Manchester is an amazing place to be a student. It’s a large, vibrant city with lots going on. It also has great transport links to the rest of the country, a large student population and several high quality learning institutions.
Today we’re going to expand a little on why we think Manchester is such a good place to be a student.
By the end, we bet you’ll be looking at whether the course you’re planning to study is taught there!
Colleges and universities in Manchester
Manchester has its own colleges and universities but is also close to other towns that have their own.
Colleges and universities in and around Manchester include:
- University of Manchester
- Manchester Metropolitan University
- University Academy 92
- Manchester Academic Health Science Centre
- Manchester School of Art
- Royal Northern College of Music
- Manchester School of Architecture
- University of Salford
- University of Bolton
- BPP University
There are also smaller colleges and private institutions within the city and surrounding areas.
Those include Manchester International College, Manchester Business School, Manchester School of Media, The Manchester College, Abbey College Manchester, Chetham’s School of Music and Taitec Manchester.
The University of Manchester regularly ranks well in league tables, as does the Manchester Metropolitan University. Both institutions offer a wide range of courses across a variety of subjects.
There are an estimated 99,000 students within Manchester and surrounding areas, 19,000 of which are international students.
This provides a huge pool of potential friends, study partners, colleagues and collaborators for your time here!
Cost of living in Manchester
One primary reason Manchester is such a good place to study is the cost of living. Sure, living in any city is going to be expensive, but compared to London or Edinburgh, the cost of living in Manchester is much lower.
Student accommodation is cheaper, private rent is cheaper, eating out and entertainment is often cheaper and general costs are also less than other cities.
Given the limited budget of the average student, any savings made on life’s essentials means more money to use on other priorities!
The University of Manchester has a basic breakdown of living costs here.
You can compare living costs in Manchester against London here. You’ll see, on the whole, Manchester is a cheaper place to live than London for most things.
Accommodation, transport, eating out, the cost of a beer and lots of other everyday expenses are significantly cheaper in Manchester.
One more reason to study here!
Being a student in Manchester
Manchester outperforms most cities when it comes to nightlife, music, eating out, shopping and culture.
It’s a vibrant city full of life, colour, sound, diversity and a thriving economy.
Canal Street is an excellent night out and the centre for the LGBT scene in town. Chinatown is the third largest of its kind in Europe and provides plenty of food, shopping and colour. If you like spicy food, Curry Mile has more restaurants than anywhere else outside of India.
Nightlife is pretty good too. You have Manchester Academy, Manchester Apollo, Fifth, 42nd Street, The Warehouse Project, Sankeys, Venus, Revolucion De Cuba, Impossible, Lola Lo Manchester, Chinawhite Manchester, Hidden and many other clubs to choose from.
That’s not including the hundreds of bars, cafes, bistros, restaurants and other entertainments!
Getting around Manchester
The ability to get from A to B is a prime consideration for any new home. Fortunately, Manchester has you covered.
Manchester Airport is the busiest outside of London and caters to domestic and international departures.
Manchester Piccadilly is a large train station that covers much of the country. It caters to both local and intercity routes throughout the UK. There is also Manchester Victoria, Manchester Central, Manchester Exchange and Manchester Mayfield stations too.
Metrolink trams cover much of Greater Manchester and provide cheap, reliable transport across the city centre. It links Altrincham, Ashton-under-Lyne, Bury, East Didsbury, Eccles, Manchester Airport, Rochdale and Trafford Centre, so all your bases are covered.
Some buses run 24/7 while others run early until late. Buses are also cheap and reliable, with lots of coverage in the city centre.
If you drive, Manchester can get busy at peak times and parking can be a challenge. However, you do have more motorways around the city than anywhere else and good A and B roads throughout this part of the country.
Employment and prospects in Manchester
A high proportion of students decide to stay in Manchester after graduation thanks to the buoyant economy and good prospects.
While exact statistics aren’t really known, various sources cite between 51-60% of graduates who study here, stay here and find a job.
While the north is not as economically powerful as the south, that tide is turning and more and more companies are opening up here. The cost of living, reasonable property prices and excellent way of life are all helping with that.
MediaCityUK is just one example of where Manchester is drawing talent and opportunity away from London. Other institutions are doing the same thing, which is great news for the city and for your prospects after graduation.
Other employers in the region include Adidas, AstraZeneca, Auto Trader, Barclays, BBC, The Co-operative Group, Deloitte, Gazprom, Google, ITV Studios, Kellogg’s, Manchester United F.C., McVitie’s, Network Rail, Patak’s, PG Tips, Regatta, Royal Bank of Scotland, Siemens, Sky UK, Thomas Cook Airlines, Umbro and Warburtons to name just a few.
These employers not only provide prospects after graduation, some of them offer opportunities for work placements during your study too.
All these things outline why we consider Manchester to be an amazing place to be a student.
The universities are great, the culture and life here is excellent and there are lots of opportunities to enjoy yourself as a student and then get a job afterwards.
If all that doesn’t make for a good student city, we don’t know what does!
