European MBA Admissions Dates in 2016

Even if you’ve spent many months mulling over whether an MBA is right for you, once you’re sure you’re sure, it’s not uncommon to want to get going as quickly as possible. Reassuringly for anyone who finds themselves in this boat, it’s not too late to land a place with a reputable European business school and start a full-time MBA program this year.

MBA admissions processes at European business schools tend to revolve around a system of fixed application rounds comparable to that found in the US. Right now, these schools are onto the later rounds for programs starting this fall (autumn). But, a number of other schools use a rolling admissions process, where applications are generally considered as and when they are received, rather than in batches, up until a singular deadline or until the program is full. (Others meanwhile, start their MBA programs each January, giving you ample opportunity to catch an earlier stage of their application cycles!)

When to submit your full-time MBA application to secure funding 

Whichever MBA admissions system a European school operates, applicants are commonly encouraged to apply early to ensure the best chance not only of landing a place on the program, but also of securing funding assistance through scholarship schemes available directly through the school. For example, Oxford Saïd’s head of admissions, Anna Farrus, warns most of the school’s scholarships will only be available during the first half of six application stages available to MBA applicants.

However, this isn’t always the case. The MBA program available at Cambridge Judge says that most of its funding opportunities and awards run on the same deadline as the final application round, in May, specifically to ensure that “you don’t lose out if you are applying in the later rounds.”

Strong MBA program applicants need not fear the later stages

Another point to remember is that, beyond the finances, exceptional applicants should always win through no matter which application stage they apply in. Both Oxbridge business schools deny there is any difference to how your application will be viewed whether submitted early or late on in the yearly cycle of MBA admissions. In the words of Oxford’s Farrus: “those applying during the later stages will be given the same consideration and if we receive a strong application we will make an offer regardless of the stage a candidate has applied in.”

Here then is a roundup of upcoming MBA application dates for Europe's leading business schools, whether you have your sights set on studying in the UK, Spain, France or elsewhere among the region’s top program locations. 

*Please note that all application dates listed here stem from business schools’ official websites and are accurate to the time of writing. You can find almost all of the institutions listed here within the pages of the QS TopMBA.com Global 200 Business Schools Report 2014/15.

MBA in the UK

If you want to start an MBA in the UK in the fall (autumn) of 2016 then you should take note that London Business School (LBS), Imperial College Business School and Cambridge Judge have all moved onto their final application rounds for the year. At LBS, the final round of four deadlines passes on April 21. Cambridge’s full-time MBA program will hit the fifth of its five rounds on May 6 2016, while Imperial’s final application date falls on May 20.

Later, rather than final, application stages can be found at Oxford Saïd and Alliance Manchester Business School - Oxford Saïd’s fourth of six stages, on March 18 2016, is upon us but you should still be able to catch the fifth stage, which runs until May 6. The fifth of 8 deadlines at Alliance MBS falls on April 7 2016 and is, according to the school, the penultimate stage in which non-EU citizens can apply.

Less structured MBA admissions systems are in operation at Cass Business School and Warwick Business School. Cass accepts all applications on a rolling basis, while Warwick has a final deadline of July 31 2016 and advises any non-EU citizens who would require a study visa to apply before the end of May. Both programs kick off, as is the norm, in September.

MBA in Germany

If you’ve got your eye on pursuing an MBA in Germany then you might want to note that May 30 2016 is the third of four application deadlines at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and is also the last chance to be considered for an in-house scholarship. The final deadline is at the end of July and the program itself gets underway in October 2016. A month before this, the Mannheim Business School MBA gets underway, however applicants are evaluated on a rolling basis any time prior to this.

Elsewhere, there’s a rare spring start to an MBA at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management. Applications for a program that commences at the start of April can be made on a rolling basis up until the middle of December if you would require a visa to study in Germany or the middle of February if you are an EU citizen and do not require a visa.  

MBA in France

For those looking to take an MBA in France, you can still apply for a September 2016 start at HEC Paris, where the fourth of six deadline rounds will expire on April 1. ESSEC, meanwhile, has its final deadline for a September 2016 start on May 1. However, it is already too late to join INSEAD’s entering class in Fontainebleu this fall – that application ship has already sailed – but with two full-time MBA cohorts starting each year, you could start in January 2017 instead, for which the second of four application rounds has a deadline on April 20 2016.

MBA in Spain

At IE Business School, applications for its full-time MBA in Spain are accepted on a rolling basis, so there is no deadline per se. This is not the case at the University of Navarra’s IESE Business School, where you’re looking at final deadline of April 26 to be in with a chance of starting the program this September. ESADE, meanwhile, advises any non-EU citizens hoping to join the program this year to apply no later than May 10. Its next deadline, however, is on April 12.  

MBA in Switzerland

IMD MBA cohorts kick off each January so the school’s next deadline, of April 1 2016, is for a 2017 start and represents the second of five rounds. If you want to start your MBA in Switzerland in 2016, then the University of St.Gallen will theoretically (as places are limited) accept applications on a rolling basis up until the middle of August.

MBA in the Netherlands

There’s a round one deadline for an MBA in the Netherlands at Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) on April 4 2016. This is the first of four deadlines in advance of a start in January 2017. The Amsterdam MBA at the University of Amsterdam, however, has a September 2016 start-date and accepts applications on a rolling basis up until a final deadline of June 30.

MBA in Italy

Italy’s SDA Bocconi has its final MBA application deadline for a September 2016 start on April 30. Prior to this, all applications will have been considered on a rolling basis from as far back as September 2015. Alternatively, admissions to the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano (MIP) will normally be considered on a rolling basis up until the middle of July for an MBA that starts in the middle of September.

MBA in Denmark

At Copenhagen Business School, the MBA admissions process is on to round two of three for a start in September of this year. That deadline is on April 11. Alternatively, you’ll find an April 1 deadline for the full-time MBA program available in Denmark’s second-largest city at Aarhus BSS – again, for a start in September.