The University of Manchester, Masters in English Literature and American studies
Reviewed on Jun 18, 2025(Enrolled 2024)What Students Say
Likes
- Inclusivity-- The environment is very inclusive and welcoming so one doesn't feel left out.
- Diversity-- People of all backgrounds and ethnicities come together to study and it helps create a wonderful experience.
- Support-- The professors, faculty and admin really go to great lengths to help and support you with whatever you may need.
Dislikes
- I haven't found the course to be as extensive as i had expected it to be.
- The careers' service is a bit partial towards business courses and doesn't represent arts courses much.
- The assessment and feedback is quite rushed into the semester, so it can feel very quick at times.
Scholarship Received
Bursary scholarship
2,500
Course Curriculum
8
- My course was quite demanding in terms of the amount of reading we had to do and the pace of classes. However, it was manageable after 1 month. It was majorly theoretical.
- The most positive aspect of my course was a small cohort size, which made sure we all had space to speak up in class. However, due to the nature of seminars, there was barely any teaching, as it was mostly just discussions.
- We had about 3 days of seminars in a week, and all were ranging from 2 to 3 hours a day.
- The average number of students in my class was 12-20 people. There were only 6 indian students in my course.
Admission Experience
- I applied to 7 Universities, here are the stats:
- I got confirmed admission from the University of Leeds, University of Liverpool, Queen Mary University of London, University of Warwick, and University of Manchester.
- I got rejected from the University of Glasgow and the University of Bristol.
- I wasn't accepted into the 2 universities, possibly because my cgpa wasn't as high as they needed it to be.
- I chose the University of Manchester as my final option because of the quality of education, ample availability of part-time jobs in the city and the location of the University.
- After filling out the application form, I had to submit a writing sample for eligibility and an IELTS score, after which i got a letter of acceptance from them.
- My course only needed the IELTS score; the minimum had to be a 7 overall.
- The overall experience was really easy because I went through my application and admission process using external consultant services from TFM Overseas Education Consultants. I didn't face any challenges, as my CAS certificate, visa and scholarship arrived well in time. In fact, I received my offer very early on so I was able to finish everything ahead of time. I would recommend starting to apply right after the fall intake to be early in the process.
- I applied for the September 2024 intake, as i took a gap year after my undergrad.
- The admission process took about 7-8 months, including the reception of the CAS Certificate. I applied in October and received my acceptance letter by November after submitting my writing sample at the end of October. Later, in June, we received our Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies certificate, which helped apply for the visa. I received the scholarship in July and joined the University in September.
Faculty
10
- We had around 10-15 professors in our faculty and around 30 students in the course, which gave us enough one-on-one time with our faculty. This helped clear our doubts and problems quite efficiently.
- There wasn't a lot of teaching in my course, which made it challenging at times to keep up, but we are well equipped due to the discussions in class to acquire a job in the relevant field.
- They are open to having conversations and guiding the students for jobs but there's no in-depth assistance, as there's a separate team in the university for that.
- I appreciate our Head of Department, as they helped carry out all the student rep meetings efficiently and supported us through the semesters.
Campus Life
10
- Our university has just one campus but many buildings within it.
- We have sports grounds, gyms, a pool, libraries, study areas, cafes, bars, and even a small market on campus.
- We have Oktoberfest; freshers week is full of starter fairs.
- There are extracurricular activities such as badminton tournaments, knitting and painting events, free movie nights, spin the wheel giveaways, etc.
Part Time Jobs
- Not a lot of pgt students get TA, RA, or DA positions, as those are reserved for PhD students primarily.
- All roles otherwise on university payroll are 12.49 pounds per hour.
- The other roles available to students on campus are content creator roles, student ambassador roles, course and school rep roles, and media team roles. All wages are 12.49 pounds per hour mostly.
- We are allowed 20 hours a week. It is quite easy if one is proactive in their job search.
- Students earn anything more than 12.21 pounds per hour, as that's the minimum wage in the UK. - It is comparatively easy in manchester if one is proactive in their approach and learns how to apply for UK jobs. - One generally has to apply for part-time jobs through linkedin, indeed, glassdoor or company websites using an online question form and their cv. After the first round, sometimes there's a video round and the final interview.
Placement
8
- There are a lot of students who have secured full-time jobs already; it all depends on their networking skills.
- The minimum salary would be 25,000 pounds a year for a graduate role. It can range up to 35,000 pounds.
- Students generally apply for jobs from linkedin and indeed, and other networking events.
- A couple of my batchmates have been hired as interns in publishing houses within manchester, some have joined the university itself.
- There's no straight answer to that, as most people go on to follow different streams after the course. However, the university does hire a lot of students after graduation.
Accommodation
Off Campus
10
- I found my accommodation through the sanctuary students website with the help of my consultants at TFM Overseas Education Consultants.
- My monthly rent is 848 pounds, and we have all bills included along with free Wi-Fi. We have to pay for our laundry separately at the accommodation itself.
- I found it difficult to pay the entire rent at one go
- I would suggest looking for co-living flats if you want to go for something more affordable. But if your budget is comfortable, go for student accommodation.
- It was only a 10 minute walk. Most indian students stay in student accommodations near the campus or in salford apartments.
Exams
- I was required only to appear for the IELTS Exam. We were required to have a minimum score of 7.
- We needed to submit a Statement of purpose, Letter of Recommendation from professors, and Marksheets from Undergrad and high school. After that, we were also asked to submit a writing sample.
- No, we had no interviews and only finalised through the application form and submissions.
Fees
- My accommodation costs about 848 pounds per month, and the course fee was 26,000 pounds per year. The total expenses for rent and fee for the year are about 36,000 pounds.
- There's an option to make a yearly or semester-wise payment.
- Monthly expenses are very subjective but I spend around 250 pounds on groceries. I purchased a bus pass for 105 pounds for term time and 848 pounds for the rent. One can set aside another 50-100 pounds for outings.
Scholarship
- I received a bursary scholarship from the Arts school, and I had to fill out an application form for the same.
- I received a scholarship of 2500 pounds.
- Yes, there were others who received the Global Futures Scholarship of 8000 pounds.
- There are hundreds of students who get scholarships and the typical award amount ranges from 2500 pounds to 10000 pounds.
