The University of Manchester has almost 200 years of educating some of the best minds in the country, but with all this experience one thing often asked is, is it a Russell Group university?
Founded in 1824 the University of Manchester can trace its roots to the formation of the Mechanics’ Institute (later UMIST) and its heritage is linked to Manchester’s pride in being the world’s first industrial city.
Today it’s a global university thriving in the north of England with over 40,000 students and almost 7,000 academic and research staff.
Is Manchester A Russell Group University?
Yes, the University of Manchester is in the Russell Group.
The Russell Group is a catch-all term for a group of universities with a shared focus on research and a reputation for academic achievement.
The group was started in 1994 and was made up of 17 universities – including the original six red brick universities that were started in the Victorian era and based in cities that were big industrial powerhouses following the Industrial Revolution.
Now the group consists of 24 universities:
- University of Birmingham
- University of Bristol
- University of Cambridge
- Cardiff University
- Durham University
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Exeter
- University of Glasgow
- Imperial College London
- King’s College London
- University of Leeds
- University of Liverpool
- London School of Economics & Political Science
- University of Manchester
- Newcastle University
- University of Nottingham
- University of Oxford
- Queen Mary, University of London
- Queen’s University Belfast
- University of Sheffield
- University of Southampton
- University College London
- University of Warwick
- University of York
Does it actually make a difference? Well, lots of universities choose not to apply to be part of the group, however, a careers adviser for The Uni Guide, Gill Sharp, said: ‘By banding together, Russell Group ucan are able to put more funding, contracts, grants and awards their way. Why does that matter to you? Because success breeds success.
‘With more money to invest in research and other projects, the knock-on effect is that these unis are better equipped to attract the top staff and students, which then further cements their academic prestige.’
Is Manchester University good?
The University of Manchester has 25 Nobel Prize winners to its name, but there is really only one true way of knowing how ‘good’ a uni is, besides its rankings, by it sreviews its students, past and present, give it.
Manchester has been given a total of 4.5 stars out of five on the Student Crowd after receiving more than 600 student reviews – though, rankings do come in here a bit as this meant it was ranked fourth out of the 140 UK unis.
Many of the reviews praise the uni’s organisation, facilities and the knowledgeable and helpful staff – taken from reviews in the last six months when written.
One student wrote in April 2022: ‘Lives up to the hype of being one of the best UK universities. I love the University of Manchester. Courses are really well-organised and the timed plan for each unit is given at the very start of the unit.
‘All students are assigned a personal tutor to guide with their studies and management. We are also assigned a tutor in each subject who can provide closer support with subject material. The staff are great, helpful, and have a wealth of knowledge and experience in their subjects.’
Another said: ‘It’s one of the best Universities in Manchester and it shows. It is huge and has beautiful campus stretched around the city, with very aesthetic construction. The professors are mostly great and are all very competent in their field. I enjoyed attending the classes most of the times, and the academic focus is very strong.’
WhatUni reviews from students complimented the uni’s ‘amazing facilities’ as one Economics and Politics BAECOM student said: ‘The library and learning commons are great and offer amazing facilities and loads of space to study, 24/7.’
Why study at Manchester University?
The University of Manchester is recognised as a global powerhouse of research, with 93% of the University’s research activity assessed as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ in the Research Excellence Framework (REF), 2021.
According, to IntoStudy the university prides itself ‘as one of the most respected institutions in the world, a reputation earned through the high quality of education offered throughout its almost 200-year history’.
The university has some impressive alumni including Professor Brian Cox, Benedict Cumberbatch, Phil Collins, and Nobel Prize winners John Sulston and Michael Smith.
But if its student reviews and famous alum aren’t enough to convince you to study at Manchester, its rankings are pretty impressive too.
The red brick university has ranked 17th in the UK, on the university league tables. Manchester has been ranked 28th in the QS World University Rankings 2022, maintaining its position in the top 100 universities globally. On the Times Higher Education (2022) the uni ranked 50th in the world, 16th in Europe, and eighth in the UK.
