UA92 marks first graduation ceremony
Manchester’s UA92, the groundbreaking higher education institution, celebrated its inaugural graduation ceremony over the weekend.
Co-founded by the ‘Class of ’92’, which includes Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, and Phil Neville, alongside Lancaster University, the facility which opened in 2019, is focused on making sure higher education is accessible to all through its founding principles of accessibility, social mobility and inclusivity.
Sunday’s ceremony celebrated the first cohort of graduates, 24% of which received a First.
Founding members from the Class of ’92, including Gary Neville and Nicky Butt as well as representatives of Lancaster University, were in attendance at the Graduation.
Gary Neville said: “We have been blown away by the level of energy, determination, and commitment our students have displayed over the past three years.
“Their pioneering spirit in selecting the distinctively different concept of UA92 earmarked them as something special, and they have exceeded all our expectations. Watching them graduate is up there as one of my favourite moments ever.”
Sara Prowse, CEO of UA92 said: “We’re proud of each and every one of our 62 graduates and it’s a tribute to their determination and hard work that our results are so strong.”
“Higher education is a huge investment of a student’s time and money and we were acutely aware that this pioneering cohort placed a great deal of trust in us; it’s rewarding to see how each and every one has flourished and developed in these three years and we know they will both aim high and succeed in their onward journey.
“Today really is history in the making.”
Based in Old Trafford, Manchester, UA92 opened in 2019 and currently has around 400 students enrolled in degree and higher education courses across business, sport, media and digital disciplines.
Last year it secured a £2m funding grant from the Office for Students to support the development of a world leading digital learning academy at the UA92 campus.
The Digital Academy, which opens in September, will offer enhanced and cutting-edge learning and will increase UA92’s student capacity for digital students almost tenfold – from 65 to 634.
