London, GB · 12 months
Imperial MBA: cost, salary and payback
A one-year London MBA where 73% of graduates stay in the United Kingdom and 35% join technology firms.
Paid back after graduation in
7.7 years
Total cost $227,396 · 10-year NPV -$18,361
| Tuition and fees, whole program | $107,297 |
| Living budget | $30,099 |
| Salary given up, 12 months | $90,000 |
| Total cost | $227,396 |
| Salary after: average base salary | $111,549 |
| 10-year net present value | -$18,361 |
| Return on the cost (present values) | -8% |
US dollars at the ECB rate of the last update. Raises of 5% a year with the MBA and 3% without, discounted at 5%, before tax. How this is calculated.
Fees and budget read on October 13, 2026 · employment: Class of 2025 (school standard) · Built by Radif Partners · Method
- Tuition and fees
- £81,000
- Total cost, salary given up included
- $227,396
- average base salary
- £84,210
- Payback, reference person
- 7.7 years
Imperial Business School charges £81,000 for its one-year full-time MBA, the same for British and international students, and the fee includes the flights and accommodation of the Global Experience Week. Imperial College's own estimate for a year in London with private accommodation adds £22,722, for £103,722, about $137,396. For a person earning $90,000 today, the 12 months away cost $90,000 in salary, and the total reaches $227,396. The class of 2025 reported an average base salary of £84,210, a figure the school publishes in purchasing-power dollars, which we convert back to pounds; on that figure the cost is repaid 7.7 years after graduation, and the ten-year net present value is -$18,361. Imperial is set apart by where its graduates work: 73% stay in the UK, enough to rank it first of 6 for working there. Its open pages publish little else about the class's jobs.
A salary published in purchasing-power dollars
Imperial gives its graduate salary as an average in PPP dollars, rather than in pounds or as a median. We convert it to pounds with the World Bank's purchasing-power factor, which gives £84,210, and then to US dollars at the market rate for the calculator, $111,549. An average is pulled up by a few high offers, so the typical graduate's salary is probably lower than this figure. The school states it covers graduates seeking work who shared their data.
At that salary the ten-year value is negative for the reference person, -$18,361: discounted over ten years, the gain from the degree does not quite cover what it costs, even though the payback date falls within those ten years. A lower current salary, or a scholarship, changes the sign. Type your own salary in the calculator; the payback moves quickly with it.
Imperial: when the MBA pays back, for your salary
Payback after graduation
7.7 years
| Total cost with the salary given up | $227,396 |
| Salary after (average base salary) | $111,549 |
| 10-year NPV | -$18,361 |
Same assumptions as the main calculator; US dollars.
What the web page shows, and what sits behind a form
The class of 2025 page publishes two shares: 35% of graduates in technology, which ranks Imperial 18 of 40 in our technology ranking, and 73% employed in the UK. The full breakdown by sector, function and region is in a report downloadable only through a form, which we have not used. The employers named, Amazon, Capital One, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte, IBM, Mastercard and Revolut, are those of recent years, not of 2025 alone. For working in Europe, UK included, our ranking places Imperial 5 of 16.
Imperial: where the class went
Share of the class
35%
| Salary reported | $111,549 (school-wide) |
| Graduates, about | n/a |
| Payback with that salary | 7.7 years |
Reference person earning $90,000 before the MBA.
12 months, or 16 at extra cost
The program runs 12 months, and students can extend it with an additional term, for an extra tuition fee the page does not state. The living estimate is Imperial College's figure for all its students in London in 2026, not one written for MBA students, and private rents can exceed it. The class profile shows 46% women, students from 25 countries and an average age of 28. In the same city, LBS charges £123,950 for a longer program of 21 months; the London MBA ranking compares the schools there on the same model.
Where Imperial stands in our rankings
- #18 of 40 · Technology
- #5 of 16 · Working in Europe, UK included
- #1 of 6 · Working in the United Kingdom
Our fit score, reference person earning $90,000 before the MBA (method). Third-party rankings play no part in it. For reference, Imperial was ranked 39 in the FT Global MBA 2026.
What the Imperial MBA costs
| Item | GBP, and US dollars |
|---|---|
| Tuition, whole program | £81,000 $107,297 |
| Living budget, whole program | £22,722 $30,099 |
| Salary given up: $90,000 a year for 12 months | $90,000 |
| Total cost, reference person | $227,396 |
Imperial employment report: Class of 2025
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Average base salary | £84,210 $111,549 |
Imperial graduates by industry
| Industry, as the school names it | Share | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Technology sector | 35% | not published |
Where Imperial graduates went to work
| Region | Share | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| UK (employed in the UK) | 73% | not published |
Employers named by Imperial
Amazon · Capital One · Boston Consulting Group · Deloitte · IBM · Mastercard · Revolut
Names only: the school gives no hire counts.
The Imperial class
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Women | 46% |
| Average age | 28 |
| Nationalities | 25 |
Not published by Imperial in the documents we read: the split by job function. We leave these blank rather than fill them with an estimate.