18
January
2007
|
00:00
Europe/London

Manchester still top of the popularity league

The University of Manchester has retained its position as the UK's most popular university, according to figures released today (18 January).

The University received 62,657 applications to its undergraduate courses for entry in 2006, the Universities Central Admissions Service (UCAS) statistics reveal. It confirms Manchester as the country's premier destination for would-be students.

Tim Westlake, Manchester's Acting Director of Student Recruitment, Admissions and WP, said: "We are very pleased that our figures are holding up, contrary to the national trend, and we believe our generous package of scholarships and bursaries is helping to maintain our status.

"Students are aware of the University's great reputation and want to come here to take part in the Manchester experience. 2006 saw the introduction of tuition fees, but this appears to have had no impact on the number of applications from people wishing to study at Manchester."

The 2006 figure is virtually unchanged from the previous year when there were 62,806 applications, a fall of less than a quarter of one per cent.

  • Nationally, the final figures from UCAS for students starting courses in 2006 show that the number of applicants for full-time undergraduate courses fell by 3.0%. In 2006, there were 506,304 people applying to universities and colleges in the UK, 390,890 of which were accepted.
  • For further information please contact Jon Keighren, Media Relations Manager, The University of Manchester on 0161 275 8384
  • The University of Manchester, www.manchester.ac.uk, is the largest higher education institution in the country, with 24 academic schools and more than 36,000 students.
  • The University of Manchester was named Sunday Times University of the Year for 2006.