Student life

We’ve worked with our students and our expert colleagues to think about the best advice we can offer to help get you ready for university. Use our Transition Resource to help consider your next steps and prepare for your studies at Manchester. 

We are committed to creating a place of study where you are treated fairly and diversity is celebrated. Read about our EDI ambitions.

'Stellify' means 'to change, or be changed, into a star'. At Manchester you’ll find a whole host of transformational academic and extracurricular activities to help you stand out and make your mark on the world.

With Stellify you can take on challenges, work with a wide range of people and perspectives, contribute to local and global communities, tackle issues of global importance and gain new skills.

Participate in your own unique combination of Stellify activities and you’ll gain more than a world-class degree, you’ll be the best graduate you can be and you can even gain the prestigious Stellify Award when you graduate.

Find out more about Stellify and how you can get involved. 

The home of societies, volunteering, student media, advice, campaigns, student democracy, events and more.

Your Students’ Union is here to support your student life outside of your academics or course. As a Manchester student, we encourage you to get involved, to join campaigns, fuel your curiosity and make the most of your time at University, and all this and more is possible under the roof of your SU.

Find out more about your Students’ Union and how to get involved.

Want to get the latest news, events, opinions and goings-on here at Manchester? Here’s the place to get it.

Student News is one of the main communication channels for students, letting you know what's going on around the University as well as giving you useful advice about how to get the most of your learning, wellbeing, future and student life.

View the Student News site for the latest news, information and student-created content. 

We’re proud to be close to the centre of Manchester – a city that’s known all over the globe for its sports, a legendary music scene and a rich cultural history. From designer stores to independent one-offs, shopping in the city never gets dull, and if you’re after a bite to eat we have restaurants that serve food from every corner of the world.

Manchester is a hotbed for media and creativity, and a growing powerhouse driven by science, engineering and business. We’re a community made up of dreamers, schemers and some of the most creative minds around. Manchester delivers not just an outstanding student experience, but offers some of the best opportunities after you graduate too.

Explore more of the city and what it has to offer, and you can plan a bucket list of things to do during your time here.

Wherever you’re from, you’ll find a taste of home in Manchester.

Manchester’s cosmopolitan population means there are restaurants, cafes and shops offering food from China to Ethiopia, the USA to Sri Lanka.

Modern and traditional British cuisine is well represented in the city, but you’re just as likely to find Indian Thali or Korean Barbeque as you are fish and chips or a Sunday roast.

Explore the flavours of Manchester.

All major faiths and cultures are represented in Manchester. Our Students’ Union runs numerous clubs and societies, enabling you to meet like-minded individuals and become part of the University’s dynamic religious and cultural communities.

The UK is a proud multicultural nation, where people and their culture, traditions and religions are respected and embraced.

Brits are known for incessantly talking about the weather, copious tea-drinking and a dedication to queuing. People in the UK are generally polite, tolerant and friendly – particularly in Manchester, which was recently voted the second friendliest city in the world by its resident Mancs.

A large, modern city, Manchester has a robust infrastructure and public transport system to match, as well as a rapidly growing network of cycle routes across the city and on campus.

With three major railway stations in the city centre, buses every few minutes and a tram network spanning Greater Manchester, you’ll have no problem getting around. You can even catch the 147 bus for free between north and south campus.

Manchester offers subsidised bike hire for students through Biko Bikes/second-hand bike sales at our Owens Park Campus, as well as free or subsidised bike lock schemes.

The Bee Network cycle hire scheme is also available for student use. A docking station is situated opposite the gates of Owens Park Campus.

How well connected is Manchester?

Plan your journey on the Transport for Greater Manchester website. Another great tool to use when planning any journey is Citymapper. Just enter your point of departure and your destination and it will tell you the quickest way to complete your journey. We recommend that you download the app or use the online service, not just for your journey to Manchester, but for getting around the city.

Find out from our students about how well connected Manchester is to the city, campus and the rest of the UK.