Ki Kuganesan, Leadership Recruitment and Admissions Director at London Business School, shares his advice on applying to the Executive MBA.
What to expect following your application
Application submission: Following successful completion and submission of your application, this will be acknowledged by the admissions team according to the relevant upcoming deadline.
Shortlisting and interview invitation: If your application is shortlisted, you'll be invited to participate in an interview. The interview will be conducted by a member of the Admissions Committee or an EMBA alumnus and can be in-person or virtual.
Kira video assessment: In addition to the interview, you’ll be asked to complete a Kira video assessment, which typically involves answering a series of questions on camera.
Post-interview decision: After the interview and video assessment, the Admissions Committee will convene to make a final decision regarding your application. You’ll be notified of the outcome, and next steps, as soon as possible.
Successful applicants typically have an average of 15 years of work experience and at least 5 years of managerial experience, which includes managing teams, projects, budgets and/or resources.
Applicants are usually required to hold an undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification. If you do not have a degree, we may still consider your application depending on the quality of your experience to date and any other qualifications you hold.
You should be proactive and driven with strong leadership potential and the ability to set and achieve goals.
You should demonstrate strong career progression during your employment history.
We want to understand your motivations for applying to the Executive MBA and how you feel the programme will help you fulfil your career objectives.
The Executive MBA attracts students from approximately 40-50 countries. We select students with an international outlook, and/or those who can build on existing international exposure. You should demonstrate your ability to work with people from different backgrounds and in cross-cultural teams.
We place particular emphasis on working in teams. You should demonstrate flexibility and respect for different approaches. You must be able to aid the development of your fellow students and contribute to the lifelong learning environment of the School.
This is designed to be completed over several sessions. You can save your work as you go and submit this when you are ready. All supporting documents (transcripts, essays, etc.) can be uploaded as you complete the online form.
Please download and complete the Executive MBA essay template. These form an important part of your application, so make sure you spend a significant amount of time on them. Once complete, please attach this document to your online application following the instructions given on the web form.
Essay topics:
Question 1 (600 words max)
Please provide a personal statement explaining how you will contribute to the experience of others on the programme, and how the Executive MBA programme will benefit you.
Question 2 (600 words max)
Describe what it would mean to you personally to be an alumnus of London Business School, what you believe membership of the community represents, and how you would give back to London Business School in the future.
Your CV must be no more than one page in length. If you have any significant gaps in your employment history, give your reasons on a separate sheet. Attach your CV to the online application form.
Please provide details of one reference via the online application form. We will then send a specific form to them to complete and return. This reference should be from your immediate line manager, either in your current role or a previous role. If you submit a reference from a previous line manager, we may ask for you to submit a company support letter at a later stage.
Upload a copy of your academic documents with the application form. These should contain a list of courses completed, grades, degree subject and class ranking (if available). If a transcript is not available, please supply a certificate.
If the original transcript is not in English, provide a certified or notarised English translation.
If you do not wish to submit your original transcript, we will accept copies that have been certified by a lawyer or Notary Public at the review stage. We will require an original document before enrolment.
We do offer GMAT/EA/GRE waivers to exceptional candidates who are able to demonstrate the skills covered by the test through academic achievements and work experience. If you feel you may be eligible for a waiver, please send your CV and your reason for a waiver request to the EMBA London or EMBA Dubai Recruitment Team.
If you have not yet taken the GMAT we encourage you to consider the Executive Assessment, which has been designed with senior Executives in mind. Brought to you by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), creators of the GMAT® exam, the EA has been developed for time-sensitive executives. The assessment is easy to schedule, short in duration, and requires only modest preparation.
Practise the GMAT test with London Business School's GMAT simulator [link to GMAT Sim: https://gmat.london.edu/ ] and prepare yourself for the test.
Our GMAT reporting codes are Z11-J7-23 for London and Z11-J7-36 for Dubai.
English language tests may be waived for those who have been working in an English-speaking environment for a substantial amount of time or who have studied at degree level in English. We will accept TOEFL, IELTS, PTE and Cambridge. If you take an English test, please remember to upload your test certificate as part of the application.
For more information, see our English language requirements for guidance on accepted scores.
The application fee for the EMBA programme is £180. You pay online after submitting your application. Your application will remain incomplete until we receive the fee.
There is no fee for graduates of London Business School and Columbia University. You will need to produce your transcript as proof of graduation.
If you have a recommendation from a London Business School alumnus, you may not have to pay the application fee. Alumni should email emba-admissions@london.edu, stating their relationship with the candidate and the reasons for the recommendation before you submit your application.
The Executive Assessment (EA) helps us evaluate your business school readiness based on your career experience. Administered by GMAC, it is specifically designed for time-sensitive executives.
Register for the EA hereAn initial decision will be made on your application according to the published deadlines. If shortlisted, you will be invited to interview with a member of the Admissions Committee or an EMBA alumnus.
Prior to the interview, you will be requested to take the Kira video assessment as part of our holistic evaluation process. The Kira video assessment evaluates key traits like leadership, critical thinking, and communication skills – which we can then discuss further with you in your interview.
The final decision on your application will then be considered by the Admissions Committee, reflecting on the feedback from your application, assessments, and interview. You will be notified of the outcome, and next steps, as soon as possible.
The decision made by the Admissions Committee may be:
1. Offer – The exceptional merits of your application and interview mean LBS would like to offer you a place to join the EMBA programme
2. Waitlist – LBS is not prepared to make an offer at this stage but remain open to gathering more information concerning your candidacy given the strengths of your application
3. Reject – Your application will come to an end for this year but the option to apply in the subsequent admission cycle is available.
If your application is not successful, please review the admissions criteria against your application and ensure that your experience and objectives are aligned with the admissions criteria. Remember that competition for places is high, and consequently we are not able to offer places to a few suitable candidates.
Executive MBA students normally have an undergraduate degree from a recognised university; however, we do occasionally consider non-graduate candidates. We would expect such candidates to have alternative professional qualifications and/or outstanding work experience. We would also look at the GMAT or Executive Assessment more closely as an indicator of academic ability.
There is no minimum score requirement. The test is just one of several pieces of information used by the School to assess a candidate's suitability, and just as a high score does not guarantee admission, a lower score does not eliminate a candidate.
In making an admissions decision, we consider all aspects of a candidate's background, knowledge and experience as demonstrated throughout the application process.
If you are concerned about your test score, please contact a member of the admissions team at emba@london.edu or telephone +44 (0)20 7000 7512 (UK) or +971 440 193 01 (Dubai).
Only applicants with exceptional work experience or a quantitative background will be considered for a waiver and all requests will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Some eligibility criteria include:
Candidates with C-level experience in a heavily quantitative role from a medium/large organisation
An academic qualification in a quantitative field
Relevant professional qualifications i.e. CFA, ACCA, CIMA, ACA
Please note that decisions will be made using a holistic approach. If you feel you are suitable for a waiver, please email the EMBA London or EMBA Dubai recruitment team with a copy of your CV and the reason why you feel you meet the waiver eligibility criteria. Applicants who meet the eligibility requirements will be reviewed by the admissions team.
Our GMAT reporting codes are Z11-J7-23 for London and Z11-J7-36 for Dubai.
We would advise you to wait for the committee’s feedback, on whether or not you need to take an English language proficiency test.
The application fee is £180. You can pay the fee online as part of your online application or by downloading the application fee payment form.
For graduates of University of London, the application fee will be waived. This must be requested when you apply, and you must provide a copy of your college transcript.
Candidates recommended by London Business School alumni may also be exempt from the application fee. Alumni wishing to recommend a candidate should email emba@london.edu (London) or embadubai@london.edu (Dubai) stating their relationship with the candidate and their reasons for the recommendation. Recommendations must be received before the application is submitted.
Your reference should be from your immediate line manager. This will also give us an indication of their awareness of your time commitment to the programme.
Candidates are required to submit academic transcripts from their undergraduate or graduate educational institutions. If the original transcripts are not in English, you must also provide certified translated copies.
Our preferred format for receiving applications is via our online portal.
Interested in our Executive MBA programme? We'd love to hear from you. Reach out to us, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
