Syed Adnan Mashrur, from Oldham, was left with a swollen jaw, cuts to his face and required stitches to his lip following the assault at Newbold Station a fortnight ago.
The 19-year-old was travelling home for the weekend from the University of Bradford and caught the tram from Rochdale.
As the tram pulled into Newbold Station at around 8.30pm a group of five thugs began to shout racist comments at him from the window.
One of the men walked up to the tram door, leaned in and shouted further abusive words at him.
The group, aged around 20 to 21-years-old, then got on the tram and another man from the group came up to him asking: “What are you starting on my boys for?”
According to Syed, they made comments centring around the fact he was Asian.
The perpetrators then launched an attack on the teenager, punching him in the face until he was knocked unconscious.
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Syed told Manchester Evening News that: “After that I don’t remember anything, I was on the floor bleeding. At that point I was unconscious.
“I remember waking up bleeding, people were stood around me asking me if I was alright.”
He was taken to hospital for treatment and has since been discharged, but will need to return for further x-rays to find out if his nose is broken.
The economics student is now recovering at his parent’s house and said he has been left too terrified to travel on public transport alone since the attack.
He said: “I use the trams for everything because I don’t drive. Now it has made me think do I really want to use the tram, especially if at night on my own.
“I want to raise awareness that this is happening and to warn people when they are travelling, especially when they are alone.
“Obviously it is 2015, you would think that people have grown up and don’t do these kind of things now, but they are still out there.”
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police confirmed they are investigating the incident and it is being treated as an assault.
He said: “One of the group attacked him, punched him in the face causing injury before getting off the tram.”
No arrests have yet been made and enquiries continue.
Peter Cushing, TfGM’s Metrolink Director, said: “I am appalled by senseless attacks. As in society, our passengers should be free to go about their business without the worry of verbal and physical assault from an intolerant minority.
All trams and stops are equipped with CCTV, which has helped to secure arrests and convictions in the past, as well as emergency contact points which enable contact with the control room. We will do everything we can to support the police with this investigation.
“Officers from the Travelsafe Unit continue to patrol the network to deter further offences and and offer reassurance to passengers and if anyone has any information about this incident then I’d encourage them to talk to the police as soon as possible.”
