USA

Introduction

The University of Manchester dates back to 1824 and is one of the top higher education institutions in Europe. We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group; equivalent to the Ivy League.

We are one of the UK’s largest campus-based universities, with over 26,000 undergraduate and 14,000 postgraduate students. We are also the most globally diverse university in the UK, with over 10,000 international students enrolling from over 160 countries worldwide. 

Each year we welcome a growing number of students from across the US, here are some of the reasons why: 

  • Ranking – Manchester ranks 35th in the world, 9th in Europe and 5th in the UK in the Academic Ranking of World Universities, 2021.
  • 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. We are also fifth in the UK in terms of research power across 32 subject areas. 
  • Staff – 13:1 student-to-Faculty ratio
  • Campus – an urban campus located within walking distance of downtown Manchester, one of the largest and most exciting cities in the UK – was recently reviewed by the New York Times.
  • City – Manchester was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, modern economics, and vegetarianism, communism and feminism
  • Alumni – we have more than 8,500 alumni based in the USA alone. There are Manchester alumni based in all 50 states.
  • Cost – tuition and living costs are competitively priced compared to US equivalent universities. We are FAFSA registered and can accept Federal Loans.

The short videos below showcase the University, city and student experience. 

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