occupations, marches and student's withholding their rent in University accommodation. The university's response to the protests included using bailiffs to evict occupiers and taking disciplinary action against some occupiers. Despite outcry from the students, which included a referendum where 97% of students voted for the university to reduce rent prices, the following year the university continued to increase rent prices for its students. Some of the university-owned accommodation increased by up to 10% in rent price, compared to the previous year.
== Campus ==
The university's main site contains most of its facilities and is often referred to as the campus, however Manchester is not a campus university as the concept is commonly understood. It is centrally located in the city and its buildings are integrated into the fabric of Manchester, with non-university buildings and major roads between.
The campus comprises two parts:
North campus or Sackville Street Campus, centred on Sackville Street in Manchester
South campus or Oxford Road Campus, centred on Oxford Road
Student accommodation is located on three residential campuses: the City campus, adjacent to the academic departments; the Fallowfield campus approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the main site; and the Victoria Park campus between the City and Fallowfields campuses.
As of 2025, most of the former North Campus has migrated to the Oxford Road Campus, with the Sackville Street site now home to the SISTER regeneration area (formerly ID Manchester). This is a joint venture between Bruntwood SciTech and the University of Manchester, set to become a £1.7 billion innovation district and new city centre neighbourhood. The Manchester City Council Strategic Regeneration Framework for the site was approved in 2017, and updated in 2023.
=== Old Quadrangle ===
The buildings around the Old Quadrangle date from the time of Owens College, and were designed in a Gothic style by Alfred Waterhouse. The first to be built was the John Owens Building (1873), formerly …
