How do you judge an online MBA's accreditation and value?

Direct answer: Three bodies matter for business schools: AACSB, EQUIS (run by EFMD) and AMBA. AACSB listed 1,096 accredited institutions in 71 countries and territories in July 2026, and EFMD listed 245 EQUIS-accredited schools across 49 countries in October 2026. Confirm any accreditation with the body, not only on the school's page.

AACSB (2026) states that it "now has 1,096 accredited institutions in 71 countries and territories", in a news release dated 21 July 2026. EFMD Global (2026) reports that "there are currently 245 EQUIS-accredited schools across 49 countries globally", in a post dated 16 October 2026. Both figures count schools, so an accreditation says something about the institution that runs the degree. The Association of MBAs (n.d.) works differently: its page says it accredits "MBA, DBA and Master's Degree programmes from the top 2% of business schools in over five continents", which makes it a programme-level accreditation. The AMBA page read on 22 October 2026 does not mention online or distance programmes, so ask the school in writing whether the accreditation covers the online MBA itself or only the campus version. A school that lists three accreditations on its marketing page should be able to point to the matching entry on each body's own directory.

Direct answer: Yes. The Financial Times Online MBA ranking 2026, updated on 16 March 2026, requires accreditation by AACSB or EQUIS. A programme must also deliver at least 70 per cent of content online, have run continuously for four years and graduate at least 30 students a year.

The Financial Times (2026) methodology page says that "the business school must be accredited by AACSB or Equis". It adds that at least 70 per cent of the programme content must be delivered online, that the programme should have run continuously for the past four years, that at least 30 students must have completed it per year, and that only general MBA programmes delivered in English are ranked. A programme that is three years old, or graduates 20 students a year, cannot be listed whatever its quality, so being absent from the table is not evidence of a weak degree. The ranking uses 20 criteria, with alumni data making up 60 per cent of the weight, school data 30 per cent and research 10 per cent. The largest single weights are salary today (12), salary increase (12), online interaction (11) and the FT research rank (10), while value for money carries 4. A table built this way rewards graduate pay and teaching interaction far more than it rewards a low fee.

Direct answer: On pages read on 22 October 2026, Edinburgh lists £36,000, Liverpool £24,634 and Imperial £57,000 to £60,500, with durations from 21 to 32 months. All three state AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS accreditation. They are examples of what to compare, not a recommendation or a ranking.

The fee rows are not like for like. University of Edinburgh Business School (n.d.) fixes its £36,000 for the programme for March 2027 entry, Imperial College Business School (n.d.) prices by intake month, and the University of Liverpool Online (n.d.) says its £24,634 for 2026/27 includes teaching materials, core textbooks, assessments and resits. Imperial's fee is about 2.3 to 2.5 times Liverpool's, depending on intake, and Edinburgh's is about 1.5 times, but those ratios only mean something once you know what each fee covers and what is billed on top. Ask each school for a written list of items outside the fee, and check whether the price is stated in pounds or converted from another currency on the day you read it.

Direct answer: The three programmes above ask for about three years of managerial or relevant full-time work. Imperial adds an English test: IELTS 7.0 overall, 6.5 per skill. The QAA benchmark says the experience required for MBA-type master's degrees is normally at least two years.

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) subject benchmark statement for master's degrees in business and management says that "Normally, the experience required will be at least two years with the typical entrant having substantially more than this" (QAA, 2023, p. 7). The same sentence adds that pre-experience courses typically avoid the MBA title. The three programmes sit well above that floor. University of Edinburgh Business School (n.d.) asks for at least three years in a managerial role and a 2:1 honours degree in any subject or an equivalent overseas qualification. University of Liverpool Online (n.d.) asks for three years of substantive postgraduate managerial experience and says it considers non-standard entry with more than five years of professional experience. Imperial's admissions page states a minimum of three years of continuous relevant full-time work, but other pages of the same school may quote a different figure, so confirm it with admissions before you plan your timeline. For the English requirement, Imperial College Business School (n.d.) sets a minimum IELTS score of 7.0 with 6.5 in all elements; see PTE Academic vs IELTS if you are choosing between tests.

Direct answer: Divide the full fee by the months of study, then ask four questions: does the accreditation cover this online programme, what sits outside the fee, do you meet the entry rules, and what will the degree change in your job. Only you can weigh your own goals.

A simple calculation puts the fees on the same scale. Edinburgh's £36,000 over its 24-month option is £1,500 a month and over the 30-month option £1,200; Liverpool's £24,634 over about 30 months is roughly £821 a month; Imperial's £57,000 over 32 months is about £1,781 a month (our arithmetic from the pages above, not figures the schools publish). None of the three programmes finishes in a year, so a one-year online MBA at a low price deserves extra scrutiny of the duration, the accreditation and the exclusions before you pay a deposit. The FT gives value for money a weight of only 4 (Financial Times, 2026), which is a reminder that the ranking does not answer your budget question. Write down the salary or role change you expect, the date you would finish, and the total cost, then compare programmes against that note instead of against a league table. If your next step is a personal statement or an interview for a programme like these, the admissions consulting service works with you on strategy and structure while you write the words yourself.

Direct answer: MAAS is an advisor, not an author. An expert reviews your drafts, challenges your structure and rehearses interview questions, while you write every word and decide what to submit. MAAS does not control admission decisions, and it does not promise an offer or a particular grade.

Admissions Consulting is an advisory service with no grade target: you bring your own career story, and the expert helps you find the thread between your experience and the programme you have chosen. Useful sessions at this stage usually cover how to show managerial experience that meets the three-year rule, how to explain why an online format fits your working life, and how to prepare for questions on your goals. Read the DBA vs PhD guide if you are still deciding whether a doctorate fits your plans better than a master's. A free first conversation will tell you whether the service matches your situation before you commit to anything.