Arrival in Manchester

Arrival

Please check the latest information here: https://www.welcome.manchester.ac.uk/get-ready/travel-and-visas/getting-to-manchester/  

Often the easiest way to get to your hall of residence/housing is to take either an Uber or a BLACK cab/taxi from the airport. Just follow the ‘taxi’ signs in Arrivals and make sure you have your Manchester address easily accessible as you will need to tell the driver where you are going.  

The fare should not be much more than £25, so make sure you have some sterling currency with you. Most taxis take credit/debit cards, but many students find that their first card transaction in the UK is blocked by their bank, so we recommend you carry a small amount of cash in case this happens.  

PLEASE DON’T ACCEPT LIFTS FROM PEOPLE INSIDE THE TERMINALS, THEY ARE NOT INSURED AND WILL CHARGE FAR MORE THAN IS NECESSARY  

There is also a train service from Manchester Airport to Manchester Piccadilly Train Station. Manchester Piccadilly Train Station has its own clearly signed taxi rank.

Once you have settled in to your accommodation, DO NOT FORGET TO CONTACT HOME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO LET YOUR FAMILY KNOW YOU HAVE ARRIVED SAFELY 

Housing in Manchester

Do NOT contact exchangestudy@manchester.ac.uk with questions about housing. Instead, email accommodation@manchester.ac.uk

If you have applied for university housing, you will be notified via email by the Accommodation Office (in August/December depending on when you arrive) where you have been allocated, i.e. the room, hall etc. Please read any instructions given and follow them carefully observing any deadlines.  You will be able to move in from the start date stated on your contract. 

If you wish to arrive in Manchester earlier, you would need to arrange your own accommodation (eg hotel) for the nights before your contract starts. 

If you wish to order any supplies such as bedding or kitchen equipment, you can do so via https://www.unikitout.com/?partner=University%20of%20Manchester  

Some university halls/residences do not have 24 hour receptions. Therefore, if you will be arriving in Manchester outside normal office hours (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm), please ensure that you contact your hall directly to make sure there is someone available to meet you when you get there. Once you have arrived at your hall, you may find that the front door is locked, however there should be a Residential Life Adviser on duty and instructions for contacting the tutor, i.e. telephone number, should be visible at the main entrance to your hall, i.e. front door. 

Please note that the minimum rental period is one semester – there are no refunds if you are doing alternative assessment at the end of semester 1 for example. 

Students staying in the private sector (i.e. not in University residences) must request a ‘Council Tax Exemption Certificate’ when they register. Note that students who live in the private sector and are staying for less than 6 months may be liable for Council Tax. 

The deadline to apply for university housing is 31 July (for September entry) or around 20 November (for January entry). It will not be possible to be allocated university housing if you do not meet these deadlines. In this case, you may wish to utilise the services of Manchester Student Homes - https://www.manchesterstudenthomes.com/Accommodation  

The choice of housing is more restricted in Semester 2, and so you may not be made an offer for a room in your preferred hall/s. We recommend that you accept any offer that our Accommodation Office make you. If you are made an offer of a room and you reject it, you will not be offered an alternative. There is a process to apply for a transfer after arrival. 

If you are applying for a Pre-Sessional English course, you must apply separately for the housing for your Pre-Sessional programme when completing the Pre-Sessional English application: https://www.ucae.manchester.ac.uk/study/pre-sessional-courses/how-to-apply/