What’s new on campus: Everything you need to know

We hope you had a lovely summer break. A lot has been happening on campus, so we thought we’d update you on some of the changes that have happened over the last couple of months.

Canvas is here!

Canvas has replaced Blackboard as the place you’ll find your course materials, submit work, and connect with your studies online. Find out everything you need to know.

Library and Muriel Stott reopening

Over the summer, the Library teamed up with the Directorate of Estates and Facilities to make some exciting upgrades to Main Library—based on what you told us matters most. So what’s changed?

Refreshed toilets and more inclusive facilities: We’ve completely refurbished the toilets in the Blue stairwell and added new all-gender, accessible, and more female toilets—making sure everyone feels comfortable and included.
New Cosy Campus space: Coming end of October: a brand-new Cosy Campus area in the Library Lounge! It’s designed for relaxing, recharging, and connecting with others.
Muriel Stott building and courtyard makeover: As part of the Library’s Imagine2030 vision, the Muriel Stott building and central courtyard have been redeveloped to create inspiring spaces for learning, research, and community.

Find out more about these changes.

SpectrumLife : Our new 24/7 helpline

SpectrumLife has replaced Health Assured and is the out of hours support line for students, including students who are studying abroad. Find out more including how to get in contact/register.

Apps Anywhere is getting bigger and better this year

AppsAnywhere is your portal to access the software applications you need for your studies and starting this academic year, you’ll also be able to access some apps directly from your own laptop or PC. Just log in to the AppsAnywhere portal and launch the apps you need, wherever you are in the UK. Find out more

Ethical Grand Challenges

Check out the Ethical Grand Challenges website to stay up to date with what’s new this year, including how you can now complete both the Social Justice and Workplace Ethics challenges through Canvas. Taking part in both challenges will help you develop the skills to become a socially responsible graduate – and they also count towards your Stellify Award!

New Personal Relationships Policy

We’ve launched a new Personal Relationships Policy, to clearly explain which relationships are prohibited and what is expected of employees – including students who are also employees. It’s here to protect you by maintaining professional boundaries, tackling power imbalances and ensuring fairness across our community.

Changes to the way you access your files on cluster PCs

The computers in the University’s PC clusters have been upgraded to Windows 11 over the summer break.

Windows 11 computers now use OneDrive to synchronise files saved in the ‘Desktop’ and ‘Documents’ locations. To retrieve files previously saved to the Desktop and Documents folders on earlier Windows 10 computers, please use the ‘P Drive’ link which can be found on the Desktop.

Remember to verify the most recent versions or any files worked on have synchronised and are visible by the OneDrive Web App before you sign out of a University computer.

Meet your new SU Exec

You voted for them in March and over summer your 2025/6 exec officers began their work in the Students’ Union. Find out more about them and their plans for this academic year on the Students’ Union website.

The Museum of the Year is right here on campus!

Manchester Museum has been recognised as one of Europe’s leading museums after winning the European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) 2025. Make sure you pop in and take a look around this semester!