Support from The University of Manchester

The University is committed to supporting eligible UK students from low-income households with financial support packages.

To get an idea of the cost of living in Manchester, read our information on living costs in the city.

At Manchester, we have several scholarships and bursaries to help you enter higher education. These include The Manchester Bursary, Foundation Year bursaries and Undergraduate Access Scholarships. 

You don't need to apply for Manchester’s bursaries separately, but you do need to give your consent to share your financial details with the University when applying to Student Finance England. The University’s Student Services Centre can then automatically identify who is eligible.  

The University of Manchester bursaries are paid in three instalments: 25% in December, 50% in February and 25% in April.   

We'll take all reasonable steps to maintain the value of the annual financial support packages available to you. However, subject to regulatory approval, the University reserves the right to reduce the value of this support if there is a reduction in tuition fees payable because of change in government policy. 

Scholarships for Black British students

The Manchester Bursary

The Manchester Bursary is available to UK students registered on an eligible undergraduate degree course at Manchester who have had a full financial assessment carried out by Student Finance England. This cash bursary is additional to the government package.

The Bursary is available to eligible students for the duration of their course, subject to a financial reassessment each year.

Residual annual household income	Annual cash bursary
£0 to £25,000	£2,000
Between £25,001 and £35,000	£1,000

If you're entitled to NHS support as a Nursing, Midwifery or Allied Healthcare course student (for example, Speech and Language Therapy), you won't be eligible for the Manchester Bursary. Medicine and Dentistry students are entitled to a lower level of NHS funding beyond Year 4, and are therefore eligible for the Manchester Bursary during the years they’re also entitled to NHS funding.

Undergraduate Access Scholarships

The University’s Undergraduate Access Scholarships are funded by our alumni community and donors.

These scholarships are in addition to other bursaries you receive from the University and are for:

• students who've completed the Manchester Access Programme and started an undergraduate course at the University. They will receive £1,000 a year throughout their undergraduate course;
• students under the age of 25 who have been in public care for a minimum of three months since the age of 11. They will receive £1,000 a year throughout their undergraduate course;
• students under the age of 25 who have been estranged from their family for at least six months and have been studying without the support of a family network. They will receive £1,000 a year throughout their undergraduate course;
• students receiving the Undergraduate Access Scholarship based on their experience of local authority care or estrangement will be asked to provide evidence of this in their first term to receive the award;
• students who complete the Manchester Access Programme and are care experienced or estranged from their families. They will receive £2,000 a year of support. They will receive the UG Access Scholarship (MAP) and also the UG Access Scholarship (Care Experienced or Estranged).

Foundation Year bursaries

The University of Manchester is also offering financial support of up to £4,000 for UK students enrolling on foundation ‘Year 0’ programmes in Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Biosciences, Science and Engineering.

To facilitate progression directly on to the relevant undergraduate course, these one-year programmes are designed to attract students from diverse educational backgrounds or those without the appropriate qualifications.

Residual annual household income	Annual cash bursary
£0-£25,000	£4,000
Between £25,001 and £35,000	£2,000

Sports Scholarships

Our Sports Scholarship offers an individualised and bespoke package to support your performance as well as sports memberships, specialist facilities and dedicated support, contributing to more than £9,000.

It's open to prospective and current student-athletes on undergraduate or postgraduate courses. 

Financial support for students on a year abroad/year in industry

We want to encourage you to take opportunities to spend a year abroad or in structured industry placements. Therefore, you will pay reduced fees for that year.

Further information on the tuition fees will be available nearer the time you go.

Study programme	Household income criteria	Annual cash bursary
Study abroad	£0 to £25,000 £25,001 to £35,000	£2,000 £1,000
Work placement UK/abroad (non-Erasmus)	£0 to £25,000 £25,001 to £35,000	£2,000 £1,000

When you apply to Student Finance England, make sure you consent to share your financial details with the University. The Student Services Centre at Manchester will then be able to identify if you are eligible for support.

You can learn more about our bursaries by reading the terms and conditions.