The University of Manchester vs University of Bolton vs General Assembly vs Business Consort vs Bywater

Side-by-side comparison from 354 verified student reviews. Scan one row at a time — winners are highlighted

Quick verdict
Higher overall rating: Tie
The University of Manchester: wins 0/7 categories
University of Bolton: wins 0/7 categories
General Assembly: wins 4/7 categories
Business Consort: wins 0/7 categories
Bywater: wins 0/7 categories
UCEN Manchester: wins 0/7 categories
Global Banking School: wins 3/7 categories
Comparing
Manchester, The United Kingdom
4.30
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320 reviews
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Best programme: Mechanical Engineering
Manchester, The United Kingdom
4.40
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21 reviews
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Best programme: Cloud and Network Security
New York City, United States
5.00
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1 reviews
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Best programme: Marketing
Manchester, The United Kingdom
Not rated
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0 reviews
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London, The United Kingdom
Not rated
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0 reviews
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Manchester, The United Kingdom
3.90
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11 reviews
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Best programme: Arts Management
Birmingham, The United Kingdom
5.00
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1 reviews
×
Best programme: Tourism Business
Category ratings
Facilities
4.32
4.38
5.00
Win
Not rated
Not rated
4.36
4.00
Location
4.52
4.20
5.00
Win
Not rated
Not rated
4.09
4.00
Professors
4.24
4.19
4.00
Not rated
Not rated
4.09
5.00
Win
Internationality
4.56
3.86
3.00
Not rated
Not rated
3.64
5.00
Win
Student life
4.40
4.10
5.00
Win
Not rated
Not rated
4.09
4.00
Value
4.13
4.29
4.00
Not rated
Not rated
3.64
5.00
Win
Accommodation
3.69
3.48
5.00
Win
Not rated
Not rated
4.00
4.00
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • +Excellent academics and teaching quality
  • +Supportive staff and conducive learning environment
  • +Diverse community and vibrant student experience
  • +Passionate and supportive lecturers
  • +Good course content and practical learning
  • +Excellent facilities and campus environment
  • +Knowledgeable, supportive professors
  • +Abundant study resources and learning activities
  • +Networking opportunities

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  • +Supportive and friendly staff and tutors.
  • +Positive social environment and making friends.
  • +Engaging and beneficial course content.
  • +Diverse teaching styles from various tutors
  • +Flexibility and adaptability fostered by module changes
Cons
  • -Outdated or non-functional facilities and irrelevant course content.
  • -Poor lecturer communication and unresponsiveness to feedback.
  • -Disorganized course structure and lack of professor accessibility.
  • -Outdated facilities and poor maintenance are major concerns.
  • -Administrative inefficiencies and communication problems cause frustration.
  • -Overcrowded classrooms and lack of personalized attention hinder learning.
  • -Outdated facilities and resources.
  • -Poor communication and administrative issues.
  • -Lack of practical application and relevant curriculum.

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  • -Course content and career relevance are misleading.
  • -Poorly managed administrative issues.
  • -Inefficient administrative and communication processes.
  • -Poorly maintained and outdated facilities.
  • -Lack of engaging and relevant teaching.
Rating summary
What students say

The university demonstrates a strong performance across several key areas, notably in **Internationality** (4.56) and **Location** (4.52). **Facilities** (4.32), **Student Life** (4.40), and **Professors** (4.24) also receive positive scores. The weakest area is **Accomodation**, with a rating of 3.69, while **Value** stands at a respectable 4.13.

Performance is notably strong in Facilities, achieving a rating of 4.41. Value and Location also received high marks, at 4.32 and 4.24 respectively. Student Life and Internationality are rated solidly, around 4.09 and 3.91. The area with the lowest score is Accomodation, at 3.55.

Overall, this institution garners strong commendations, particularly excelling in its facilities, location, student life, and accommodation, all receiving perfect scores. Professors and perceived value also score well, indicating solid academic and financial offerings. The weakest area identified is internationality, suggesting room for growth in attracting and supporting a global student body.

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Facilities stand out as the university's highest-rated aspect, followed closely by professors, location, and student life, all receiving strong marks. Accommodations also score well. However, internationality and value for money are the areas with the lowest ratings, suggesting room for improvement in these categories.

This institution demonstrates exceptional strengths in its teaching staff and international student experience, both receiving top marks. Its facilities, location, student life, and accommodation are also highly regarded, all scoring a solid four out of five. While value for money is also rated at a perfect five, the professors and internationality stand out as the university's most impressive attributes.

Reviews summary
Highlights

With an average rating of 4.26/5 from 320 reviews, approximately 86% praise excellent academics, research, and campus life. A small fraction, about 1.3%, express concerns regarding course structure and lecturer engagement.

With an average rating of 4.38/5, ~90% of reviews are positive, praising passionate lecturers and good learning experiences tailored to industry standards. There is minimal negative feedback.

With a single review, this university is rated a perfect 5/5. The student highlighted excellent professors and abundant study resources. No negative feedback was received.

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University feedback is largely positive (~74% of reviews), with students praising supportive staff and a friendly atmosphere. A small percentage of negative feedback (~9%) mentions concerns about course relevance.

The single review is highly positive, giving a 5/5 rating. This suggests overwhelmingly positive feedback, with approximately 0% negative sentiment. The reviewer appreciated the flexibility offered by having different tutors per module.

Rating distribution
5★
40%
48%
100%
0%
0%
27%
100%
4★
48%
43%
0%
0%
0%
45%
0%
3★
11%
10%
0%
0%
0%
18%
0%
2★
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
9%
0%
1★
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Most useful review
Most liked
Practical

The course content is well-structured and covers key areas such as digital forensics, threat intelligence, network security, incident response, and cyber risk management. One of the biggest strengths of the programme is its practical approach. Lab-based sessions, real-world case studies, and hands-on tools helped me understand how cyber attacks and investigations work in real scenarios. The lecturers are knowledgeable, supportive, and approachable, and they encourage critical thinking and independent research. The university also offers good learning resources, including online materials, libraries, and lab facilities. Group projects and assignments helped develop teamwork, problem-solving, and technical skills, which are very important for a career in cyber security. Overall, the programme prepared me well for further study and professional opportunities in the cyber security field. However, there are some areas that could be improved. In some modules, the workload was quite heavy within a short period, which made it challenging to manage deadlines. A few topics could have been explained in more depth, especially advanced threat intelligence and real-world industry tools. Additionally, more industry collaboration, internships, or career guidance would make the programme even stronger. Some technical resources and lab environments could also be updated to reflect the latest cyber security trends and technologies.

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