USA / Entry requirements
Your journey to Manchester starts with your university application – here you’ll find everything you need to know about how to apply, undergraduate and postgraduate entry requirements, and helpful resources to guide your next steps.
Studying in the UK vs USA
There are key differences between the UK and the USA education systems. Benefits you’ll enjoy by choosing to study overseas include:
- Shorter degree courses – a standard UK bachelor's degree (undergraduate) lasts three years, and most master's courses (postgraduate) are just one year long. This means you can get your qualification faster, and pay fewer years of tuition fees, compared to other countries.
- Specialise from Year 1 – we don’t teach any general education classes, so you can make your passion your priority from the start of your studies with a single major undergraduate degree.
- Earn while you learn – spend a paid year working in industry with an industrial placement (part of selected four-year undergraduate courses).
- Secure your master’s place – you can apply for postgraduate study before you finish your undergraduate qualification.
Learn more about the different types of degree and reasons to study in the UK.
Here you’ll find information about how to submit your application for undergraduate study and the various entry requirements that apply whether you’re joining from high school, community college or transferring from a four-year institution.
Application process
How to apply
- The only way to apply to The University of Manchester is via UCAS – the UK’s centralised application portal. UCAS allows you to make a maximum of five applications to UK universities or courses.
- The Designated Institution Code for The University of Manchester is 3737.
- ACT has assigned college code number 7026 to The University of Manchester.
You can find out more in our guide to applying or by visiting UCAS.
After you’ve submitted your application
- We aim to respond to your application within two weeks.
- The UK operates a system of 'conditional' and 'unconditional' offers. If we want to make you an offer, but you haven’t taken your AP tests, we’ll usually issue a conditional offer (subject to you achieving certain test scores). You can submit your test scores after you’ve made your application, and this is usual practice in the UK. It’s for this reason that you must detail tests you are due to take on your UCAS application. A conditional offer is a guaranteed place at the University providing you achieve the conditions set.
Entry requirements
High school
Our entry requirements are transparent and based on standardised test scores (A-level and GCSE requirements) that vary by course.
If you are studying or have completed a US High School Diploma at an accredited school within the US, we typically require qualifications equivalent of:
3 A-levels (at scores such as A*, A, B); and GCSE English and Mathematics/Science (at scores such as A or 7, B or 6, C or 4).
Equivalent qualifications to GCSE (any of the below):
- SAT I with a score of 1290.
- ACT with a minimum score of 27.
- High School diploma with a minimum of 3.0 and grade 12 classes at the grade equivalency of a GCSE exam (for example, A in Mathematics in grade 12 is equivalent to 7 in GCSE in Mathematics).
Equivalent qualifications to 3 A-levels:
Our A-level requirements can typically be met through a combination of: three AP tests or dual enrolment/college level classes taken during high school in separate subjects (including any subject requirements), plus completion of the High School Diploma (for which we do require a specific GPA of 3.0).
We can accept any combination of these requirements, for example one AP test and two dual enrolment/college level classes. These exams will be considered when taken within the past two years before enrolling on your chosen course.
Due to the volume of applications we receive, combined with the vast range in schools and grading scales across the US, we’re unable to provide pre-application confirmation as to whether specific departments and courses will consider a specific college level class or AP test. We recommend getting in touch directly with the admissions team for your course.
It’s not necessary to have taken a full suite of AP tests or college-level classes at the time of application. If you’ll be taking these tests or classes in your senior year and are on track to achieve the scores detailed below, you’ll be eligible to apply.
| A-level requirements | For AP exams AP equivalency |
|---|---|
| A*A*A* | 5,5,5,5 |
| A*A*A | 5,5,5,5 |
| A*AA | 5,5,5 |
| AAA | 5,5,5 |
| AAB | 5,5,4 |
| ABB | 5,4,4 |
For dual enrolment/college level classes:
| A-level requirements | College level class equivalency** |
|---|---|
| A* | A+ |
| A | A/A- |
| B | B+/B/B- |
**College level classes should be in a named academic subject (rather than practical or recreational) and must be the equivalent of three units/credits or one semester in length.
Subject-specific requirements
No specific AP tests or dual enrolment class will be required for courses that do not have specific A-level or GCSE requirements. Specific AP tests and dual enrolment classes required for courses that have specific A-level or GCSE requirements at scores of A or 7 (or above) are detailed below as per 2023 entry.
Please note: our academic Departments review entry requirements at the beginning of the application cycle and for this reason, we’re not fully able to confirm requirements in advance of accepting applications.
When submitting your UCAS application, it’s essential that you detail target/predicted scores for tests you are due to take in Senior Year, as well as achieved scores for tests you have already completed.
Community College
You’ll need to provide high school grades and standardised tests as though applying directly from high school. You should also provide details of credits taken at Community College or Four-Year College.
Transferring from a Four-Year institution
A minimum GPA of 3.0, preferably 3.3 or above is required for most courses.
If you’re interested in gaining advanced standing* (beginning the course in Year 2), you must demonstrate that studies undertaken to date match what’s been covered in Manchester. Please note that Year 2 transfers are not available for all courses.
(*Year 2 is the highest advanced standing we offer).
Here you’ll find information about how to submit your application for postgraduate study and general entry requirements.
Application process
How to apply
We accept direct applications, submitted online, for entry to postgraduate degree programmes – the majority of which have no application fee.
Find out more about applying for postgraduate programmes.
After you’ve submitted your application
- We aim to respond to your application within two weeks.
- The UK operates a system of 'conditional' and 'unconditional' offers. If we want to make you an offer, but you haven’t graduated, then we’ll usually make you a conditional offer (subject to you achieving a certain GPA). You can submit your GPA after you have made your application, and this is usual practice in the UK. A conditional offer is a guaranteed place at the University providing you achieve the conditions set.
Entry requirements
Exact entry requirements vary by programme, but we generally require:
- An undergraduate degree.
- A minimum GPA of 3.0, preferably 3.3 or above.
For some postgraduate programmes, the major or content of your undergraduate courses may be taken into consideration.
Other entry requirements
Faculties and Schools have different entry requirements, and some qualifications may not be acceptable for certain courses, so it’s important to check with the School directly before you apply.
Some courses have additional entry requirements such as previous work experience, submission of written work with the application or previous study of a particular subject.
Helpful resources
Find your ideal course/programme:
The British Council USA also provide a wealth of information for prospective students from the USA.