South Africa
Introduction
With academic roots stretching back to 1824 and claims to 26 Nobel prizes The University of Manchester is one of the world’s leading institutions. This is confirmed in numerous rankings, including the QS World University Rankings 2025, which places us 34th in the world and 6th in the UK.
Almost 14,500 of our 44,000+ students come from outside the EU – one of the largest international communities of any UK university.
We have a long history of welcoming students from Sub-Saharan Africa and there are over 400 students from the region currently studying at the University.
Manchester
The single-site campus is at the heart of the city of Manchester. Manchester is UK’s most popular student city – a buzzing and modern metropolis and an incredibly vibrant, cosmopolitan, friendly place to live and study. Manchester has one of the most diverse populations in the UK with more than 200 languages spoken.
It is budget-friendly for international students as rent tends to be more reasonable than in many other locations. The many amenities are within walking distance of the campus with most of the shops, theatres, cafes and restaurants a short walk away.
Employability
The University of Manchester is the second most targeted university by the UK's top graduate employers (The Graduate Market 2024, High Fliers Research).
World-leading research
We are recognised as a global powerhouse of research, with 93% of the University’s research activity assessed as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ in the Research Excellence Framework (REF), 2021.
World rankings
Using different methodologies, international rankings typically compare universities from across the globe for their research performance and academic reputation.
| League table | World | Europe | UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| QS World University Ranking (2026) | 35 | 11 | 7 |
| QS World University Rankings: Europe (2025) | 7 | ||
| Academic Ranking of World Universities (2024) | 52 | 15 | 6 |
| Times Higher Education (2025) | 53 | ||
| Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings (2025) | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| QS World University Sustainability Rankings | 9 | 6 | 4 |