Selection and admissions strategy

1. Selection criteria
2. Assessment of your application
3. Application timeline
4. Application deadlines

The University of Edinburgh is one of the world’s leading research and teaching universities. We are a truly international university and as such, we strive to recruit and develop the world’s most promising students.

The programmes taught in our Business School are global in their focus and we aim to ensure that this is reflected in the diversity of the student cohort we admit. Our MSc students represent a wide range of nationalities and backgrounds, typically originating from over 70 different countries. The strong international mix across our student body creates a forum where stimulating and lively discussion can thrive and new global perspectives can be developed.

1. Selection criteria

We select students through a highly competitive process, using the information you have provided on your application form to compare you against your peers. We are looking for talented students who best demonstrate that they have the potential to benefit from, and contribute to, the challenging academic experience we offer.

While educational achievement is the most important factor we consider when selecting students, we take other aspects of the application into account, in particular the personal statement, to ensure we have a full understanding of your background and potential.

We will be looking for evidence in your personal statement that you have thought carefully about what you can bring to the programme and what impact you feel it will have on your future career. Therefore, please ensure that you address the following issues in your statement to help us select the students who will benefit most from the programme:

• What skills, qualities and experiences have prepared you to undertake this programme?
• What value do you think you can add to the learning community as part of an internationally diverse group?
• What impact do you hope to make in your future career, and how will this programme contribute to your aspirations?

2. Assessment of your application

Our overall decision on your application will be based on both academic results as described in the entry requirements section for each programme, and non-academic qualities as outlined above. Applications are given a score in each area and offers are made to those with the highest overall scores.

Successful applicants are likely to have scored very highly in both academic results and non-academic qualities. Unfortunately, due to the level of competition for a limited number of places, many high-quality applicants are unsuccessful.

Our decision will be based on the following weightings:

• 60% Academic performance
• 40% Non-academic qualities

3. Application timeline

Applications for our postgraduate taught programmes can be submitted at any time during the year, and will be evaluated as they are received.

Applicants to most of our programmes can expect to receive our decision relatively quickly. However, where programmes are in especially high demand, we will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but hold the majority of applications until the next published selection deadline when we will offer a proportion of the places available to applicants selected through the competitive process described above.

Failure to submit all required documents will prevent the Admissions team from considering the applicant for a place on the programme, and may delay the decision on your application beyond the stated deadline.

Applicants who are not made an offer at a specific selection deadline will either be notified that they have been unsuccessful in securing a place on the programme, or that their application will be carried forward to the next selection deadline for further consideration at that time.

Applications which are received after our final selection deadline will be considered at our discretion, if there are still places available.

For programmes requiring an application fee, applicants should note that in order to be considered in a particular round, the application fee must be paid by the application deadline.

4. Application deadlines