Our history and heritage

On 7 April 1824, the Manchester Mechanics’ Institute was formally established. Its main purpose included educating artisans and skilled workers in the scientific principles of their trade. It aimed to create a more skillful and efficient workforce, extending Manchester’s textile and engineering industries.

Manchester School of Design opened in 1838 in response to a growing feeling that British industries were losing markets to overseas competitors. By providing design education for the region’s artisans, it was hoped to reduce the dependency on overseas firms.

New initiatives were widening the opportunities available for those wanting to continue their education after they had left school, resulting in the opening of several Schools and Colleges:

• 1878: School of Education
• 1880: School of Domestic Science
• 1889: School of Commerce
• 1911: Former Domestic and Trades College (latterly Hollings College)
• 1912: Cheshire Training College

By 1914 few cities could match the overall provision of advanced education offered by Manchester.

The outbreak of the First World War brought an end to years of expansion. School buildings were requisitioned and courses were organised to assist the war effort, with some staff directly employed in military research projects.

The attendance of male students declined as military recruitment drives intensified. Meanwhile, female students took more places, some in subjects they had never attended before.

Student numbers increased during the 1920s, reaching some 6,600 by 1929–1930. By the end of the 1930s, numbers remained well above pre-war levels. 

The Second World War saw educational institutions once again finding ways of directly supporting the war efforts, and the war inevitably disrupted all parts of the education system.

Discussions about the nature of the post-war education system led to the 1944 Education Act. The Act led to changes which included:

• the School of Commerce became the College of Commerce (1951)
• the College of Science and Technology, which started life as the Manchester Mechanics’ Institution, became John Dalton College of Technology (1964)
• Manchester School of Art, which opened as Manchester School of Design in 1938, became the Manchester College of Art and Design (1963). 

Polytechnics were developed from existing local authority colleges and, in Manchester, the Manchester College of Art and Design, College of Commerce and the John Dalton College of Technology merged to create the Manchester Polytechnic in 1970.

In January 1977, a merger of Didsbury College, Hollings College and Manchester Polytechnic was formally established, making Manchester Polytechnic the largest in the country. The student body increased from 9,500 to over 12,000, and 250 courses were offered, up from 160.

The merger of Manchester Polytechnic and the City of Manchester College of Higher Education in 1983 strengthened the Polytechnic’s position as the centre of teacher education in Manchester and one of the strongest national providers.

By 1984, Manchester Polytechnic was almost twice the size of the average polytechnic. Apart from the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and London, it was the largest educational institution in Britain, with around 15,000 students and 1,000 academic staff.

In recognition of the success of polytechnics in developing an alternative form of higher education, they were granted the powers to award their own degrees in 1992. Manchester Polytechnic became Manchester Metropolitan University.

Later that year, Manchester Metropolitan merged with the Crewe and Alsager College of Higher Education, making one of the country’s largest institutions even larger, with over 20,000 students enrolled.

1996 saw Her Majesty The Queen officially open the Geoffrey Manton building, the new home of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

Manchester Writing School, a thriving centre of creative excellence and one of the world’s largest and most successful literary centres, was established in 1998. The School plays a key role in Manchester’s global reputation as a city where literature changes lives.

Our award-winning environmentally sustainable Business School building opened in 2012. It’s home to our triple-accredited Business School and Manchester Law School.

The University’s Centre for Enterprise was also established that year to provide research, tailored support and world-class facilities for small and medium-sized enterprises, supporting more than 2,000 SMEs since 2012.

The iconic Benzie Building, home to the Manchester School of Art, opened on the School’s 175th anniversary. The building was named after the outgoing chair of governors Alan Benzie, who was instrumental in securing funding for the building.

Brooks Building opened in 2014 as a state-of-the-art learning and teaching environment for the Faculty of Health and Education. More than 8,500 staff and students are based at Brooks Building, which was named after former Vice-Chancellor Professor John Brooks.

Two years later, the University committed to a further capital investment of over £400m with many more developments to come.

Professor Malcom Press was appointed Vice-Chancellor in June 2015, taking over from Professor John Brooks who held the post from 2005–2015.

In 2016, Professor Brooks was awarded an honorary degree for his transformative years at the helm of the University overseeing a £350 million investment as the University evolved from seven campuses to two.

In 2019, Manchester Met was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Mother Tongue, Other Tongue, an annual poetry contest for pupils run by the Manchester Writing School which celebrates poetry written in other languages.

That same year, the Business School joined an elite global group of triple accredited institutions. It was recognised for its high standards, quality and reputation by three influential accreditation bodies and has retained the accolade to this day.

Grosvenor East building opened for the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in 2020. It is home to Manchester Poetry Library, Manchester Writing School and Manchester School of Theatre and will help to strengthen teaching and research for the creative and cultural industries.

Our innovative School of Digital Arts (SODA) opened in 2021—a £35m investment into the next generation of creative talent that supports Manchester’s ambition to become one of the world’s leading digital cities.

Our newest student accommodation, Archway Halls, also opened in September 2021.

We also demonstrated our strength in the Research Excellence Framework 2021 with a huge increase in the number of our academics delivering ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ research. We also have four subjects in the top 10 for research power—Art and Design, Education, English and Sport.

Our brand new Institute of Sport opened its doors to students in January 2022, bringing together pioneering research, partnerships and teaching in sport, exercise and health.

We received Gold status in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and were rated as an outstanding university for our student experience.

We were also once again named as one of the UK’s leading sustainable universities in the People & Planet University league. We first achieved top ranking in 2013 and this third-placed finish marked 10 years as a top-three ranked university.

2024 sees Manchester Met celebrating its 200th anniversary after two centuries of driving progress through the power of excellent education and research. To mark our 200th anniversary, we’re showcasing our successes and the incredible work we’re doing to build a better future for all.

Planning permission for our new state-of-the-art library has also been granted. The iconic new building will provide a modern and dynamic learning environment and is due for completion in spring 2028. 2024 will also see the completion of the new home for our Faculty of Science and Engineering, the Dalton Building.