Students angered by fences put up around their halls of residence to help stop households mixing have pulled down the barriers in protest.
The fences were erected at University of Manchester's Fallowfield campus as a "security measure” on the day England’s second lockdown came into force.
But the measure caused unrest among students, who protested on Thursday evening and pulled the barriers down.
The university subsequently issued an apology and said the fences would be removed on Friday.
Joe Hindley, a 19-year-old first-year maths student, said: "We've just been really frustrated… There’s no benefit we can see to them being up.
"They've said something about it increasing our safety but from what we can see it's a complete waste of money."
The fences were put up around the outside of the campus, with security checks on the way in, and between blocks.
While they did not prevent students from entering or exiting the campus, they did bar passage between the different blocks of halls.
Ben McGowan, a first year politics and sociology student, said the reaction from students was an accumulation of frustration built up since they arrived in September.
Students have been subjected to lockdowns and restrictions, with fines for some who broke the rules.
Mr McGowan, 18, said he had been disappointed with how the university has handled the coronavirus situation, saying he felt there had not been enough support or guidance.
"I think there was a boiling point when they put up those fences," he said. "It was a final breaking point for most students."
Mr McGowan said he was unimpressed with the apology and that it was "way too late".
He added: "It showed just how badly thought through it was."
