The GMAT is not required for Lancaster's MSc Management. Entry is a 2:2 honours degree (UK or equivalent) in any discipline — it is a conversion course, so no business background is needed — plus IELTS (Academic) 6.5 overall with at least 6.0 in each component. Lancaster states that requirement unconditionally rather than 'for non-native speakers', and its exemption is a country-of-study rule with a time condition: you may be excused only if you are from an accepted majority English-speaking country or studied at least two years of an undergraduate degree (or one year of a postgraduate degree) in one. Lancaster then closes the route most applicants expect, in its own words: 'We cannot accept medium of instruction in English or degree studies in English if this is not completed in the UK or one of our accepted majority English-speaking countries.' Applicants should have no more than two years of managerial work experience before starting.
Not required. Entry is a 2:2 honours degree in any discipline plus IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component — stated unconditionally rather than for non-native speakers, and exempted only by study in an accepted majority English-speaking country, because Lancaster explicitly will not accept medium of instruction in English on its own. Applicants should have no more than two years of managerial experience
| Test policy | Not required. Entry is a 2:2 honours degree in any discipline plus IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component — stated unconditionally rather than for non-native speakers, and exempted only by study in an accepted majority English-speaking country, because Lancaster explicitly will not accept medium of instruction in English on its own. Applicants should have no more than two years of managerial experience |
|---|---|
| MiMs we track admitting without a required GMAT/GRE | 75 of 118 |
A GMAT or GRE is not required to apply to the Lancaster University Management School MiM — it is one of the 75 of 118 Master's in Management we track (about 64%) that admit without a required test. See every European MiM you can apply to without a GMAT on our MiM without the GMAT shortlist, or read how GMAT waivers work.
Most European MiM programs, including this one, accept the GRE and often the GMAT Focus Edition or a school-specific test as alternatives, and weigh the whole application — academics, internships, essays, and interview — rather than the score alone.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a GMAT for Lancaster's MSc Management?
Sources
- Lancaster University — Management MSc course page. FEE CYCLE CHECKED 2026-09-13 (P25b, UK leg). Lancaster dates its own answer, verbatim: 'We set our fees on an annual basis and the 2027/28 entry fees have not yet been set.' The figures sit in the scholarship tables under the heading 'Scholarships for 2026 entry' (the page adds 'Scholarships for 2027 entry will be announced shortly'), as 'Programme cost without scholarship' — GBP 30,000 for international students and GBP 16,270 for home students. So the corpus figure is right and belongs to 2026 entry. Worth knowing for any cost claim about this school: at Lancaster the headline is rarely what an admitted applicant pays, because the LUMS Master's Excellence Scholarship is applied automatically on degree class (GBP 10,000-20,000 off for some nationalities, GBP 3,000-6,000 for others) and there is a further 10% alumni discount ↗ — Lancaster University
- Lancaster University — Management MSc (2026 entry) ↗ — Lancaster University
- Lancaster University Management School — MSc Management (MiM) ↗ — Lancaster University Management School
- Financial Times — Masters in Management 2025 ↗ — Financial Times
- Lancaster University — Postgraduate English language requirements. ENGLISH EVIDENCE CHECKED 2026-09-09 (P33b, UK leg). This profile previously said the test was required 'for non-native English speakers'; Lancaster publishes no such rule. The course page states the requirement without qualification — 'We require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test' — and the postgraduate English page makes the exemption a country-of-study rule with a duration condition, verbatim: 'You may not be required to submit evidence of your English language ability if you are from one of the following countries or territories, or you have completed a qualification equivalent to a UK degree in one of them', qualified by 'Study in the UK or other accepted majority English-speaking country for at least 2 years of your undergraduate degree' and 'Studied in the UK or other accepted majority English-speaking country for at least 1 year if you studied a postgraduate degree', plus a separate route for nationals of Canada. Lancaster then rules out the medium-of-instruction route explicitly: 'We cannot accept medium of instruction in English or degree studies in English if this is not completed in the UK or one of our accepted majority English-speaking countries.' That last sentence is the reason this profile now states the rule rather than the shorthand — it is the clearest published refusal of the MOI route found across the 31 schools read for /blog/ielts-toefl-for-a-european-mim. P33f RE-READ 2026-09-12: read again for one question only — does submitting a test result BELOW the course requirement remove an exemption the applicant would otherwise hold, as Bath states ('you will not be exempt')? This page publishes NO rule either way. Recorded as a dated SILENCE on that question, never as permission: a page that says nothing has not promised to ignore a weak score. ↗ — Lancaster University