[University home]

Institute for Development Policy and Management
Part of the School of Environment and Development (SED)

How to apply


A complete application consists of:

Applicants to IDPM programmes are advised that their application may be processed more quickly if they also submit the following:

For academic and English language entry requirements, please refer to individual course pages.


Apply online


Once your application has been received you will be contacted by our admissions team. Please note that you may be asked to submit additional information if necessary. We aim to process decisions on taught masters applications within 5 working days from the receipt of a complete application and any additional information required.

Part-time Study

Part-time students complete the full-time programme over 24 months.Please note that there are no evening or weekend course units available on our part-time programmes. If you are considering taking a programme on a part-time basis, you should therefore discuss the requirements with the Programme Director first (see links to contact details on each individual programme page), and check the timetable to ensure that you can attend the compulsory classes. You should also seek approval from your employer to have the relevant time off. Timetabling information is normally available from late August from the Programme Administrator and you will have the opportunity to discuss course unit choices during induction week with the Programme Director.


Important information for international applicants to The University of Manchester

Tier 4 Points Based Immigration System

In March 2009 the UK government introduced a Points Based System (PBS) for immigration. Tier 4 of this system affects international students from outside the EEA/EU applying for entry clearance/a student visa to come to the UK and is intended to produce a more transparent and objective application process to benefit all parties. Under this system, applicants will need to be sponsored by an institution which is registered as an Official Sponsor.

Further details of the Points-Based System can be found on the University website.

English Language

For undergraduate or postgraduate degrees, Schools will be able to assess and verify an applicant’s ability in English language for the purpose of admissions. Assessing this will be in the usual way by means of a Secured English Language Test (SELT) i.e. TOEFL, IELTS or Pearson Test.  A SELT test is valid for 2 years prior to the start of the academic year of entry, after which a new test will be required. For countries previously accepted on the basis of English being the Language of Instruction further evidence to assess this to a specific level acceptable by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) is now required.

A document explaining this can be downloaded from the UKBA website.

The table below shows acceptable certificates and grades that applicants are required to provide as part of their initial application. Should a qualification not be seen on the list below applicants can raise any concerns about this directly to the school. sed.admissions@manchester.ac.uk

Applicants who do not provide this evidence may not be granted Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for visa applications.

It should be noted that these certificates and grades relate to 2011-2012 entry, a final decision has not been taken by the UKBA about these requirements for 2012-2013, therefore it may be that we need to request additional proof of English proficiency from applicants at a later date, to ensure you can be issued with a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).

Qualification Minimum grade required
Cameroon General Certificate of Education C
Caribbean Examinations Council Secondary Education Certificate C
India Standard XII 65%
Kenya KCSE C
Malawi School Certificate of Education 1 - 6
Nigerian Education Council Certificate (NECO) C5
South Africa - National Senior Certificate C
Tanzanian National Examination C
Ugandan Certificate of Education 6
West Africa Education Certificate (WAEC) C6
Zambia - General Certificate of Education 1 - 6
Zimbabwe - CIE - IGCSE Eng Lang C