The University of Manchester

The University of Manchester is a public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester City Centre on Oxford Road. The university is considered a red brick university, a product of the civic university movement of the late 19th century. The current University of Manchester was formed in 2004 following the merger of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) and the Victoria University of Manchester. This followed a century of the two institutions working closely with one another.

UMIST had its origins in the Manchester Mechanics' Institution, which was founded in 1824. The present University of Manchester considers this date, which is also the date of foundation of the ancestor of the Royal School of Medicine and Surgery, one of the predecessor institutions of the Victoria University of Manchester, as its official foundation year. The founders of the Mechanics' Institution believed that all professions, to some extent, depended on science. As such, the institute taught working individuals branches of science relevant to their existing occupations, believing its practical application would encourage innovation and advancements within those fields. The Victoria University of Manchester was founded in 1851, as Owens College. Academic research undertaken by the university was published via the Manchester University Press from 1904.

Manchester is the third-largest university in the United Kingdom by total enrolment and receives over 92,000 undergraduate applications per year, making it the most popular university in the UK by volume of applications. The University of Manchester is a member of the Russell Group, the N8 Group, and the US-based Universities Research Association. Additionally, the university owns and operates major cultural assets such as the Manchester Museum, the Whitworth art gallery, the John Rylands Library, the Tabley House Collection and the Jodrell Bank Observatory – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university and its predecessor institutions have had 26 Nobel laureates amongst their past and present students and staff.