirm how we will consider applicants who have applied as a deferred entrant for 2021 academic year.

Universities are currently awaiting further information from the UK government and awarding organisations regarding the awarding of qualifications. We're unable to confirm at this time if universities will take a universal approach. The University of Manchester will follow the advice and information provided by the UK government and will provide more information on our admissions process on our website which we encourage you to review periodically.

UCAS also have a dedicated coronavirus information page for students, which will be updated as new information is confirmed. We encourage you to review this regularly and also pay particular attention to other updates that UCAS may provide you with directly or via UCAS Track.

The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) has confirmed that every student will receive a final grade in each part of the IBDP. The most up-to-date information on how these grades will be calculated is available on the IBO’s website.

We can confirm that we'll accept any grades awarded in the IB Diploma this year as normal. We'll consider your grades when they are available and, providing you meet your offer conditions, your place will be secured. We're confident that the IBO will have used all resources available to them as an awarding organisation (historical assessment data, externally marked individual assessments, school data and subject data) to ensure that they operate a rigorous process of due diligence in what is a truly unprecedented situation.

The University of Manchester is aware that this is a very unsettling time for all applicants but please be assured that we'll do all we can to ensure the changes to the IBDP assessment and examinations won't affect your opportunity to attend our University in the coming academic year. We're working closely with colleagues at the IBO to understand the changes that they've put in place and will adapt our admissions processes to take account of the necessary changes.

Our admissions teams are on hand to discuss your individual offer if you have any queries or concerns. We'll consider your needs when addressing any issues with your application and be as flexible as possible. This applies wherever you're studying in the world.

For your application to be accepted, we'd expect you to have been awarded calculated grades from your awarding organisation or have already achieved qualifications suitable for entry. We understand that this will not be possible for all individuals and unfortunately it is likely that such students would need to sit an exam in a future session.  Ofqual are currently considering arrangements for an additional exam period in the autumn and once details around this have been confirmed, we’ll provide more information on our admissions processes for students who take this route. 

Ofqual have confirmed that centres (schools and colleges) can provide a calculated grade for independent candidates if they're confident that they have sufficient evidence of a student’s work to allow them to form a judgement. Heads of Centres should inform independent students whether or not this will be possible for them. Exam boards have also given the option for students to transfer to another exam centre who may work with them in order to determine a calculated grade though this would not be possible for all. If you've not already been in touch with the centre with which you were planning to take your exams, you should contact them to ask for an update on your situation. If you're interested in working with a new centre, you should contact the relevant exam board for information on centres approved to do so.

UCAS have also published the following guidance for independent candidates/home-schooled applicants which you may find useful.

Yes, the conditions of your offer will not change. Therefore if you've accepted us as your firm choice you're still only required to meet the lower entry requirements.

The Manchester Distance Access Scheme is running as normal this year for eligible students. Please visit the MDAS website for more information about the programme.

We understand that the current COVID-19 crisis has created real uncertainty for all our future students, particularly those who need to travel from outside the UK to take up their place in Manchester. We're absolutely committed to delivering the highest-quality learning and student experience at Manchester and we're very much looking forward to seeing students on campus as soon as we can; however, we recognise that this might not be possible for a little while.

We're currently planning for every eventuality in order to follow UK government advice and either begin the new semester wholly online, or deliver some activity on campus but provide our lectures and some other aspects of learning online. What this means is that students will still be able to engage with their programme effectively, and receive the highest-quality learning and student experience, no matter what the circumstances.

We're also committed to providing the most up-to-date information about studying at Manchester and are pleased to reassure our future students that there will be little change to our start dates and everything will be in place so that students can begin their undergraduate study with us in September. 

The confirmed start of year schedule for undergraduate students in 2020/21 is outlined below. If you have any specific queries, please contact your academic School/Department, but more details about the precise timetable during this period will follow and we'll keep in touch with our future students regularly over the next few months.

New undergraduate and foundation year students:

• Week commencing Monday, 21 September: University welcome and induction programme
• Week commencing Monday, 28 September: School and programme induction activities
• Week commencing Monday, 5 October: Teaching starts

This year students will be able to benefit from an extended and enhanced period of induction, welcome and development activities.

In the first week, the emphasis will be on study skills; our unique Ethical Grand Challenge; employability; peer mentoring and buddying introductions. English language top-ups for international students who may have lost out on expected instruction and testing will also be available.

In the second week, students will focus on academic community building, meeting their academic advisor and gradual familiarisation with academic subject matter. This will also be an opportunity to catch up on any curriculum essentials that students may have missed due to the current crisis and not completing their prior studies.

All this activity is specifically designed to support students in their undergraduate studies and get the most out of their time at Manchester.

We're still accepting applications for September 2020 entry. Students who wish to apply should make an application via UCAS.

We're continuing to monitor this situation closely and will update our FAQs with any changes – please check back here to make sure that there haven’t been any updates to our position before you make your application.

Additionally, you should also check that the course you would like to apply to is still open – as we receive many more applications than we have places for every year, some of our courses close early in the application cycle.

For undergraduate courses, you can check availability via the UCAS site.

We appreciate that the situation with coronavirus is changing quickly and some offer-holders may be considering deferring their offer. The option of deferring will vary from one course to the next but requests are welcome; applicants wishing to discuss deferring their application should contact the admissions team within the relevant academic School or Department at the earliest opportunity.

We can confirm that everything will be in place so that students can begin their undergraduate study with us in September (semester one) and we're working tirelessly to bring our new students the best possible teaching and learning experience. We're really looking forward to welcoming students onto campus as soon as it is safe to do so; however, we recognise that this might not be possible for a little while.

As social distancing measures may be in place for some time, we're committing to delivering all lectures for semester one online. We're also planning for every eventuality so that we can follow government advice and either begin semester one wholly online, or deliver some activity on campus while still providing our lectures online.

We appreciate that the situation with coronavirus is changing quickly and some offer-holders may be considering deferring their offer. The option of deferring will vary from one course to the next but requests are welcome; applicants wishing to discuss deferring their application should contact the admissions team within the relevant academic School or Department at the earliest opportunity.

We can confirm that everything will be in place so that students can begin their undergraduate study with us in September (semester one) and we're working tirelessly to bring our new students the best possible teaching and learning experience. We're really looking forward to welcoming students onto campus as soon as it is safe to do so; however, we recognise that this might not be possible for a little while.

As social distancing measures may be in place for some time we're committing to delivering all lectures for semester one online. We are also planning for every eventuality so that we can follow government advice and either begin semester one wholly online, or deliver some activity on campus while still providing our lectures online.

‘Online teaching’ will take place where it involves large groups of students or we're unable to ensure that we follow the government’s social distancing rules. For example: we've made the decision for all lectures to happen online for the first semester due to their size and it being extremely hard to manage social distancing with large groups of students. Lectures are likely to happen online at set times, with some live components such as quizzes, small group sections, or Q&As.

‘On-campus teaching’ will be activities such as seminars, small group sessions and practical elements of courses. We hope that these will take place face-to-face on campus to allow for discussion and interaction with your teacher/academics as long as government guidance allows for this.

We're currently planning for every eventuality to ensure that we deliver the highest-quality learning and student experience and ensuring that we follow UK government information and advice. We'll ensure that more details about the format of teaching and learning for the first semester are shared with our future students regularly over the next few months.

We've made the decision for all lectures to happen online for the first semester due to their size and it being extremely hard to manage social distancing with large groups of students. Lectures are likely to happen online at set times, with some live components such as quizzes, small group sections, or Q&As. We're actively planning for seminars, small group sessions and practical elements of courses to take place face-to-face on campus to allow for more discussion and interaction with your teacher/academics as long as government guidance allows for this.

Students will be charged the full published tuition fees for 2020 entry.

We're absolutely committed to delivering the highest-quality learning and student experience at Manchester and are very much looking forward to welcoming students onto our campus as soon as we can. We're currently planning for every eventually in order to follow UK government advice and either begin the new semester wholly online, or deliver some activity on campus but provide our lectures and some other aspects of learning online.

We're confident that students will still be able to engage with their programme of study effectively, and receive the highest-quality learning and student experience, no matter what the circumstances.

UCAS have confirmed that they're maintaining the key dates and services for the 2021 cycle. The key dates are: 

• 5 May 2020 – UCAS search tool will be updated to display undergraduate 2021 courses. 
• 19 May 2020 – UCAS Undergraduate Apply will launch, so students can start their applications. To ensure stability UCAS will not be making any updates to the design of Apply for 2021 application cycle. 
• 8 September 2020 – Completed 2021 entry UCAS applications can be submitted to UCAS.

UCAS will continue to review the 2021 cycle dates and deadlines in line with UCAS scenario planning for coronavirus.  Further information is available on the UCAS website.

We're working across the university sector to agree advice for applicants who require work experience to meet their desired course’s entry requirements, particularly in a clinical setting. At this time we've not yet come to an agreement but will update this page with further information as soon as a position is clear.

No. UK and EU applicants to courses starting in September 2020 can apply for student finance online as normal. More information is available in the following government press release:

SLC Coronavirus (COVID-19) update

We believe that finance shouldn’t be a barrier to you coming to Manchester and being successful. We've one of the most generous financial support packages in the UK. Approximately a third of all our undergraduate UK students will receive bursaries of up to £2,000 per year. The University is committed to supporting eligible UK students from low-income households through our financial support packages (bursaries and scholarships). Further information can be found on our university support student finance webpages.

We very much hope to be able to welcome students to move into their University accommodation ahead of the start of the academic year but this is subject to UK government guidance and a full University risk assessment.

It's understandable that you may have concerns over your University accommodation, so we're happy to confirm that contract terms are being adjusted to provide maximum flexibility for any further disruption that may occur during your time in Halls. With our accommodation guarantee you can apply for a place in Halls with the reassurance that your Advance Licence Fee Payment is fully refundable should you be unable to take up your offer to study at Manchester.

You can apply for University accommodation by completing an online application. Applying is free but if you wish to accept an offer of accommodation you'll need to make an Advance Licence Fee Payment to secure your room. Further information can be found on our accommodation webpages.

Yes, accommodation is guaranteed if the application is received by the Accommodation Office before 31 August of the year of entry.

Technically no, there isn’t a refund for the part of the tenancy missed. If you think that you're going to arrive late (a week to ten days past their contract start date) it is better to let the accommodation office know of your expected arrival date. The existing offer of accommodation will be removed and a new offer made for when you plan to arrive and in that way they will only pay from the date your new contract starts.

You can apply for University accommodation by completing an online application. Applying is free but if you wish to accept an offer of accommodation you'll need to make an Advance Licence Fee Payment of £400 to secure your room. You'll need a valid email address to complete the application and a valid University of Manchester ID number which will be on your offer letter. Further information can be found on our accommodation webpages.

It's understandable that you may have concerns over your University accommodation, so we're happy to confirm that contract terms are being adjusted to provide maximum flexibility for any further disruption that may occur during your time in Halls. With our accommodation guarantee you can apply for a place in Halls with the reassurance that your deposit/Advance Licence Fee Payment is fully refundable should you be unable to take up your offer to study at Manchester.

You can apply for University accommodation by completing an online application. Applying is free but if you wish to accept an offer of accommodation you'll need to make an Advance Licence Fee Payment of £400 to secure your room. You'll need a valid email address to complete the application and a valid University of Manchester ID number which will be on your offer letter. Further information can be found on our accommodation webpages.