About this event
Manchester is the UK's biggest student city, so graduation season is one of the busiest weekends in the calendar. The University of Manchester holds its main ceremonies at Whitworth Hall on Oxford Road in mid-July and again in December, with Manchester Metropolitan and the University of Salford graduating around the same windows. Guest tickets are limited, so most families travel in together and want to be close, comfortable and out of the hotel scramble.
A serviced apartment beats a row of hotel rooms for a graduation: everyone stays under one roof, there's space to get ready and hang the gown, a kitchen for breakfast before the ceremony and a living room to celebrate in afterwards. Our central and south-Manchester apartments are a short walk or single tram ride from the Oxford Road campuses, and our direct rates don't spike the way hotels near the universities do in July.
Getting to Whitworth Hall & city-centre campuses
The University of Manchester and Whitworth Hall sit on Oxford Road, a 15–20 minute walk from the city centre and well served by the frequent Oxford Road bus corridor (one of the busiest in Europe) and the free Metroshuttle.
Manchester Metropolitan's campus is on the same Oxford Road stretch by All Saints; the University of Salford is a short tram ride out on the Eccles line. From most of our city-centre apartments you can reach any of them in under 20 minutes.
Piccadilly and Oxford Road railway stations are both within easy reach for family travelling in by train on the morning of the ceremony.
Parking & driving in
Parking around Oxford Road on a graduation day is very limited and pricey. The easier plan is an apartment with its own parking a little out of the centre, then tram or taxi in, filter the properties page by "Free Parking" to see the options.
Food & drink nearby
For the celebration meal, book ahead, graduation weekends fill the best tables fast. Spinningfields (Australasia, The Ivy), Deansgate and the Northern Quarter are all a short walk from central apartments, and the Oxford Road/Curry Mile area has great-value options closer to campus.
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Frequently asked
- When are Manchester university graduations?
- The main ceremonies are held in mid-July (summer) and December (winter). Exact dates vary by university and faculty each year, so check your specific ceremony date and book accommodation as soon as it's confirmed, the central apartments go first.
- Where should families stay for a graduation at the University of Manchester?
- Whitworth Hall is on Oxford Road, so a city-centre apartment keeps you within a 15–20 minute walk or a quick bus/tram of the ceremony, with restaurants and bars on the doorstep for the celebration afterwards. South-Manchester apartments are also handy and often roomier.
- Is an apartment better than a hotel for graduation weekend?
- For families, usually yes, a single apartment keeps everyone together, gives you space to get ready and a kitchen and living room to relax in, and works out better value than several hotel rooms. Booking direct avoids the platform fees too.
- How far in advance should I book?
- As early as you can. Graduation weekends are among the busiest of the year and hotels near the universities surge in July. Our direct rates don't surge, but the best-located apartments still book up weeks ahead.