Cheapest Top Online MBA Programs 2019

Click here for the latest version of this article and learn more about the most affordable online MBA programs, according to the QS Online MBA Rankings 2020.

The online MBA program at India’s Amity Directorate of Distance & Online Education (ADDOE) offers the cheapest tuition in the QS Online MBA Rankings 2019.

Released today, the QS Online MBA Rankings assess the online MBA offerings of 40 business schools worldwide, demonstrating just how easy it is to earn your MBA away from the classroom.

You can find out more about the methodology used to produce the rankings here. Below is a table of the most affordable online MBA programs.

10) Aston Business School

Tuition: $23,829

Kicking off our top 10 of the most affordable MBA programs is Aston Business School’s online MBA which scored very highly for class experience in this year’s ranking.

The program is 180 credit hours broken up as follows: 90 credits (core modules), 30 credits (pathway modules), 60 credits (MBA project). Courses are seven weeks with one-week assessments.

Students at Aston have an average of 14 years’ work experience. The class has 24 participants, of which half are international, and 38 percent are female.  

The average time taken to complete the program is 35 months. Aston is a triple accredited institution with graduates enjoying an average 64.5 percent increase in earnings, as well as joining a global alumni network of more than 90,000.

9) University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium

Tuition: $23,250

The University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium’s online MBA has 17 required credits and 13 credits of electives available on the program.

On average, participants have nine years’ work experience, five percent of students are international, and 38 percent are female. This year’s cohort has 87 students, with participants taking an average of 30 months to complete the program.  

All four universities in the University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium have AACSB accreditation.

8) The Open University Business School

Tuition: $22,810

Scoring highly for the class profile and class experience indicators, The Open University Business School offers participants three intakes a year in May, September and November.

The MBA program covers core themes including critical engagement, embedding theory in practice, and global impact awareness.

Students can take anywhere from 18 months to seven years to complete the program, but the average participant tends to complete the program in 36 months.

There are 830 students in this year’s class. 32 percent of the cohort are international students, 36 percent are female, and participants have an average of 14 years’ work experience.  

The AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS accredited program has a network of over 25,000 alumni in 100 countries.

7) CENTRUM Católica

Tuition: $22,700

CENTRUM PUCP Graduate Business School’s International Managerial MBA scored highly for the class experience indicator this year.

The business school’s website says their online program can take 19 months, with classes held two times per week, but the average program length according to our data is 27 months.

On average, students have 10 years’ work experience, and of the 124-strong class, 20 percent of students are international, and 25 percent are female.

CENTRUM’s MBA program methodology highlights the importance of the case method. Students also take a two-week trip to Barcelona to take intensive classes for eight days at the EADA Leadership Development Center in Collbató.

=5) The Robert Gordon University Aberdeen Business School

Tuition: $21,663

During the eight semesters on the Online MBA program at Robert Gordon University, students will tackle courses including: Corporate Financial Management and Leadership, Communication and Change

Students can begin the AACSB and AMBA accredited program (which scored highly for class experience) in January and September.   

This year’s cohort has an intimate class of 26 students, and an average of 14 years’ work experience. Over two-thirds of the class are international (69 percent), while 19 percent are female. Participants take an average of 33 months to complete the program.

Activity includes: two-and-a-half hours per week of lectures, webinars are two-and-a-half hours per semester, and practical classes or workshops are 32-48 hours in the final semester.

=5) Bradford University School of Management

Tuition: $21,663

The DL MBA at Bradford scored highly this year for its class profile and class experience. Assessment for the program is mainly achieved through a 4,000-word assignment for the core syllabus, a 2,000-word assignment for the electives, as well as 15,000 words for the managerial project.

Materials, textbooks, and discussion boards are digitally enabled, complemented by synchronous online tutorials with tutors.

This year’s AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS accredited program has 105 students on the course, who have an average of 13.3 years’ work experience. 80 percent are international students, and 31 percent are female, with students taking an average of 36 months to complete the program.

4) Oxford Brookes Business School

Tuition: $20,057

Oxford Brookes’ Global MBA has two intakes a year in March or September and can be completed in an average of two-and-a-half years. ACCA members can receive credit for modules, so ACCA MBA students can complete a fast-track MBA program in just 24 months.

Some compulsory MBA courses include: Critical Approaches to Business; Global Business Environment; and Entrepreneurial Behaviours and Practices.

There are 136 students in this year’s cohort, with more than half being international students (51 percent). 40 percent of students this year are female, while the cohort averages 13 years’ work experience.

3) EU Business School

Tuition: $19,946

Sliding into third place in our ranking of the most affordable online MBA programs is the only Spanish business school in the top 10 – EU Business School. Its online MBA program scored highly for the class profile indicator, with a perfect score for class experience.

Students will receive a state-accredited MBA from the University of Roehampton in London, as well as their EU degree. The blended program incorporates interactive webinars and business simulations with on-campus weeks for networking.

There are 85 students in the cohort – which boasts 100 percent international students – who have an average of nine years’ work experience. The average length of time spent to complete the program is 15 months, but it can be completed in just one year.

Graduates enjoy an average salary of US$140,000.

2) SBS Swiss Business School

Tuition: US$17,571

Switzerland’s SBS Swiss Business School earned the silver spot for cheapest online MBA programs this year. The program ranks quite highly for class profile and achieves a perfect score for class experience.

This year’s cohort is on the smaller side compared to other top online MBA programs, with just 60 students. 75 percent of the class are international, while the cohort has an average of seven years’ work experience.

Students take around 24 months on average to complete the program, with graduates enjoying an average salary of US$96,258.

There are 15 modules on the SBS Online MBA, each taking eight weeks to complete. As well as online exam discussion boards and forums, and live webinar sessions.

1) Amity Directorate of Distance & Online Education

Tuition: $2,400

If you’re looking for a top online MBA which won’t cost you a fortune, look no further. As well as being the cheapest, Amity Directorate of Distance & Online Education earned a perfect score for class experience.

The program, which has two intakes a year, offers systematic and structured PCP (personal contact point), live interactive lectures from eminent faculty and industry experts, virtual recorded sessions via Amity’s LMS, books and study material received via courier.

It’s worth noting how large the class is – 4,402 students to be precise – meaning it’s the biggest cohort of all the online MBA programs available in our rankings. On average, students have just over four years’ work experience, making it the least experienced cohort in this top 10 as well as the cheapest and largest.

46 percent of students are international, and 37 percent are female. Described as a rigorous two-year (four-semester) online program, the average program length is 24 months.