University of Manchester

Enrolment

HESA’s statistical bulletin SB273, Figure 7, academic year 2024/25, lists The University of Manchester (UKPRN 10007798) with a published total of 46,305 HE student enrolments. Accessed 6 November 2026.

HESA Figure 7 publishes 46,305 as the total for UKPRN 10007798. The same row’s published components (Total UK 27,780 + Total non-UK 18,515 + Not known 5) add up to 46,300. HESA rounds figures, so components need not match the published total. We show the published total. The same row also publishes Total UK 27,780 (England 26,045, Wales 975, Scotland 315, Northern Ireland 365, Other UK 80) and Total non-UK 18,515 (EU 1,055, non-EU 17,460), plus Not known 5.

Source: HESA, Higher Education Student Statistics: UK, 2024/25, Where students come from and go to study, Figure 7. Published 27 January 2026. Accessed 6 November 2026.

University halls, 2026/27

Weekly figures below are the annual charge divided by the contract weeks on that row of the university’s undergraduate room-type table, to the nearest penny. They are not a new survey.

So the halls range we can support from that table is £121.93 to £313.98 a week, before you check whether the room is still offered. The table says all halls and rooms are subject to change of use. Some rows list the number of rooms as TBC.

The university’s cost-of-living page, separately, says self-catered accommodation can range from £4,853 to £12,096 a year, and gives catered halls as £555–£982 a month (including catering) and self-catered halls as £487–£1,060 a month, with some studio flats for master’s students up to £1,255 a month. Those spans are not the same as every line in the room table (the studio row at £13,187 sits above £12,096). We have not tried to force them into one number. Hall fees on that page are described as including contents insurance, utility bills (usually gas and electricity) and internet access.

Sources: Undergraduate room types and prices for 2026/27 and Cost of living. Both accessed 6 November 2026.

Private rent, in the university’s own estimates

On the same cost-of-living page, a room in private halls is estimated at £860–£1,010 a month, with average bills included, and a privately rented house share at £645–£710 a month, with average bills included. The page says accommodation figures are taken from the university’s accommodation website and that estimates depend on room size, location and whether facilities are shared. Student Sterling has not run its own rent survey. A weekly private-rent figure is not stated as a single official number, so we are not inventing one.

The page also says full-time students are exempt from council tax on the basis of the academic year, not the tenancy dates, and that university halls contracts are often 41 or 42 weeks for undergraduates while private houses are generally 52 weeks.

Other living costs the university publishes

The cost-of-living page sets out estimated spending for an undergraduate year of 41 weeks. It says grocery figures are based on a weekly budget supermarket shop in April 2026, and that the other costs are taken from Save the Student’s National Student Money Survey and increased in line with inflation as of February 2026. The groceries total is lower if you choose catered halls. These are the university’s guide, including the two accommodation totals it prints.

Where the page prints two figures, both are shown. We have not reconciled them. Source: Cost of living, accessed 6 November 2026.

Why we say “mid”

Editorial label, not a university score. We use “mid” because the university’s own 2026/27 cost-of-living page estimates a privately rented house share at £645–£710 a month with average bills included, which sits below a London band. Halls themselves span a wide official range, so the label is not a prediction of your room.

Transport

Bee Network, run with Transport for Greater Manchester, sells a Term 1 student bus ticket for £140, valid from 1 September to 31 December on Bee Network buses, for students at a Greater Manchester college or university with an official college or university ID (an NUS card alone is not accepted). Checked 6 November 2026, which falls inside that window. Other term prices are on TfGM and can change, so they are not copied here.

A 16–25 Railcard is a National Rail product, useful for trips out of the city. The price is on the Railcard site. We are not restating it on this page.

The university’s accommodation search describes Artisan Heights as close to Oxford Road station. We have not measured journey times ourselves.

Sources: TfGM Term 1 Bee Bus ticket, 16–25 Railcard, University accommodation search. Accessed 6 November 2026.

Campus and city

Mixed. The university’s accommodation search lists halls on the city campus, in Fallowfield and in Victoria Park, so first-year rooms are not only on one out-of-town site and not only in the centre. That is a description of where the halls are, not a rating.

Money support

The hardship scheme is the Unexpected Financial Needs Fund (previously the Cost of Living Support Fund). The university’s unexpected-financial-need page says it offers discretionary awards of up to £2,000, assessed case by case, for unexpected hardship, to help with essential living costs such as food, utility bills, rent and study-related travel. It does not need to be paid back, it is not a guaranteed payment, and it is not a way to fund tuition fees. Administrator guidance dated 1 May 2026 says the maximum award is £2,000 once per university financial year unless circumstances are exceptional, and that non-standard awards are capped at £1,000. Any award is at the administrator’s discretion.

Apply and read the criteria on the fund page: Unexpected Financial Needs Fund. The £2,000 summary is on Unexpected financial need. The caps are in UFNF guidelines (1 May 2026). All accessed 6 November 2026.

Scholarships and bursaries are listed on the university funding hub. One scheme named there, the Accommodation Bursary, is a partial halls fee waiver for undergraduates from low-income households. The page shows 150 awards for 2026/27 through 2029/30 and says applications are not open yet, with an opening date of 1 March 2027. Eligibility and amounts for other schemes are on that hub. We are not copying every award.

University funding and financial support, accessed 6 November 2026.

The Students’ Union Advice Service is free, confidential and impartial, and its finance pages cover student finance, funding, hardship, banking and benefits. Students’ Union Advice Service, accessed 6 November 2026.

Which student-finance body you use depends on where you normally live, not simply where you study. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have their own route. See student loans.

Banking

The student accounts in our banking guide are UK-wide products. We have not counted branches around Oxford Road, so we do not name a best branch. Each account we list can be managed in an app or online. Check the provider for what you can do without a branch. The Students’ Union advice on opening a student account tells you to weigh the interest-free overdraft and what happens after graduation, and not to choose on the joining gift alone. That matches the tone of our banking page. We are not repeating their examples as if they were current overdraft limits.

Local links that matter

• Bee Network Term 1 student bus ticket — buses across Greater Manchester. Price on the TfGM page (£140 when we checked).
• 16–25 Railcard — a third off eligible National Rail fares, for trips out of the city. Price on the Railcard site.
• Students’ Union Advice Service — money and housing help, not a discount code.

Direct links only. No affiliate parameters.

Student life, in the university’s words

The cost-of-living page says Manchester is one of the best student cities in the UK and, with a total student population of more than 90,000, has local businesses and nightlife that cater to a student budget. That 90,000 figure is the university’s description of the city, which includes students at other institutions. It is not the University of Manchester’s HESA enrolment, and it is not a nightlife score. For clubs and societies, start with the Students’ Union.

Similar universities

• University of Leeds — in this set of 12.
• University of Liverpool — in this set of 12.
• University of Sheffield — often grouped with Manchester on size and region. It is not one of the 12 guides in this release, so there is no page and no figures here.

Sources

Every cost and enrolment figure above is tied to one of these. Accessed 6 November 2026 unless the row says otherwise.

1. HESA, Figure 7, SB273, 2024/25. Where students come from and go to study. Published 27 January 2026.
2. University of Manchester, Undergraduate room types and prices for 2026/27.
3. University of Manchester, Cost of living.
4. University of Manchester, Accommodation search.
5. University of Manchester, Unexpected financial need.
6. University of Manchester, Unexpected Financial Needs Fund.
7. University of Manchester, UFNF guidelines, 1 May 2026.
8. University of Manchester, Funding and financial support.
9. University of Manchester Students’ Union, Advice Service.
10. Transport for Greater Manchester, Term 1 Bee Bus student ticket.
11. Rail Delivery Group, 16–25 Railcard.