MBA in the UK: Top Business Schools, 2026–2027 Fees, Admission Requirements and Visa Rules

A full-time MBA in the UK lasts 12 to 21 months and costs from $68,081 (£51,500) at Alliance Manchester Business School to $163,857 (£123,950) at London Business School. Thirteen UK schools appear in the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking 2026, five of them in the top 50: London Business School joint 4th, Cambridge Judge 17th, Oxford Saïd 27th, Imperial 39th and Alliance Manchester 49th. You need a bachelor's degree, work experience (two or more years of full-time work at Cambridge, three at Imperial, Warwick and Manchester), strong English and an admissions test: the GMAT or GRE, or at Warwick and Manchester the school's own test.

Two constraints to weigh before applying: on a one-year taught MBA you cannot bring your family as dependants unless you are government-sponsored, and the Graduate visa lasts 18 months, not two years, for applications from 1 January 2027. Russian citizens can apply for Chevening for 2027/28 only if they live outside Russia.

How a UK MBA compares with a US MBA and a master's in management

The main advantage of a UK MBA is time: one year instead of two means one year less without a salary. The trade-off is intensity and less room for an internship. See MBA in the USA.

Not ready to leave your job: part-time, executive and online MBAs

Most FT-ranked UK schools also offer formats that do not require relocating. Imperial, for example, runs a Weekend MBA, a Global Online MBA and an Executive MBA alongside its one-year full-time programme. Warwick's Global Online MBA costs $57,571 (£43,550) for the January 2027 intake over two years of part-time study, with scholarships of 10%–35% of the fee; additional face-to-face modules on campus are charged separately.

The catch that brochures rarely mention: an online MBA needs no Student visa, but it also gives no Graduate visa. The Graduate Route is only for people who studied in the UK on a Student visa and apply from inside the UK. If your goal is to stay and work in Britain, choose an on-campus programme.

Top UK business schools in the FT Global MBA Ranking 2026

The FT published its 2026 Global MBA Ranking on 16 February 2026. Salary is the FT's weighted average alumni salary three years after graduation, in US dollars at purchasing power parity.

Salary figures partly reflect who enrols — schools with more experienced students report higher numbers. For your decision, each school's employment report is more useful: industries, countries and the share with offers within three months. LBS reports that 86% of its 2025 MBA class accepted job offers within three months of graduating.

What an MBA in the UK costs

Check Oxford Saïd's 2027/28 fee on its programme page before you apply. As a guide, one-year programmes at leading schools that have published 2026–2027 fees cost $103,113–114,019 (£78,000–86,250) before living costs.

Key points:

• Usually one fee for UK and international students. Cambridge states explicitly that British and overseas students pay the same; LBS, Imperial and Warwick also publish a single figure.
• Deposits are due soon after an offer and count towards fees: Imperial $10,311 (£7,800), non-refundable; Cambridge a non-refundable reservation fee of $10,510 (£7,950); Warwick $7,932 (£6,000) within four weeks, refundable only under the university's refund policy; LBS $4,627 (£3,500) about a month after the offer, then $8,593 (£6,500).
• Living costs: for the visa, show nine months of maintenance. For applications made up to 29 November 2026 that is $18,191 (£13,761) in London and $13,932 (£10,539) elsewhere (£1,529 and £1,171 a month); from 30 November 2026, $18,679 (£14,130) and $14,313 (£10,827) (£1,570 and £1,203 a month). Anyone starting in autumn 2027 applies under the new amounts. Budget for 12+ months in reality.
• Alumni discount: Cambridge takes $13,220 (£10,000) off for its own former bachelor's, master's or PhD students.
• Living in Cambridge: the school estimates $27,365 (£20,700) for 2027/28.

Scholarships and funding

• School scholarships. Warwick offers 10%–50% of the fee ($8,262–41,311 / £6,250–31,250). LBS automatically considers all admitted MBA students for all its awards, alongside external ones. Imperial automatically considers self-funded applicants who meet its deadlines and allocates funding in every round; Cambridge advises applying early if you rely on scholarships or loans.
• Chevening, the UK government scholarship for one-year master's courses, requires two years' work experience after your degree (2,800 hours), applications to three different courses and a commitment to return home for two years. Applications for 2027/28 close on 6 October 2026 at 11:00 UTC. Russian citizens may apply for this cycle only if resident outside Russia, and for them the return commitment refers to the country of residence, not citizenship; nationals of Kazakhstan and other CIS countries should check their country page. By the date in the Chevening timeline you must hold an unconditional offer from at least one of your three courses. Confirm separately that your chosen MBA is eligible.
• Loans: schools such as LBS list loan options; terms depend on your nationality and residence. See scholarships in the UK.

Admission requirements

Which admissions tests each school accepts:

Class averages are benchmarks, not cut-offs. Cambridge allows exceptions for candidates who meet only some of its criteria and explains them on its apply page.

Rounds and deadlines

Oxford, Warwick and Manchester publish round dates on their programme pages. Early rounds usually mean more places and more scholarship money.

Visa, family and work after the MBA

• Student visa: apply after receiving your CAS, no earlier than six months before the start. The fee is $738 (£558) and the Immigration Health Surcharge $1,026 (£776) per year of visa. Most CIS nationals need a TB certificate. See UK Student visa.
• Family: for postgraduate courses starting on or after 1 January 2024, only PhD or research-degree students — or government-sponsored students on courses over six months — can bring a partner and children. A taught one-year MBA does not qualify without government sponsorship.
• After graduation: the Graduate visa needs no job offer — two years if you apply by 31 December 2026, 18 months if you apply from 1 January 2027. You can only apply after completing the course, so anyone whose programme ends in 2027 or later will get 18 months. The fee is $1,239 (£937) plus a $1,368 (£1,035) annual health surcharge. Long-term work requires a sponsoring employer.
• Working during the course: up to 20 hours a week in term time — in practice there is little room on an intensive one-year MBA.

How to choose

1. Define your goal. An industry switch, a move to another country or promotion in your current company each point to different schools: do you need a London school's recruiting network, or will a regional brand do?
2. Read employment reports, not just rankings: which companies hire graduates, in which countries and functions.
3. Compare the full cost: fees, 12–21 months of living costs and the salary you give up.
4. Settle the family question early. If your partner must come with you, a one-year MBA without government sponsorship will not allow it.
5. Target early rounds. More places and more scholarship money are available then.
6. Prepare the GMAT or GRE three to six months before your chosen round.

Common mistakes

• Believing eight UK schools are in the FT top 50. In 2026 there are five: LBS, Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial and Alliance Manchester.
• Planning to bring family on a one-year MBA. Without government sponsorship, dependants are not allowed on a taught master's-level course.
• Counting on a two-year Graduate visa. Applications from 1 January 2027 get 18 months.
• Comparing fees without programme length. 21 months at LBS and 12 at Imperial mean very different living costs and lost income.
• Missing early rounds. Cambridge runs five rounds and advises early applications if you need funding.
• Applying for Chevening without checking your country's conditions. For 2027/28, Russian citizens are eligible only if they live outside Russia.

FAQ

Sources

• Financial Times — Global MBA Ranking 2026
• London Business School — MBA fees, financing and scholarships
• London Business School — One-year MBA fees
• London Business School — MBA overview
• Cambridge Judge Business School — MBA rounds and requirements
• Cambridge Judge Business School — MBA fees
• Imperial Business School — Full-Time MBA
• Imperial Business School — fees and funding
• Warwick Business School — Full-time MBA fees
• Alliance Manchester Business School — Full-time MBA
• Alliance Manchester Business School — entry requirements
• Warwick Business School — Full-time MBA requirements
• Warwick Business School — Global Online MBA fees
• London Business School — MBA FAQs on GMAT/GRE
• Chevening — Russia
• Chevening — eligibility
• GOV.UK — Student visa
• GOV.UK — Student visa: family members
• GOV.UK — Immigration Health Surcharge
• GOV.UK — Graduate visa
• GOV.UK — Statement of changes HC 584

Dollar amounts use the ECB reference rates of 24 September 2026 (€1 = $1.1367 = £0.85986, so £1 ≈ $1.3220), rounded. FT salary figures are published by the FT in US dollars.

See also universities in London, universities in Scotland and profiles of Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial and Manchester, plus our UK study overview. For the US alternative, see MBA in the USA.

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