Entry requirements
A level
AAB, including A in Mathematics. We do not accept two A/S Levels grades in place of one A Level. Typical Contextual Offer: ABB, including A in Mathematics
AS level results are not considered as part of the standard admissions process at The University of Manchester.
Access to HE Diploma
We require a QAA-recognised Access to HE Diploma (a minimum of 60 credits overall with at least 45 at Level 3), with merit or distinction in a subject area relevant to the chosen course. Typical applicant - A mature student returning to education after a number of years. Typical offer - Pass Access to HE Diploma with 45 level 3 credits (39 Distinctions/6 Merits). Applicants must also have a Grade A at A-level Maths. Minimum Grade C in GCSE English Language. Contact: Tom McCunnie, tom.mccunnie@manchester.ac.uk.
We consider the Cambridge Pre-U when offered alongside mathematics A level. We require a Diploma in a relevant subject at Grades DD and A level mathematics Grade A.
The University recognises the benefits of the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and the opportunities it provides for applicants to develop independent study and research skills. Although the Extended Project will not be included in the conditions of your offer, we strongly encourage you to provide information about the EPQ in your personal statement and at interview. A number of our academic Schools may also choose to take your performance in the EPQ into account should places be available in August for applicants who narrowly miss the entry grades for their chosen course.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
Applicants must demonstrate a broad general education including acceptable levels of Literacy and Numeracy, equivalent to at least Grade C/4 in GCSE/iGCSE English Language and Grade B/6 in GCSE/iGCSE Mathematics. GCSE/iGCSE English Literature will not be accepted in lieu of GCSE/iGCSE English Language.
35 points overall, 6,6,5 at Higher Level to include 6 in Mathematics. Applicants taking English Language A must achieve Grade 4 at Higher or Standard level. Applicants offering English Language B must achieve Grade 5 at Higher level and Grade 6 at Standard level.
OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma
The School accepts OCR Cambridge Technical (CTEC) Level 3 qualifications for entry as long as it is in a relevant subject and taken alongside A-levels, to include A-level Mathematics at Grade A. Accepted with Grades DD in combination with A-level Mathematics at Grade A.
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate
The School accepts OCR Cambridge Technical (CTEC) Level 3 qualifications for entry as long as it is in a relevant subject and taken alongside A-levels, to include A-level Mathematics at Grade A. Accepted with Grade D in combination with twos A-levels at Grade AA in different subject areas to the diploma, including A-level Mathematics at Grade A.
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
The School accepts OCR Cambridge Technical (CTEC) Level 3 qualifications for entry as long as it is in a relevant subject and taken alongside A-levels, to include A-level Mathematics at Grade A. Accepted with Grades DMM in combination with A-level Mathematics at Grade A.
The School accepts OCR Cambridge Technical (CTEC) Level 3 qualifications for entry as long as it is in a relevant subject and taken alongside A-levels, to include A-level Mathematics at Grade A. Accepted with Grade M in combination with twos A-levels at Grade A in different subject areas to the diploma, including A-level Mathematics at Grade A.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
The School accepts Pearson BTEC Level 3 qualifications for entry as long as it is in a relevant subject and taken alongside A-levels, to include A-level Mathematics at Grade A. Accepted with Grades DD in combination with A-level Mathematics at Grade A.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)
The School accepts Pearson BTEC Level 3 qualifications for entry as long as it is in a relevant subject and taken alongside A-levels, to include A-level Mathematics at Grade A. Accepted with Grade D in combination with twos A-levels at Grade AA in different subject areas to the diploma, including A-level Mathematics at Grade A.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
The School accepts Pearson BTEC Level 3 qualifications for entry as long as it is in a relevant subject and taken alongside A-levels, to include A-level Mathematics at Grade A. Accepted with Grades DMM in combination with A-level Mathematics at Grade A.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
The School accepts Pearson BTEC Level 3 qualifications for entry as long as it is in a relevant subject and taken alongside A-levels, to include A-level Mathematics at Grade A. Accepted with Grade M in combination with twos A-levels at Grade A in different subject areas to the diploma, including A-level Mathematics at Grade A.
AABB in Scottish Highers and Advanced Higher Grade A in Mathematics. Applicants not taking English Language or Mathematics at Higher level must achieve Grade C in English Language and Grade B in mathematics at SCQF Level 5.
AABB in Scottish Highers and Advanced Higher Grade A in Mathematics. Applicants not taking English Language or Mathematics at Higher level must achieve Grade C in English Language and Grade B in mathematics at SCQF Level 5.
The University welcomes and recognises the value of the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma/Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate and usually requires two A Levels or equivalent to be included within this. We consider the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma/Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate as equivalent to an A-level on a grade-for-grade basis, but it will not be considered in place of A-level Mathematics.
UCAS Tariff
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About this course
- Are you interested in economic principles, mathematical modelling and econometric techniques?
- Do you want to develop analytical reasoning and quantitative techniques that will set you up for the world of work?
- Are you keen to explore a range of different branches of economics before specialising?
BSc Economics is our single honours course for economics specialists . It is a quantitative economics course, and as such you will need to have a strong mathematical background. You should be intending to advance your knowledge in order to become a skilled economist, proceed to postgraduate training in the best universities, or start a career in a renowned organisation, in either the private or public sector.
Modern professional economists need to have a clear understanding of economic principles in order to recognise and model relevant economic problems, and they need to be equipped with mathematical and econometric tools in order to solve and analyse such problems. The BSc Economics degree provides you with the required training by having at its core a compulsory stream of units in economic principles , mathematical modelling and econometric techniques .
In the first two years of your degree you will have compulsory units in core economics and quantitative methods (Mathematical Economics, Statistics and Econometrics). These core units will provide and excellent basis for any job as a professional economist.
Throughout your degree you can choose from a range of optional course units. These units, in particular in your third year, offer the opportunity for further specialisation in an area of particular interest to you. We offer optional course units in a wide range of economic sub-disciplines reflecting the research strengths of the department. Students often choose to focus their optional choices along certain specialisations; for example:
- Econometrics & Mathematical Economics. Students that are aiming to continue with postgraduate studies will often choose this pathway as the econometrics course units will often feature prominently in these programmes and the mathematical economics course units will deliver excellent preparation for the formal elements of their further education.
- Financial Economics. A popular option if you are looking to work in the City, have a particular interest in financial or monetary issues, or are interested in postgraduate training and research in Economics and Finance.
In this way, your focus can be linked to the kind of career you wish to pursue after graduation.
Irrespective of the particular area you are focusing on, employers look for candidates who can produce sound and clear reports that make sense of the available data using advanced quantitative skills in analysis and modelling . The analytical reasoning, essay writing and quantitative techniques provided in the BSc degree give our graduates the very best employment prospects and a healthy start in their post-Manchester career. These skills can be further developed and sharpened by choosing an optional dissertation in your third year.
**Special Features**
A Chair in Political Economy was founded at the University in 1854, making it one of the oldest centres for the study of economics in the UK. Since then many famous names in economics have worked here, including three Nobel prize-winners.
In REF 2014 (Economics & Econometrics) Manchester Economics was ranked 7th out of 28 Economics departments in terms of research power (Grade Point Average multiplied by FTE). Overall, 75% of our activity was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent (achieving a 4* or 3). This includes:
- 64.9% of outputs rated 4/3*
- 90% of impact rated 4*/3*
- 100% of environment rated 4*/3*
**Our Students**
- Economics (BSc) students in figures (2018):
- Students on the course came from 29 countries
- Their ages ranged from 17 - 24
- The male / female ratio was 68 : 32
Tuition fees
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Extra funding
The University is committed to supporting students from low-income households through our financial support packages detailed below. Full-time UK students do not need to apply for Manchester’s bursaries separately but should ensure that they consent to share their financial details with the University when making an application to Student Finance England. http://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/student-finance/2019/
The Uni
University of Manchester
School of Social Sciences

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How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Economics
Teaching and learning
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Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Economics
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
What do graduate employment figures really tell you?This is a degree in demand, as business increasingly needs workers who can examine and explain complex data. And yet the number of economics graduates fell by nearly 10% last year, which means demand is even greater. As so many economic grads go into banking and finance, it's not surprising that over half of all 2015's economics graduates who did go into work were working in London. And don't think it's just the finance industry that's interested in these graduates - there's a significant number who enter the IT industry to work with data as analysts and consultants. It's quite common for economics graduates to go into jobs such as accountancy and management consultancy which may require you to take more training and gain professional qualifications - so don’t assume you won’t have to take any more exams once you leave uni. And the incentive to take them, of course, is better pay, which will be on top of an already healthy average starting salary of over £30,000 for graduates working in the capital.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Economics
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£23k
£31k
£38k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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