Spotlight on Cranfield School of Management

Spotlight on Cranfield School of Management

Cranfield School of Management offers one of the best MBAs, know the eligibility criteria, financing your international masters, and what life is like at Cranfield University.

As one of the oldest business schools in Europe, the Cranfield School of Management currently ranks in ninth place for value for money universities. And, their MBA is ranked first for economics. And the university has a student to staff ratio of 5:1.

In addition, Cranfield University is in the top 1% of institutions for alumni holding CEO positions at top companies.

Cranfield University fast facts

  • Public university

  • University enrollment: 3935, all post-grad

  • Countries represented: 100+

  • Living alumni: 60,000+

Where is Cranfield University?

  • City: Cranfield, Bedfordshire, UK

  • City population: 5369

  • Climate: Temperate oceanic climate type: Jan low averages: 1°C/33.8°F; Jan high averages: 6°C/42.8°F; Jul low averages: 11°C/51.8°F; July high averages: 21°C/69.8°F

  • Nearest airports: London Luton (LLA), London Heathrow (LHR), London Gatwick (LGW), London Stansted (STN), Birmingham Airport (BHX)

  • Time zone: GMT from November-March; BST from April to October (GMT+1)

A quick look at the latest Cranfield MBA class

  • Gender: Male 58% - Female 42%

  • Age range: 22 - 46 years

  • Average age: 32 years

  • Nationalities: 18

  • Class size: 43

  • Average GMAT score: 680

Canfield University Acceptance Rate

The acceptance rate at the Cranfield University is up to 68%.

What can you study at Cranfield University School of Management?

In addition to the consistently high-ranked MBA programme, Cranfield’s School of Management offered a number of specialised degrees.

Cranfield University School of Management job placement

The Career Development Service at Cranfield University's School of Management offers a complete range of assistance to their students. You can expect everything from interviewing seminars to CV assistance to ensure you present yourself well.

There’s an annual career fair, but it’s the constant stream of tailored opportunities that counts for the success of so many grads. Recruitment activities also include a dedicated career platform and on-campus interviews. The numbers speak for themselves.

95% of masters grads employed in 3 months of grad

70% increase in salary packages for 2016 grads

£93,791 average post-grad starting salaries for MBAs

74% of students employed in the UK after graduation

What's it like to live at Cranfield University?

Cranfield University may not be in a big city, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have access to everything you need to maximise your business degree. Everything you need is close at hand - and you can access the rest of the UK, Europe, and the world easily.

There’s a variety of on-campus housing options including shared houses, apartments, residence halls, and family accommodation - and all of them are very popular, so you’ll need to ensure you apply as early as you can. Alternatively, the university maintains lists for students that prefer off-campus accommodation.

On campus, you’ll find several choices for eating and socialising with your classmates, and there are grocery stores to stock up for home-cooked meals.

Walking is perhaps the easiest and quickest way to get around campus, and you may not need to hire a car except for specific trips, especially given the reliability of public transport in the UK and across western Europe.

Many Cranfield MBAs spend time working and socialising within clubs and organisations, or participating in sports and fitness, but it’s really all about what works for you - and you’ll probably find that Cranfield has a support structure in place.

How to get into Cranfield University School of Management

The School of Management at Cranfield University is a very select programme, with a small, close-knit cohort of MBA candidates. You can expect a fair amount of emphasis on team skills and a desire to work towards the benefit of the entire community to play a role in selecting applicants for their programme.

In addition, diversity is key, with candidates from several countries as well as a range of ages and experience levels - though the average number of years of work experience does tend to fall on the higher side when compared to other MBA programmes.

While some exceptions may be made based on an applicant’s overall profile, Cranfield’s School of Management does provide a number of minimums to be met, such as work experience and GRE test scores. It’s important to consider this when compiling your application, though speaking to alumni and looking closely at the school’s offering (and your fit within its community) is often more beneficial to applicants.

Cranfield MBA deadlines: 2019/20

Cranfield Business admissions details

  • Application fee: none

  • Minimum work experience: 3 years

  • Recommendations: 2

  • GMAT test: required, 600 min score

  • GRE test: accepted in place of GMAT, 80th percentile min score

  • Language test: required; IELTS, TOEFL, Pearson PTE Academic, Cambridge, and Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English III tests accepted (Min TOEFL score: 100; Min IELTS score: 7)

MBA cost of attendance (for 2018/19 academic year)

Fees: £39,000

Accommodation: £4500 - £7000

Food: £2,250

Travel: £400 - £600

Books: £500

General expenses: £2,000

Minimum CoA for 1 year: £48,650

NB: This is the amount candidates will need to secure to complete the Financial Declaration required to accept your seat and apply for a study visa*

Cranfield’s School of Management offers a bespoke admissions test in place of the GMAT or GRE.

This needs to be taken on campus and is a great time for a school visit and may be worth investigating if Cranfield is your top-choice school.

TIP: Cranfield offers a profile assessment prior to submitting a formal application. You may want to use this to receive feedback on your suitability for their programme as interview offers are usually extended shortly after application.

Cranfield School of Management rankings

  • The Economist - ranked Cranfield school of management’s, Management MSc 5th in the UK and 36th in the world in 2021

  • Cranfield School of Management is ranked among the top 40 business schools in the world and one of the top 10 in the UK by Financial Times Executive Education rankings 2020

  • The finance and Management MSC was ranked 2nd in the UK, 4th in Europe and 6th in the world by Wall Street Journal World University Rankings 2019

Does Cranfield University offer scholarships to international students?

Cranfield University in general, and the School of Management in particular, realise the value of education - and have several programmes dedicated to assisting students with this investment.

There are discounts in place for Cranfield alumni, though this doesn’t apply to many applicants.

More relevant to most MBA candidates are the number of scholarships on offer. Not only are these clearly laid out on the university’s website, many only require you to state your desire to be included for consideration on your application. But, you’ll need to pay attention to the deadlines and be certain to apply within a round that will allow for inclusion.

Of course, all applicants should look for and apply to any external scholarships they qualify for; especially as employment opportunities are limited.

Ready to transform your future with a MBA from Cranfield?

Prodigy Finance provides loans to international masters students pursuing their masters degrees at the School of Management at Cranfield University.