TL;DR: The Cambridge MBA class has 222 students, and Cambridge Judge Business School does not publish a Cambridge MBA acceptance rate or an application count. The class profile shows 43 nationalities, 47% women, an average age of 29 and six years of average work experience. Cambridge gives a mean GMAT of around 635 on the current format and requires at least two years of full-time work experience. Fees for September 2027 entry are £86,250. For 2027 entry, Round 2 closes October 5, 2026, Round 3 January 4, 2027, Round 4 March 22, 2027 and Round 5 May 4, 2027 (Sources: Cambridge Judge Business School MBA class profile, application and fees pages; GMAC review of MBA acceptance rates, July 2026). If you are weighing a one year MBA at Cambridge against a two year US program, Oriel Admissions builds MBA application strategy on this data: schedule a consultation.
What Is the Cambridge MBA Acceptance Rate?
There is no official Cambridge MBA acceptance rate. Cambridge Judge Business School publishes a class profile, but it does not publish the number of applications it receives or the number of offers it makes. Without an application count, no admit rate and no enrollment ratio can be computed from Cambridge data.
Percentages for Cambridge appear across the web, and none of them traces to a figure the school has released. The GMAC review of acceptance rates at leading business schools, published in July 2026, covers the top ten schools in the 2026 Financial Times Global MBA Ranking and does not list a figure for Cambridge. It does state that schools outside the United States either do not publish official figures or have not released any since 2019, and that estimates for leading European schools range from 20% to 30%. That range is the most that can be said with a source behind it, so treat any Cambridge MBA acceptance rate you see quoted as an estimate.
What Cambridge does publish is below, and it is the better basis for judging your own application.
| What Cambridge publishes | Current MBA class |
|---|---|
| Class size | 222 students |
| Nationalities | 43 |
| Women | 47% |
| Average age | 29 |
| Average work experience | 6 years |
| Mean GMAT (current format) | Around 635 |
| Applications received | Not published |
| Acceptance rate | Not published |
Is the Cambridge MBA Acceptance Rate the Same as the Cambridge Acceptance Rate?
No. The acceptance rate usually quoted for the University of Cambridge describes undergraduate admission, which has its own application route, assessments and interviews. The MBA is a separate graduate program with its own application handled by Cambridge Judge Business School, a different applicant pool and different criteria. If you are looking for the undergraduate figures, see our guide to the Cambridge acceptance rate.
What GMAT or GRE Score Do You Need for the Cambridge MBA?
The Cambridge MBA application page lists no minimum score. It gives mean averages for the class: around 635 on the current GMAT format and around 710 on the previous format. For the GRE, it gives the average as 75% Verbal and 62% Quantitative. You can apply with the GMAT or the GRE, scores are valid for five years, and your score must be valid when you apply.
One detail is worth knowing. The class profile page shows a mean GMAT of 690, while the application page gives around 710 for the previous format. The two pages do not say which class each figure describes. Treat 690 to 710 on the previous scale, or around 635 on the current scale, as the working range.
On the academic side, Cambridge asks for a good 2:1 honours degree on the UK grading scale or the international equivalent. It says lower results may be considered, but you will then need a good GMAT or GRE score. If your score sits below the class average, our GMAT prep guide covers how to plan a retake around a round deadline.
Who Gets Into the Cambridge MBA?
The class profile shows 222 students from 43 nationalities, with 47% women, an average age of 29 and six years of average work experience. You need at least two years of full-time work experience by the start of the program. Cambridge also looks for strong evidence of career progression, excellent English, a learning mindset and strong interpersonal and collaborative skills.
At 222 students, the class is small. London Business School reports 514 students in its current class and Oxford reports 332. Cambridge encourages early applications, especially from candidates who rely on scholarships, bursaries or loans to fund the degree.
How Much Does the Cambridge MBA Cost?
The fees page states that fees for entry in September 2027 are £86,250 and that the application fee is £165. Fees are the same for British and overseas students. If you accept an offer, you pay a non-refundable reservation fee of £7,950, which goes toward tuition, and you provide a financial guarantee that you can meet the program costs. Graduates of the University of Cambridge receive a £10,000 reduction in tuition fees.
The program lasts one year, so the cost of time out of work is one year of salary instead of two. The 2026 employment report shows an average base salary after the MBA of £71,216, with 82% of the class receiving a job offer within four months. Our guide to one year MBA programs compares the format across ten schools.
What Are the Cambridge MBA Deadlines for 2027 Entry?
Cambridge runs five rounds. The dates for the class starting in September 2027 are below.
| Round | Application deadline | Admissions interviews |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | August 24, 2026 | September 28 to October 9, 2026 |
| Round 2 | October 5, 2026 | November 9 to 20, 2026 |
| Round 3 | January 4, 2027 | February 15 to March 12, 2027 |
| Round 4 | March 22, 2027 | April 19 to 30, 2027 |
| Round 5 | May 4, 2027 | June 1 to 11, 2027 |
Cambridge tells you within three weeks whether you are shortlisted. Each round has a virtual interview day before the interviews begin, and all admissions interviews are held virtually. Successful candidates usually receive a conditional offer within three weeks of the interview and then have three weeks to respond.
The written application is a career objectives statement of up to 500 words and three essays of up to 200 words each: a professional mistake, the best team you worked with, and a time when someone else positively impacted your life. You also need one reference from a supervisor. Cambridge does not accept academic references or references from relatives, peers or colleagues.
Our guides to the Cambridge MBA application essays and the short answer questions cover the written section. If you are choosing between the two universities, see our comparison of the Oxford and Cambridge MBA programs, and for the US side, our guide to what the M7 schools publish.
How Do Other European MBA Programs Compare?
None of the leading European business schools publishes a current acceptance rate, so the useful comparison is what each one does publish about its class, its fees and its calendar. We cover the others school by school: the INSEAD acceptance rate, the IESE MBA acceptance rate, the London Business School acceptance rate, the HEC Paris acceptance rate and the Oxford MBA acceptance rate. We also cover the IE Business School acceptance rate, and our guide to the best MBA programs in Europe compares all seven schools side by side.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Cambridge MBA Acceptance Rate
Cambridge Judge Business School does not publish an MBA acceptance rate or an application count. Percentages quoted online are estimates that do not trace to the school. GMAC says estimates for leading European schools range from 20 to 30 percent and that schools outside the United States have not released official figures since 2019.
No. Undergraduate admission has its own application route, assessments and interviews. The MBA has a separate application handled by the business school, a different applicant pool and different criteria. The two figures should not be compared.
Cambridge gives a mean GMAT of around 635 on the current format and around 710 on the previous format. Its class profile page shows a mean of 690. The application page lists no minimum score, and scores are valid for five years.
The class profile shows 222 students from 43 nationalities. Women make up 47 percent of the class, the average age is 29 and the average work experience is six years.
Fees for entry in September 2027 are 86,250 pounds, and the application fee is 165 pounds. Fees are the same for British and overseas students. A non-refundable reservation fee of 7,950 pounds is due when you accept an offer and counts toward tuition.
Round 1 closed on August 24, 2026. Round 2 closes on October 5, 2026, Round 3 on January 4, 2027, Round 4 on March 22, 2027 and Round 5 on May 4, 2027. Admissions interviews are held virtually over a two week period in each round.
You need at least two years of full-time work experience by the start of the program. The class average is around six years. Cambridge also looks for strong evidence of career progression.
A career objectives statement of up to 500 words and three essays of up to 200 words each, on a professional mistake, the best team you worked with and a time when someone else positively impacted your life. One reference from a supervisor is also required.
Sources: Cambridge Judge Business School, Cambridge MBA Class Profile; Cambridge Judge Business School, Cambridge MBA How to Apply; Cambridge Judge Business School, Cambridge MBA Fees and Funding; GMAC, Review of Acceptance Rates at the Top Ten Business Schools (July 2026).
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