Course Units and Academic Matters

Academic Course Units

If you are joining us under a Subject-Specific Exchange: 

Many* students on a subject-specific exchange can complete self-enrolment onto Level 1 and 2 course units. 

The process of self-enrolling is already underway for subject-specific exchange students. Level 2 course units open for selection in early August, and Level 1 units open on 1 September, and you should therefore access your portal (find instructions here: https://www.studentsupport.manchester.ac.uk/study-support/course-unit-selection/) and select your units at Levels 1 and 2 in accordance with these dates. 

Remember that you can only enrol onto course units covered by the subject area of our exchange. If you want to enrol on units in another subject area, the PIP team will complete these enrolments for you from the choices you submitted via the online course unit selection from. In addition, Level 3 units almost always require academic approval, and the PIP team will therefore complete Level 3 enrolments for you (unless you have specifically been advised to complete these enrolments yourself). 

*Students joining us under a French, German, Spanish, Portuguese or Italian languages exchange will receive a list of the units available to them directly from a Manchester academic coordinator. Administrators in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures will complete the course unit enrolment process for you, and you should not attempt to enrol yourself onto any course units. 

If you are joining us under a University-Wide Exchange/Fee-Paying Study Abroad Programme: 

By now you should have submitted your course unit choices and the PIP team is in the process of completing your course enrolments. After you have completed Registration, you will be able to see the units upon which you are enrolled in your MyManchester portal. Different course units open for enrolment at different times (particularly at Level 1), and so when you see your enrolment summary, not all the units will show there at the same time – some may be added later.  

Simultaneously, we send your transcripts and course choices to academics for them to review, to assess whether you have the background for any Level 3 units you have chosen. If they consider you do not, or if there is any other reason why you are unable to take one of your chosen units (e.g. the unit is full, no longer running, switched semester etc.), we will email you to notify you of this. This is an ongoing process which only ends two weeks after teaching starts (the ‘add/drop’ period). You MUST have a degree of flexibility with the units you are able to take. This is because we cannot guarantee places on any units ahead of academic approval/enrolment, nor that the units you have selected will not clash with each other in the timetable.  

There is an ‘add/drop’ period at the start of semester and you will be able to use this to make changes if you have timetable clashes/course units are withdrawn etc. You have two weeks from the first day of teaching to finalise your study programme.  

Note that the PIP Office will enrol you onto course units. Do not attempt to enrol yourself onto any course units at any time.  

A full course load for an academic year at The University of Manchester is normally 120 UK credits (60 per semester). It is not possible to register for more than this, although it may be possible, in certain circumstances, to register for fewer (but no less than 50 per semester). This MUST be agreed with your home institution.  

Please note that semester 1 courses (ending in 1) are only available in semester 1 and semester 2 courses (ending in 2) are only available in semester 2. Full year courses (ending in 0) can only be taken if you are applying for the full year.  

Please do not worry if this is confusing as this will be explained in more detail at your induction session.