Cranfield
Cranfield, UK · Public · 1-year full-time 'Transformation' MBA (12 months, September start)
- Average GMAT Focus: 635
- Program tuition: £67,684 (full program)
Essays
Personal statement (Up to 500 words)
When completing the application form, you will be asked to provide a personal statement, of up to 500 words, outlining your academic history and personal experience. You should outline your academic achievements, any skills and experience attained outside an academic setting, as well as any other information you feel is relevant to support your application. You should also explain why you want to study at Cranfield and your motivation for choosing the course you are applying for.
Interview presentation (3 minutes)
All interviews start with an informal three-minute presentation - the topic of which will be sent to you a week before.
Editor's notes
- Apply early or pay more. Cranfield offers tiered tuition discounts for early applications that stack with scholarships, and it says top scholarships often go early. The September 2026 discounts ran from 10% down to 3%; watch for the 2027 dates and aim for the first tier.
- Your one essay has to do three jobs. The personal statement prompt asks for your history, your motivation and why Cranfield, in 500 words. Put the goal and the reason for a one-year programme in the first paragraph, and use the rest to prove you can get there.
- The interview is a performance test. It opens with a three-minute presentation on a topic sent a week ahead, then career questions and some you won't expect. Prepare the presentation like a client pitch, and have a short, specific answer on how the Career Pathway Project fits your plan.
- Check the test fine print. The GRE route needs 80th-percentile verbal and quant scores, which is a high bar. If that's a stretch, the $100 Cranfield Admission Test or a GMAT near the 635 Focus class average is the more realistic path.
Sources
- Cranfield School of Management, The Transformation MBA
- Cranfield School of Management, Full-time MBA FAQs
- Cranfield, The Transformation MBA Careers Report 2025 (PDF)
- Cranfield University, Tuition fees for taught courses 2027-2028
- Cranfield School of Management, MBA scholarships and funding
- Cranfield University, Applying for a taught degree
- Cranfield, The Cranfield Full-time MBA application process (PDF)
- Cranfield University, Managing money (living costs)
- Cranfield School of Management, MBA events
