University in United Kingdom
Cranfield, England, United Kingdom
University profile
Cranfield University is a specialist postgraduate university in science, technology, engineering and management, based in Bedfordshire, England. It grew out of the College of Aeronautics founded in 1946 and holds a Royal Charter granted in 1969. Its mission is applied research and education delivered in partnership with business, government and academia, and it is the largest UK provider of master's-level graduates in engineering, alongside its MBA and executive education programmes.
The main campus at Cranfield, near Milton Keynes and Bedford, is built on a former RAF station and has its own airport, Cranfield Airport, used as a global research airport. Next to it stands Cranfield University Technology Park, home to around 50 companies. The second site is at Shrivenham on the Oxfordshire/Wiltshire border, where Cranfield Defence and Security works in academic partnership with the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom on a secure Ministry of Defence site.
Academic work is organised in two faculties: the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences, covering aerospace and aviation; AI, robotics and space; automotive, energy and photonics; environmental sustainability; defence and security; and manufacturing, materials and design, and the Faculty of Business and Management, which includes Cranfield School of Management, founded in 1967. Research centres include the Centre for Aeronautics, Propulsion and Power, the Centre for Air Transport Management, the Advanced Vehicle Engineering Centre and the Centre for Assured and Connected Autonomy. Large-scale facilities include seven wind tunnels, an air traffic management laboratory, accident investigation facilities and a clean room for assembling spacecraft payloads.
The staff-to-student ratio is 8:1, and the campus has lecture spaces, labs, shops, cafes and sports facilities within walking distance. On-campus housing at Cranfield includes halls of residence, shared houses, apartments for couples and family homes, with bills, wi-fi, 24/7 security and parking included. The Cranfield Students' Association, run by elected students, organises social, cultural and sporting activities, and libraries operate at both Cranfield and Shrivenham.
Students come from more than 100 countries each year, and the alumni network numbers more than 60,000. International students get a free airport meeting service from London airports to the Cranfield campus, a country-by-country information service, partner agents and the European Partnership Programme, through which students of partner institutions take a Cranfield MSc in place of their final home year. The Office for Students recognised Cranfield in 2022 as a world-leading specialist provider. On 14 May 2026 Cranfield and King's College London signed an agreement as the first step towards a merger, aiming to bring the institutions together from August 2027.
Fees vary by course and apply to students first registering between 1 August 2026 and 31 July 2027. Many full-time MSc courses in engineering cost £13,005 (Home) and £29,025 (Overseas), and the full-time MBA costs £49,500. Full-time PhD fees are £5,238 a year (Home), £23,525 a year (Overseas, non-technical projects) and £28,830 a year (Overseas, technical projects), and a £1,000 deposit is required from self-funded research students. Home fee status follows UK Department for Education rules. Most offer holders pay a non-refundable deposit, which is offset against the fee, and international students needing a Student visa must pay it or show sponsorship before a CAS is issued. Fees and payment
Course-specific Cranfield scholarships for MSc courses are listed in the Fees and Funding section of each course page. Country pages show funding available to international applicants. Student funding and scholarships
One £16,000 scholarship for a self-funded PhD in the Faculty of Business and Management, given as a tuition fee reduction spread across three years, for students starting in 2026-27 or 2027-28. Applicants need an offer of admission and must submit four statements, including one on financial need, and may be interviewed online. The deadline for the current round was 29 May 2026. Details
Full scholarships for selected full-time taught master's courses, jointly funded by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and Cranfield. They cover tuition, return airfare, a stipend of £1,452 a month and other allowances. They are for citizens and residents of eligible Commonwealth countries who hold at least a 2:1 equivalent and cannot otherwise afford UK study. Applications go through the CSC, and the most recent deadline was 9 December 2025. Details
With the British Council, Cranfield offers three £10,000 scholarships for selected full-time MSc courses to citizens and residents of Bangladesh, Kenya and Nigeria. The 2026 deadline was 17:00 GMT on 18 May 2026. Details
Contact Student Funding and Scholarships at +44 (0)1234 758181 or [email protected].
Cranfield Excellence International Scholarships →
Cranfield Excellence Merit Scholarships →
Alan Harrison Half-Fee Scholarship →
Professor Joe Nellis CBE MBA Scholarship →
Browse the scholarships listed for Cranfield University and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for Cranfield University →Cranfield is postgraduate only and offers taught master's degrees (MSc, MBA, PgDip, PgCert), research degrees (PhD, EngD, MPhil, MSc by Research), apprenticeships and professional development. It does not take undergraduate applications through UCAS.
Most taught and research programmes have the same minimum requirements:
Some courses set additional requirements. Applicants who do not meet the formal requirements but can show they are able to complete the course may still be accepted, and each application is judged on its merits.
Applications go through the online form, which covers personal and contact details, agent, qualifications, experience, personal statement, referees and funding. Applicants upload degree certificates and transcripts issued by their university's registry, with certified translations if they are not in English, plus a personal statement, an English test result if needed and references where the course asks for them. Deadlines and course-specific requirements appear under 'How to apply' on each course page. After submitting, applicants manage their application through the EVE applicant portal. Courses at Shrivenham may require security clearance.
Applicants can apply for advertised funded research opportunities, propose an individual project with a supervisor found through the Expert Finder, or develop an employment-related project with their employer. A personal statement, a research proposal and a final or interim transcript are needed before an application is considered.
English is waived for nationals of the UK or of a UKVI majority English-speaking country, for holders of a higher education qualification taught and assessed in English from one of those countries within five years of the course start, and for those continuously employed in the UK for at least five years with an employer reference. Otherwise the university minimums are:
Tests must be taken within two years of the course start, and all scores must come from a single sitting. Some courses require higher scores. Pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes courses are available for applicants below the required score.
Nationals of Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia and Somalia must verify their qualifications through Qualification Check, which costs £49 and is later deducted from the tuition fee. Some sensitive subjects require Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) clearance. To start the CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) process through CAS Shield, applicants must have accepted the offer, paid any tuition fee deposit or provided evidence of sponsorship, and met all offer conditions. CAS Shield opens within six months of the course start, and applicants may be asked for evidence of funds.
University Libraries serve both sites, with subject librarians, academic skills support, group study rooms and 24/7 online access to databases, eJournals and eBooks.
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