United Kingdom: Alliance Manchester Bus. School

Manchester Business School, founded in 1965, was one of the first two business schools in the UK. Today’s Alliance Manchester Business School (MBS) formed as a result of the 2004 merger of the Institute of Innovation Research (IoIR), The Victoria University of Manchester’s School of Accounting and Finance, UMIST’s Manchester School of Management and Manchester Business School. MBS enrolls approximately 6,500 international students from more than 150 countries.

Subject rankings place Manchester in the global top 20 for Accounting and Finance. QS has ranked the School’s Accounting and Finance programs as 20th in the world. Measured alongside 1,129 universities around the world, Alliance MBS is one of Europe’s top 10 business schools, and is ranked as the UK’s leading business school outside of the London, Oxbridge triangle.

With the rapid implementation of MBS’ strategic vision there have recently been a lot of changes at Alliance MBS and across The University of Manchester. Beginning with the 2019-20 academic year, exchange students studying at Alliance MBS will experience the full benefit of brand new facilities.

Manchester is a thriving student city, arguably the student city in the UK, with over 100,000 students, approximately 500,000 inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of over 2.6 million. Located in Northern England, Manchester’s modernization dates back to the Industrial Revolution. Manchester is home to two premier football (American soccer) clubs, Manchester United and Manchester City. Manchester is also home to a very rich music scene. Oasis, The Smiths and New Order are just some of the bands that have emerged from Manchester. You can also take advantage of the city’s performing arts scene and many museums. The city is surrounded by three National Parks—The Peak District (30 mins by train), The Lake District(80 mins by train) and Snowdonia (135 mins by train)—and three capital cities: London (129 mins by train), and Edinburgh and Cardiff (both 188 mins by train). The International airport is also a convenient/economical gateway to Europe and beyond.

Quick Facts & Links

GPA Requirement: 3.00
Program Options: Exchange
- On an Exchange program, students “trade” places with a student from another institution and pay UNC tuition and fees. Please thoroughly review the “program cost” section below for specific information. For additional information about program types, click here.
Language of Instruction: English
Program Dates:
- Fall: September 16 (beginning of Welcome Week) to December 15, 2024
  - Online induction for new students begins on September 9, 2024
  - Semester 1 exams run through January 24, 2024, but exchange students may receive permission to take exams for most courses prior to the holiday break
- Spring: January 27 to June 6, 2025
Visit the AMBS Incoming Exchange Students website for more information
Meet program alumni
Accessibility Resources

Application Information

	This Program’s Level of Competitiveness = 2 Level of Competitiveness (1 = least, 3 = most)
1	Chance of acceptance is probable if students meet the minimum requirements.
2	Most students are typically accepted.
3	This is one of the most competitive programs. We recommend having a back-up option in mind.

Apply for a Kenan-Flagler Global Program and Global Programs scholarship through the same application system using your Kenan-Flagler credentials. Click the Apply Now button below to learn more about application deadlines, requirements, and to start your application!

Apply Now

Program Logistics

Academics

Please visit Global Academic Procedures for detailed credit and other academic information.

Important: Alliance Manchester Business School offers different courses in the fall and spring semesters.

You will enroll in five or six courses and transfer 15 or 18 credit hours of business core and elective courses towards the undergraduate business major or minor. Alliance Manchester Business School has a wide variety of courses and is particularly strong in the areas of international business, leadership, finance, marketing, and business law.

Courses taken at the Alliance Manchester Business School will transfer back to UNC Pass (MBS grade of 40 and above)/Fail (MBS grade of below 40). Pass grades do not affect your UNC GPA. Fail grades transfer back to UNC as Fs, which will affect your UNC GPA. Though transfer credit for this program is Pass/Fail, future employers and graduate schools will also look at the MBS transcript, so grades are important.

You will transfer back 3 UNC credits for every 10 MBS credit course, and are expected to take five to six courses worth 10 MBS credits each during the semester. If you earn a 40 or above in all courses you will receive a total of 15-18 UNC credits for your semester abroad. Alliance does also offer 20 credit hour courses, worth 6 UNC credits, but the maximum amount of business credit any one course can receive is 3 credit hours. Thus, if a 20 credit course is approved for business credit, the other 3 hours will count as general elective hours.

For students looking to study at Alliance in the Fall of 2024 and beyond, view the ‘Credit Hour Conversions’ accordion on the ‘Academics Procedures‘ page for more information on credit hour conversion from Alliance to UNC as the above guidance is for the Academic Year 2023-2024, and the credit hour conversion is slightly shifting starting Fall 2024.

Please note that AMBS Semester One (the fall term) has their final examinations in late- January. If you are studying abroad for the Fall term and will be returning to UNC in the spring, you will be able to leave at the end of the teaching period in December, and not have to stay for exams in late-January, however, alternative arrangements will be made for your AMBS courses. You will be given alternative assessment in place of late-January in-person examinations. This may be in the form of coursework/essays, group projects, online exams etc. Some extended January deadlines for submission of coursework may be given and students will be advised on the submission process following arrival. Note that if you are permitted to sit an online exam in January, you must sit it at the same time as other students, even if this is the middle of the night according to your timezone.

This program also fulfills the Experiential Education requirement or the High Impact Experience requirement (if you are under the new IDEAs curriculum). Full-time enrollment in this program is defined as a minimum of 12 credit hours.

Housing

The University Accommodation Office works to accommodate exchange students in University Halls. The specific hall and type of housing is not guaranteed, but you may indicate a preference for a self-catered or a catered hall, and you can view their housing options on their webpage here. The first semester contract terminates at the end of January and the full cost for the semester will need to be paid even if you are permitted to finish at Alliance MBS in December. The second semester contract terminates in June.

If you are interested in applying for housing through AMBS, you should apply online for accommodation as soon as you’ve received your acceptance letter from AMBS. Your application must be submitted online directly to the University of Manchester Accommodation Office, once you receive your official acceptance letter with your university User ID (details will be provided in your official acceptance letter).

Program Cost

We suggest you create your global program budget using our budget worksheet (xlsx) to help you think about your costs on this program:

Populate the figures from the tables below into the left side costs of attendance
Input your financial resources on the right

Your customized budget sheet can help determine your current financial status, and help you understand what additional funding you may need to help make this an affordable program option.

Cashier Billed Expenses*
Expense	Estimated Amount
UNC Tuition and Fees	Use the amount on the Tuition and Fees line and divide by 2 to get your cost
Fee UG Business Major/Minor	Based on major/minor enrollment
Global Programs Administrative Fee	$700
GeoBlue International Medical Insurance	$200

*Cashier Billed Expenses are those charges billed directly to your UNC ConnectCarolina account.

Out of Pocket Estimates**
Expense	Estimated Amount
International Airfare	$1,500
Housing	$3000
Meals	$3,000
Immigration Visa/Residence Permit	$150
Passport Application Fee	$165
Course Materials	$150
International Cell Phone Plan	$350
Personal Expenses
Travel Insurance	$400
Local Transportation	$750
Miscellaneous	$2,650


Other Personal Expenses***

Total Estimated Expenses (In-State):	$18,520
Total Estimated Expenses (Out-of-State):	$34,624

Withdrawal Policy: Once a student accepts their offer/enrolls on a study abroad program, the spot will be considered filled and will not be offered to another student. Students who withdraw from UBP Global are responsible for non-recoverable costs including the Global Programs Administrative Fee. Your student account will be assessed charges to cover any/all amounts that Kenan-Flagler UBP Global programs has committed or paid on your behalf and are non-recoverable at the time of withdrawal. Such costs include, housing, meals, transportation and any expenses that may be associated with faculty and support participation on your program (if applicable).

**Out of Pocket Estimates are based on the cost of the program, which is determined by combining the average costs our previous students have spent in each of these categories, along with the costs our partner provides to us as their averages. These estimates are subject to change based on exchange rate fluctuations, bank fees, and individual variances in costs of living.

***Other Expenses: our budget worksheet (xlsx) also has a place for you to input other expenses outside of the out-of-pocket estimates that you may incur, such as attending concerts or sporting events.

Funding your global program

Scholarships & Financial Aid

Travel Documents

Do you have a valid passport? If yes, check your passport’s expiration date to ensure that your passport is valid at least 6 months after your program’s scheduled end date. If not, you’ll need to submit a passport renewal application.

Do you need to apply for a passport (first time or renew)? If yes, we recommend that you get started on your passport application right away as you’ll need time to collect documents like your birth certificate to include as part of your application. For complete instructions click here.

Will I need immigration documents? If you are accepted into this program you will need to travel to a United Kingdom consulate/embassy in the United States to obtain a visa permitting you to study in the United Kingdom. For this appointment, you will need your passport in hand along with other documentation from our office and the host university office.

Meet with an Advisor

UBP students can schedule a meeting to learn more about this and other programs by clicking on the “Schedule Appointment” link below.

Schedule Appointment

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