Manchester’s universities ranked amongst best in the UK for lifestyle – but which is better?

Manchester’s two universities have been ranked in the top five in the UK in a new league table.

TickX’s Alternative University League Table 2020 doesn’t rank the academic institutions according to the usual factors like graduate prospects, entry standards, research quality and student satisfaction.

It ranks them using criteria which include the price of a pint, the number of pubs per sq mile, gig prices, and number of Deliveroo options. In other words, all the important stuff you need to know about after a hard day studying.

The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University are ranked fourth and fifth in the UK in the lifestyle league table, well ahead of the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford, which came 33rd and 38th respectively.

As you might expect, Manchester’s two universities are equal in some categories because students attend the same Manchester gigs and pay the same price for a pint, coming joint 8th in the table for gigs, joint 11th for club nights and joint 21st for student events overall.

But when it comes to enjoying a takeaway from the comfort of your room, Man Met falls  behind with a mere 210 Deliveroo options compared to Manchester University’s 214.

READ MORE: Here are some tips if you’re a student looking for a self-storage unit in Manchester over the summer

And the biggest differences between the two Manchester universities is in two categories – sustainability and accommodation costs.

According to the research, the University of Manchester is far cheaper for students than MMU, with an average hall rent price of just £306 – joint sixth in TickX’s table – compared to MMU’s £454, a lowly 46th.

But when it comes to sustainability, MMU blows Manchester University out of the water.

Whilst Manchester University finishes a lowly 38th for sustainability with a score of 39%, Manchester Met comes top of the league for sustainability with an incredible 77%, thanks to its variety of schemes and projects that aim to make the university and its students more environmentally friendly.

So if you’re thinking of going to university in Manchester and are looking to save money on accommodation, choose Manchester University. If you want to save the planet, choose Man Met.

FIND OUT MORE