Studying for a business, finance or management qualification continues to prove extremely popular for international students. Offering numerous specialisations and career paths, applications to business schools in popular study destinations are steadily increasing. If you’re one of these aspiring students, you’ll want a business school with a good ranking, reputation and global accreditation. We’re here to help guide you through the top business schools in the UK, what makes them stand out and some of what you could study there.
We've used some well-known and respected rankings and league tables to compile our list of the top business schools in the UK. We’re using the Complete University Guide Subject League Tables 2024 (CUG), the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023 (QS), and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2024 (THE).
University of Oxford
A Russell Group member and one of the top institutions in the world, the University of Oxford has an international reputation. The institution is considered number one worldwide by THE 2024 and 3rd globally by QS 2024. Further, it enjoys the top spot on the CUG Subject League Tables 2024 for business and management in the UK. There are over 26,000 students at Oxford, with approximately 12,600 undergraduate and 13,300 postgraduate students.
The Said Business School was established in 1996 and in the quarter of a century since, has produced more than 300,000 graduates. The school offers 15 degree programmes, executive diplomas, MBAs, and several Open Enrolment courses. Some of the degrees on offer at the school include:
- BA Economics and Management
- MSc Financial Economics
- MSc Law and Finance
- MSc Global Healthcare Leadership
- DPhil Management
- DPhil Finance
You can also select from several diplomas, including global business, financial strategy, strategy and innovation, and organisational leadership. If you are interested in studying for an MBA you can choose a 1+1 programme where you combine a master’s degree with an MBA, or you can select an Executive MBA if you have been working professionally and want to develop your career. If you select the main MBA programme at Oxford, you learn skills, including:
- Entrepreneurship
- Leadership
- Conflict management
- Negotiation
- Strategy
The programme consists of core and elective modules. Some of the core MBA modules include:
- Accounting
- Analytics
- Business Finance
- Marketing
- Firms and markets
Elective modules for an MBA at Oxford include:
- Risk management
- Artificial intelligence and advanced marketing analytics
- Political economy for business leaders
- Global sustainable business
- Impact investing
The university also ensures that students enjoy the expertise of industry professionals, with numerous university partners from Meta to Unilever.
Discover more about the best student cities in the UK.
King’s College London
With a city-based campus in the centre of London, King’s College has almost 200 years of higher education experience. The university enjoys a top 100 world ranking for business and management by QS 2023 and is considered the number two business school in the UK by CUG 2024. The institution hosts almost 34,000 students, of which 53 per cent are international.
Established in 1989, King’s Business School is AACSB, Association of MBAs and EQUIS accredited. The school consists of seven departments, each with a distinct area of specialisation. These are:
- Department of Accounting and Financial Management
- Department of Banking and Finance
- Department of Economics
- Department of Human Resource Management & Employment Relations
- Department of Marketing
- Department of Public Services Management & Organisation
- Department of Strategy, International Management and Entrepreneurship
The school has students from over 80 countries studying one of more than 30 programmes across undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Some of the degrees and courses on offer include:
- BSc Accounting and Finance
- BSc Business Management
- BSc Economics
- BSc International Management
- MSc Banking and Finance
- MSc Digital Marketing
- MSc Finance Analytics
- MSc International Management
The school also offers executive education, including an MBA, and an energetic research tradition. 90 per cent of the school’s research output is rated as world-leading or internationally excellent by TEF 2021. Some of the main research focus areas include:
- Reducing Social and Economic Inequalities
- Governance, Risk and Regulation
- Digitalisation: Reshaping Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Global Business for a Sustainable World
- Rethinking the Future of Work, Public Services and Business
Find out more about what it’s like to live and study in London.
University of Bath
The University of Bath is considered a top 300 global university by THE 2024 and a top 100 business school by QS. The institution is ranked in the top five business schools in the UK by CUG 2024 and received a 91 per cent rating for graduate satisfaction. Based in the picturesque city of Bath, the university attracts 15,000 students, just under 5,000 of whom are international. The most recent Research Excellence Framework (2021) rated 92 per cent of the research produced by the university to be world-leading or internationally excellent.
The School of Management at the university is accredited by both EQUIS and the Association of MBAs, with an excellent reputation for accounting, marketing and business qualifications. The school provides opportunities for students to participate in work placements professional projects, and even international exchanges. As an undergraduate student, you can select from degrees in accounting and finance, business and management, and management with modern languages. Some of the qualifications you could study include:
- BSc Accounting and Finance (with work placement)
- BSc Accounting and Management
- BSc Business
- BSc International Management
- BSc International Management and Modern Languages (German/Spanish/French)
To gain entry into undergraduate business or management-related courses at Bath, you will need a result of AAA or A*AB at A-Levels or equivalent, with mathematics as a core subject. This is an International Baccalaureate Diploma of 36 points and 6,6,6 or 7,6,5 at the Higher Level subject. At the postgraduate level, you can choose from courses and degrees, including:
- MSc Management
- MSc Business Analytics
- MSc Human Resource Management
- MSc Marketing
- MSc Accounting and Finance
- MBA
- Research PhD
Learn more about the higher education system in the UK.
University College London (UCL)
University College London (UCL) is rated number four in the UK for business and management qualifications, according to CUG 2024. The university is also ranked in the world’s top 25 by THE 2024 and top 10 by QS 2024. UCL offers 403 undergraduate programmes and 624 postgraduate qualifications to its 51,000 students. The university has a reputation for academic excellence and has produced or been associated with 20 Nobel Laureates.
The UCL School of Management specialise in offering programmes in entrepreneurship, management, information management, business, management science and business analytics. The university also provides work placement and organisational experience to help students develop real-world skills. Some of the courses and degrees available include:
- BSc Information Management for Business
- BSc Management Science
- MSc Entrepreneurship
- MSc Finance
- MSc Management
- MBA Global Management
- PhD Financial Economics
To qualify for admission to an undergraduate course at the school, you will need an A-Level result of AAA, with a science or social science subject. This is 38 points for an International Baccalaureate and 18 points for three Higher Level subjects. You will need a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 with no band lower than 6.0. The school also offers executive education programmes in specialisations such as:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Data Analytics
- Creativity and Innovation
- Data-Driven Change
Discover how to apply to study in the UK.
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick has one of the top five business schools in the UK, according to CUG 2024. The university also enjoys a top 150 rating worldwide from THE 2024 and a top 100 rating from QS 2024. In addition, the institution is ranked by QS in the top 25 business schools on the planet. Nearly 44 per cent of all 25,000 students at Warwick are international, and the university has an enviable student-to-staff ratio of 14:1.
The Warwick Business School was established in 1967 and offers more than 40 programmes, from foundation to PhD level. The business school has over 500 staff members and a student cohort of 7,000, plus an alumni community of 53,000 worldwide. The university also holds the distinction of a top ranking by the Financial Times for its online MBA degree, number one in the UK and 2nd globally. Some of the qualifications you can study at Warwick are:
- BSc Accounting and Finance
- BSc Management
- BSc International Management
- MSc Business Analytics
- MSc International Business
- MSc Finance
- MSc Management
- MBA
- Doctor of Business Administration
To gain entry into an undergraduate course at the Warwick Business School, you usually need an A*AA A-Level result or equivalent in subjects such as economics, statistics, or maths. This is an International Baccalaureate score of 38. You must have an IELTS score of 7.0, with no band lower than 6.5. For entry to an MSc course, you must have achieved at least a 2:1 result in your undergraduate degree. This is equivalent to a GPA of 3.0 to 3.3.
Learn more about the most popular courses for international students in the UK.
What are the top 10 business schools in the UK?
We’ve picked out some of the standout business schools in the UK, but there are some other excellent business schools in the UK as per the Complete University Guides Subject League Tables 2024:
- University of Oxford
- King’s College London
- University of Bath
- University College London
- University of Warwick
- London School of Economics and Political Science
- University of Exeter
- University of St Andrews
- Durham University
- City, University of London
You should now be more familiar with some of the top business schools in the UK. If you want to continue your research into studying abroad, you can read our guide to the top ten reasons to study abroad, finding a student lifestyle that suits you, and why to study business abroad.
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