Global Online MBA: FAQs

The Global Online MBA is a 24-month programme taught online via our innovative learning platform, The Hub. We would recommend a minimum of around 20-25 hours of study for a typical week, depending on your pace of study and academic goals. This will include recorded and live lectures, reading, assignments, group discussions and activities, case studies, projects and careers support.

This will vary for each student, but the expected commitment hours per module is usually around 190 hours (for the total module) taking into account taught classes and individual study around the classes, which means around 20-25 hours a week. This will also vary more in the second year, depending on which elective modules are chosen.

Each module has a different weighting of coursework, exams and projects. Most modules will have some coursework as part of the module assessment with an exam towards the end of the module. The Global Online MBA has the Capstone at the end of the second year of study. There is also the option to do the Independent Project as part of an elective.

You will begin the programme with the assumption that you will complete the 24-month version of the programme, however, if you wish to opt for a longer or shorter programme, you will make this decision in the second term.

As with choosing the length of the programme, you will also choose your specialisation in the second term.

The Capstone will take place on campus, pending any COVID-19 regulations.

Find out about the format of your week here.

The number of live classes will vary depending on the module – at least one session per week can be expected, but there will likely be more. Ad-hoc classes may also be scheduled, depending on the module.

Live sessions will take place around 10.00 and 18.00 UK time to accommodate different time zones.

All applications to our postgraduate programmes are made online – we do not accept paper applications.

Please refer to the application process to see which documents you are required to submit with your application.

To be eligible to apply for the programme, you would normally require:

• Five years’ relevant postgraduate work experience; however candidates with a minimum of three years’ relevant experience can be exceptionally considered

• At least a Lower Second Class Honours degree OR international equivalent OR recognised professional qualification

• English language test results (if applicable).

More information about entry requirements can be found here.

GMAT is not a compulsory requirement for admission to the Global Online MBA. However, if you have already sat or intend to take GMAT, you are welcome to submit your results as a good score overall can add weight to your application – particularly if you feel that your degree performance does not reflect your academic potential.

To submit a GMAT score, you must request for it to be sent to Imperial College Business School using the code S22-7S-16.

We have a series of admissions rounds throughout the year, with decisions typically released four weeks after each application deadline. 

For more details about application and decision deadlines please visit our key dates and deadline page.

Please email the Imperial MBA Admissions team if you would like to request feedback on your application. Please note that whilst limited feedback can be provided, the decision of the academic selectors is final and it will not be possible for your application to be reconsidered.

English language waivers will be considered on a case-by-case basis. To discuss the possibility of a waiver please contact the Global Online MBA Recruitment team.

For more information visit the English language requirements page.

Please see our COVID-19 (Coronavirus) FAQs page.

For information on the fee and deposit amount, please visit the Fees page.

Tuition fees are the same regardless of your chosen duration.

You have the option to pay your tuition fees in instalments as listed on the Global Online MBA Fees page.

There are a number of scholarships available to MBA candidates. To be considered for an award, you must have submitted your MBA application by the deadline(s) listed on the scholarships page. Please be aware that you do not need to submit a separate scholarship application to be considered for an award; all applications received by the stated deadline will be considered provided they meet the eligibility criteria.

Scholarship decisions will be made in conjunction with MBA application deadlines which can be found on the Key dates and deadlines page.

Please contact the Tuition Fees team with any queries you have regarding the Careers and Professional Development Loan.

If you are being sponsored by an organisation that will be responsible for paying your tuition fees, you must provide acceptable proof of the award.

Satisfactory evidence of sponsorship is usually regarded as an original, dated and duly authorised letter from your sponsor on headed paper which includes the following:

• Your name and College Identifier Number

• The programme for which you have been offered a place

• The amount of fees which will be paid by your sponsor

• The address to which the invoice should be sent

• Any Purchase Order Number required

• Confirmation that the fees will be sent directly to Imperial College

Sponsorship letters should be posted to: MBA Admissions team, Imperial College Business School, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ.

For information on what the fees do and do not cover, please visit the Fees page.

The Global Online MBA was awarded the following rankings in the QS Online MBA Rankings 2022:

• 1st in the UK

• 2nd in the world

The programme was ranked 2nd in the world in the Financial Times Online MBA Rankings in 2022, and 1st in the world for Career Progress as rated by our alumni.

The strength of our Business School is reflected by our high position in rankings and we’re delighted to see in the past ten years, Imperial College London has consistently ranked in the top universities both in the world and in Europe:

• 3rd in Europe and 11th in the world in Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021
• 7th in the world in QS World University Rankings 2022

Read the latest list of rankings

Our research is ranked first for the percentage of research activity assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent (REF2014).

On completion of the Global Online MBA, you will receive an Imperial MBA certificate. Your degree certificate will not mention the mode of study.

The same quality standards apply to our online MBA format as our on-campus and blended MBA programmes.

Imperial's Global Online MBA ranked #2 world for the FT Online MBA Ranking 2022, which demonstrates the world-class reputation of this programme and its faculty, teaching and employability.

The Business School holds online information sessions throughout the year to give you the opportunity to learn more about the programmes from the Programme Director, current students and alumni. Please refer to the Recruitment events and webinars page to find out when the next event is being held for the Global Online MBA.

The Business School is located in the South Kensington Campus of Imperial College London. Please refer to the location page for our address and guidance on how to get here.

Once the official offer letter has been processed, you will have 28 days to decide whether you would like to accept or decline this. Please log into our online portal to do this.

Should you choose to accept, the Tuition Fee team will issue you with an invoice for the deposit payment within five working days of you making this decision.

Once you have received the invoice, you will then have a further 30 days in which to make the deposit payment. Please be aware that failure to pay the deposit on time may result in your offer being withdrawn.

Please note that the only exemption from the deposit payment are students with confirmed sponsorship for the full value of their tuition fees, who will need to provide proof of their funding before being exempted.

Once you have paid your deposit, you will need to meet any outstanding offer conditions before commencing the programme – for example: proof of your academic and/or English language qualifications etc. Your full offer conditions will be viewable via your online account.

For information on the fee and deposit amount, please visit the Fees page.

It is not normally possible to extend a deposit due date, but it may be possible to consider a request to do so in exceptional circumstances.

Please email the Imperial MBA Admissions team outlining the reasons for requesting the extension and state when you expect to be able to make the deposit payment.

Once the deposit has been paid, please allow time for the deposit to be processed. You should see confirmation that the deposit has been received on your student e-Service after 3-5 working days of making the payment.

If the deposit condition has not been cleared on your account after 5 working days of making the payment, please contact the Tuition Fees team for assistance.

Please refer to the Accepting your offer page for more information on what you are required to submit and where documents need to be sent.

IELTS and TOEFL certificates should be scanned and emailed to the Imperial MBA Admissions team. If you have not yet received your certificates, you can email your IELTS Test Report Number or TOEFL 16 digit registration number to the MBA Admissions team.

If you have completed the Pearson Test of Academic English, please ensure you have sent your scores to Imperial via your PearsonPTE account.

If you have completed another one of Imperial’s accepted English language qualifications, you will need to post the original, hard copy document to the MBA Admissions team to support this qualification. Please refer to the Next steps page for more information and the address that the document will need to be posted to.

Note: Imperial College London considers TOEFL scores to be valid for 2 years. Scores must be valid at the beginning of your studies at Imperial if your application is successful. You must meet the entry requirement in one test from your scaled scores (‘My Best Scores’ reported by TOEFL will not be considered). For more information regarding TOEFL please visit the ETS website. Please note if you would like ETS to send your TOEFL scores directly to the College, our TOEFL Institution Code is 0891.

You may request to defer your place for one academic year by writing to the Admissions Team. All requests to defer are considered on a case-by-case basis and approval is not guaranteed. Where possible, requests to defer should be submitted no later than three months prior to the programme start date.

A Tier 4 visa is not required for this programme. International students from outside the EU and EEA will be required to obtain a student visitor visa for the on campus periods of the programme.

The majority of academic documents need to be posted to the Imperial MBA team to verify. Scans or photocopies of documents will not be sufficient to satisfy the academic condition of your offer.

Please refer to the Next steps page for more information on what you are required to submit and the address that the documents will need to be posted to.

If you’re made an offer for a place on the programme, you will be asked to pay a non-refundable deposit of 10% of the first year’s fee in order to secure your place. This is part of the total fees and not an additional cost.

Once this deposit is paid, you can pay your tuition fees in up to four instalments over the two years of the programme.

The first instalment is payable at the start of term and the second is payable six months after. This is repeated in the second year. If you pay in instalments, a 2% surcharge of the total amount will be added to your first instalment. You’ll be asked to select a payment schedule during the offer acceptance process. If you have any further questions please contact the Student Finance team.

Your device and internet access are the most important components of a rewarding remote or online experience. We want to make certain that you have all the necessary resources available to make the most of your experience. You can find out more on our technical requirements page.