to display sculptures and won a RIBA regional award.
=== Reputation and rankings ===
The Sunday Times described Manchester in 2006 as having "a formidable reputation spanning most disciplines, but most notably in the life sciences, engineering, humanities, economics, sociology and the social sciences". Manchester was also given an award for excellence and innovation in the arts by the Times Higher Education Awards 2010.
According to The Graduate Market in 2024 published by High Fliers Research, Manchester was the second most targeted university by the top 100 graduate employers in the UK in 2023-24.
In 2025-26, the University of Manchester was ranked 35th in the QS World University Rankings. In 2025, it was ranked joint 53rd by Times Higher Education and 46th by the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities. Nationally, it was ranked 28th in 2025 by the Complete University Guide, while in 2026 it was ranked 36th by The Guardian and 27th by The Times.
Luke Georgiou, Manchester's deputy president and deputy vice-chancellor, said in 2022 that: "The ranking tables, despite their limitations, give a consistent picture of The University of Manchester’s excellence in national and global terms."
=== Admissions ===
Manchester received 92,500 UCAS main scheme applications for undergraduate courses in 2024. It had the 20th highest average entry qualification for undergraduates of any UK university in 2022, with new students averaging 166 UCAS points, equivalent to 1/4 of a grade below A*A*A* in A-level grades. The university gave offers of admission to 57.7% of its UK-domiciled undergraduate applicants in 2024.
15.7% of Manchester's undergraduates were privately educated in 2019-20, the 23rd highest proportion amongst mainstream British universities. In 2023-24, 18,660 of Manchester's 46,915 students (40%) were from outside the UK in 2023–24, with 9,090 (49% of international students, 19% of all students) coming from China. It was identified by Times Higher Education in 2023 as having the fifth highest proportion …
