Manchester Access Programme (MAP)

What it gives

application support · living costs

up to £1,300

£1,300 Undergraduate Access Scholarship if progressing to Manchester, plus reduced A-level offer (up to 2 grades)

Who it is for

other categories — see terms

Level of study: Access to HE

The student finance condition

Open to applicants who do receive student finance

Having no access to student finance is not a condition here: people with recognised refugee status who already receive a student loan can apply.

How to apply

You do not need to wait for an offer — the scholarship application can run alongside admission.

Complete the online MAP application form (about an hour) once the annual window opens (2027 cycle opens November 2026)
Answer questions confirming you meet the essential criteria and at least one Category A priority criterion
Upload GCSE/equivalent results certificates if applying under the Medicine/Dentistry strand, or Free School Meals evidence if claiming that criterion
Applications are scored and reviewed January–March; highest-scoring applicants receive offers until capacity is reached
Outcome notified in early March; successful applicants later get a reduced A-level offer (up to 2 grades) when applying to Manchester

What to prepare

GCSE/equivalent results slips or certificates (Medicine/Dentistry applicants only)
Free School Meals evidence (if claiming that criterion)

How they select

application form · evidence of circumstances

There is no interview — the decision is made on documents. On most routes there are no subject entrance exams either: the main hurdle on the way into university is proving your level of English. The exceptions are medicine, dentistry and creative courses, where tests and portfolios do appear.

Dates

Can you apply now · as of 6 September 2026

Opens: November 2026

Where the date comes from: “next cycle (MAP 2027) opens November 2026»

Deadline

Current cycle closed; next round opens November 2026 for 2027 entry

When applications open

Opens mid-November, closes mid-December each year; outcomes given early March; next cycle (MAP 2027) opens November 2026

For how many years

Given for one year. For the next year you have to apply again or find other support.

Ask before you apply

We do not fill in the gaps for the institution. Here is what its own page leaves unclear — these are normal questions, everyone asks them.

What happens to the payments if I am granted refugee status mid-year?

Who to write to: +44 (0)161 306 6000

If this scheme is not for you

See the full list of schemes — it has a filter for your status and for whether student finance is available to you.
Check whether you are entitled to student finance — if it is, a scholarship stops being the only road.
Foundation year and Access to HE — routes for people who only have a school certificate.
Education hub — where to start if you have not chosen a route yet.

About the institution

University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester. The essential criteria require applicants to be 'a UK national or have settled status', while 'sanctuary seekers (such as asylum seekers or refugees)' are separately listed as a Category A priority criterion — the page does not explain how the two requirements interact for an applicant without settled status.

Mostly school leavers. Only 9% of students are over 30. If you are over 35, look at other universities on the list — there are more adults there.

In detail about The University of Manchester: all schemes, student ages, study modes →

Source

Every fact on this page we opened and read on the institution's own site, rather than taking it from an aggregator. Checked on: 22 August 2026.

The scheme page on the institution's site →

General widening-participation programme for Year-12 Greater Manchester students; page says Sanctuary Seekers who miss essential criteria are still encouraged to apply, but this is NOT a dedicated refugee scheme. […]